Hey Kids,
I'm back! and I'm so much better! I was really sick for a while there, and I was so miserable as I had been bragging so much about my perfect health all through winter and attributing it to my super healthy diet, but in the end, that nasty African bug caught up with me.
So sadly I don't have many nice "life in Tunisia" stories for you today as things have been pretty quiet - but just you wait, have got some nice stuff planned this weekend that you're going to LOVE.
Otherwise I have been plodding away with my little 30before30 goals.
10. Run a Marathon
The half marathon training has taken up everything. Seriously. I feel like I have become one of those crazy people who are completely obsessed with exercise. I have plenty of friends who have had babies lately and they often remark that they are in completely in awe of their bodies - that they were able to grow a human in their tummies, that the human body is amazing. This is how I feel. And this isn't even as magical and miraculous as procreation - but I still can't believe that I am still doing this, and that even though I keep feeding it M&Ms and dolly mixtures, my body keeps going.
I am almost 6 weeks through the 8 week training schedule. I did some sums today, and so far I have run 168.7km (sorry it's a crazy number it's to do with km/mile conversions) of the 265.6kms that are in my training plan (that includes the Halfy herself). So I am 64% of the way through - which makes me feel nice.
Now I don't usually take a whole load of selfies, but I took this picture for my sister who bought me new top for the gym. This is how disgusting 13kms looks:
26. Read the Big Russian Novels
I am tearing through Anna Karenina. I wish I hadn't spent so long worrying about which translation to read and had just cracked on with it years ago. It's brilliant. There are about 800 pages and I'm on 550. It's solidifying my St. Petersburg Dreams.
27. Read the Whole Bible
So I've finished the new Testament now - it was a hoot, especially Revelations which I had definitely never read before. It was a bit out there - think I would have remembered that.
Now back in the Jewish Law. It's heavy, but I've got a little reading plan and am just marching through.
On the religious note, I gave up alcohol for lent. It's even harder than when I gave up eating mammals. It's really tough. I have a bottle of Californian wine in the fridge ready for Easter Sunday. Social occasions are a nightmare - I even had a work function with ever-flowing champagne. This is so unbelievably rare, you cannot imagine.
Other nice things:
- My friend had a baby - and I knit her a hat, but she is tiny and the hat is huge. She's working on growing so that it fits. My friend filmed the birth - he is a nutter.
- A new Kate Nash album came out and it's keeping my ears very busy. I can't wait until it's warm enough to lie on the beach and listen to it.
- A new restaurant opened near to my house and they have a special license to serve pork. I had a Parma Ham salad there last night and it was so delicious that I bit my tongue. Hard.
- Tomorrow is payday!
Big Kisses xxxx
Hey Gang,
So I need to write about this, but I will try my best to not be all preachy and come across like a crazy person. I'm British, and so naturally believe that Religion and Politics are not discussion topics for polite company, but you will have to excuse my manners a little because this was a pretty big deal.
I only went and got myself baptised. Oh yes. I took the plunge, and got rid of all those nasty sins. Okay, quips aside, let's get down to business. This is what happened:
When I was in Uganda I underwent a series of changes, a bit of soul-searching, a touch of heart-ache and a big dollop of drama. For peace, routine, reflection, singing (man, I love the singing) and because it's fun to dress up, I used to go along to church every Sunday. Church-going in Uganda is a way of life. They were absolutely jam-packed and people even sat outside listening on speakers, or in the pews. The church that I went to on the University of Makerere Campus (one of three) started services at 6am and ran them back-to-back all day until 9pm. I used to go at 7:30am, or sometimes 9am. The sheer mass of the congregation blew me away, so unlike the UK, where attendance is so low that churches are commonly sold off and turned into restaurants, bars or dwellings.
Anyway, although the singing was good in Uganda, there wasn't much of a fellowship, or a community, it was more like a duty, a chore for most people.
Anyways, In Tunis, I've found a church where I feel like I've really grown and embraced my faith. In truth, I have always believed, since I first became a Christian, but I never really found a place that I could practice my faith like I have here. It seemed like the natural time to get baptised into the Church.
So I had to do a bit of prep for the big event. This mainly involved going over to my pastor's house (which I used to call "going to God School") and trying not to swear in front of his young, impressionable children. It seems I passed, because last week, I secured my place in Heaven (!).
Want some pics? Alright then!
That's right kids, full immersion. And the water was cold. It is November after all!
Afterwards all my friends came round mine and we had a proper tea party. With sausage (REAL pork - smuggled in!) sandwiches, cheese and pineapples and fruitcake.
There was quite a stir about the fruitcake. I had made it myself, and everyone thought it was great. Maybe I'll develop it into my signature dish - I'm just worried about marginalisation... there are people out there who don't actually like fruitcake. I know, I know... who are these uncouth monsters with such primitive pallets? This is what I used to think too, but then you end up sitting next to one at a wedding and "Hello! More for Me!" happens... and you realise that taste-bud-diversity makes the world go round.
I will give it some thought. It was so yummy. I LOVE fruitcake.
So that's that. I'm off to heaven, have already started tearing my way through the New Testament too, as one of the goals. It's good stuff - there are so many stories that I swear I have never heard before.
Don't swear, Michelle, You're supposed to be a good Christian now.
...Oh yeah... sorry.
