How does a regular weekday go for us? This I would call a normal Wednesday:
Alarm clock goes on at 6 am – earlier than usually, since Jyri is supposed to get on a safari today. I want to help him with early breakfast and packing the car. We have a cup of coffee, I feel still tired and slowly, Jyri’s mind seems to be on the road already. At 7, other travellers arrive at us and by then also girls are awake, so it’s goodbye to Dad and Pihla manages to produce a couple of tears. Mari and Mikki (yes, he is he) make their usual morning fuss, running and playing all over the place. It is raining, Kaisli wants to walk to school as normally but Pihla prefers a ride. At 8, Atu and George arrive at work, I give some instructions to Atu about today’s work – she is an excellent cook and today she will prepare potatoes with mushroom-onion sauce for lunch as I happened to get some from a friend – doesn’t happen very often. She is also an excellent baker: her latest achievement is sunflower seed-apple-carrot-graham bread which is absolutely fantastic. As Finnish people often are, we too are great fans of good bread. I don´t know how I would manage this household without her.
After breakfast I take Riitta’s car to carage as there is something wrong with the steering. Back to home, collect the laptop and today’s shopping list, then to Tumaini. I quickly make a few emails, write some letters, negotiate over the upcoming Research Methodology training. I also try to develop an idea what I should teach to Kaisli and her classmates on their Religious Education class- I have been invited to give a lesson at International School, maybe I will talk about image of God in religions? Can’t be too theoretical, but the approach should be comparative as the students come from variety of religious backgrounds. I appreciate the invitation and will take the task seriously.
Time is running short, at 11 Lotti and I drive to town to check a house that is for rent. We need to find a house for some new people who will move here later this year. House was supposed to have a great rose garden as the previous tenant was famous for her roses, but to my disappointment, they are redoing the garden and most roses are gone! The house is big but feels like a maze, also the wood panels are too dark and there are 3 layers of bars on the windows! The overall feeling is far too dark – I will not consider this.
After taking Lotti back to university I do some shopping in town but fail to get all I need – then back to home, and after a cup of nice spicy Indian tea I make some phonecalls, arrange something for a visitor from Finland, do emails again, read and comment a project report - normal office work. At 2 pm, I am asked to help to take some IIS school children for Neema Crafts as they are having the community service club there but no transportation. No problem.
After lunch with girls, I see over that they do their homework. Also there is the daily portion of extra Finnish maths and reading. Pihla protests, she is tired – which is true. She works hard for the school and has done some quite amazing progress in reading and timetables. Kaisli prepares her science notes and reads for a word test. I promise to make some waffles with strawberry jam for evening meal. Also we make a plan to make some miniature clay food during the weekend with Pihla.
While girls watch a movie, I steal an hour for my daily workout. That’s the best way to keep myself going – together with a weekly massage at Neema Crafts. Beatrice, the physiotherapist, is definitely the best masseuse I have ever been to. Looking forward to the next appointment – wondering how agonizing it’s going to be this time…
Later in the evening, when I alone am awake, I start preparing a sermon for Iringa International Fellowship service where I occasionally volunteer. Some late emails I leave for tomorrow. It has been a good day, as is my prayer every morning when I am awaken by prayer calls from local mosques.
