Returning to the Stage

Something finally happened!! I got cast in the next play at CentreStage Theatre. I decided, sort of last minute, to go to an audition at my old stomping ground and it paid off. I got the intense role of Jennie Malone in Neil Simon's "Chapter Two". Not only do I get to punch and scream at Stephen Abyss but he throws me across the stage...haha...only other actors will appreciate how exciting that is. We just started rehersals and it will run from June 5- July something. If anyone is interested in checking it out go to www.centrestagetheatre.ca.

***Although CentreStage is always accommodating to me and my refusal to curse this play does have a bit of swearing***

(Not bad eh Amy...two posts in less than a month)

Well then...

I admit it I am a terrible blogger!! I don't have internet at home so it's a bit challenging to be a consistent blogger. But it seems that I'm getting a bad reputation in the blogging world (Amy) so I thought I had better update...it's only been 6 months since my last one.
James and I are doing well. James has a job working with applied geomatics. He seems to really love it and he will be doing a project that he can combine this with a wildlife study for the summer. If you don't know what geomatics are then go download Google Earth. He helps to take laser images of landscape so that a 3D image can be analyzed.
I am working at my dads restaurant and at Purolator courier. I enjoy both but as always I am working too much and have no time for anything else. I do believe I am a workaholic. I'm hoping to do some theatre again soon...perhaps in the early summer.
Other than that things are pretty dull. Maybe that is why I don't blog that often. The only thing I ever have to say is that I am working too much.
My latest tally for nieces and nephews...4 nephews and 3 nieces. The newest edition is Thomas James Freeland Duke. He is a beautiful new edition to James' sister Laura's house.
Well, I must run. Perhaps in another six months I will post again. Hahaha. I love you Amy.

Back in Canada

Well, it is finally offical...we are back in Canada and loving it. We are still a bit jet-lagged and disorganized but settling in very quickly. The Havill's have very lovingly given us a place to stay for as long as we need it (a beautiful log cabin). I have started work at my fathers restaurant and James will start looking for a job within the next couple of days. We have so many stories and pictures to share. We don't have internet at our place yet so we have to rely on our parents computers. Hopefully tomorrow will see some pictures on the blog from our travels. We want to thank you all for your prayers and thoughts while we are travelling. We avoided sickness, robbery and matatu accidents the whole 4 months. I (Tracy) will hopefully be in Edmonton near the beginning of November so I can't wait to catch up with everyone then.

a quick update

Hey y'all. We are heading back to the village to start work on the posho mill. Thank you so much for all of your support. If you are still thinking about supporting the project please feel free because we are settling up a sustainability fund (for wage of the person running and for repairs that may need to be done) and perhaps future projects for the village. We will be in the village for a couple of weeks and will hopefully get in up and running before we come back to Canada. We will take lots of pictures and share them with you all. We can't express to you how much this means to us and the community. We will give a very detailed account of the whole project when we get home. Love you all.

Who would have thought

Okay here is ANOTHER one...wow. This might be useful for Wendy as well. The maize here is planted twice a year. Mr. Orwa, behind the plow, is plowing the field to get ready for planting so that the maize will be ready in December. These people work so hard because as he is plowing some fields to plant maize his other fields are being harvested.

pushing my Kenyan luck...here's another one

chewing on some sugar cane

Miracle of miracles

Well here it is folks. I believe I have found a place where I can upload photos. This one if for Wendy Elliot and for Sharon Havill to see my braids. I'll try to get some more pictures too.

An update from Mombasa

Hi everyone, James and I are now in Mombasa which is on the coast of eastern Kenya...right on the Indian Ocean. We are here on our own but will be meeting up with the Orwa's again in September to put in the Posho mill. We really appreciate all the support that has been rolling in. I apologize for the lack of pictures but I haven't been able to get the photo optain to load since we have been in Africa but no worries because I will add TONS when we get get home in October. I think James and I have close to 2000 photos so I will have lots to choose from. I hope Cheryl is planning to help be scrapbook when I get home...YOU PROMISED!

Things are going well here. James and I are slowing getting use to the Kenya pace and the menu. I have learned how to cook so many wonderful things. Chapatis and Mandazis are our favorites so far. Ugali is a bit heavy but oh so useful when eating soup. I plan to cook an African feast when we get home.

I don't have tons to report other than we have been living the typical African life for the past month...harvesting, eating and cooking. The day revoles around preparing the next meal. But know we are in mombasa which is a tourist place so we plan to relax and drink lots of African coffee. Luke we promise to bring some home for you. We also have a safari on the horizon. Well I must go and post this before the power or internet goes down. Miss and Love you.

Support for a small Kenyan village

Hello family and friends!
We would love some help in helping a Kenyan village!

Tracy and I are on the last leg of our journey, and currently residing near Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. We have been staying with the Orwa family who live in a very small agricultural village near the town of Dede (“grasshopper”). This remote area is inhabited by the spirited Luo tribe who came originally from southern Sudan, and most youth have never or rarely seen “white” people (“Mizungus”; some children were convinced I was Jesus). More than half of Kenyans live below the poverty line and villagers in this region are no exception. Most families live without electricity and running water, and survive through subsistence agriculture. A family may have a couple of acres of land which they must work very hard year-round to grow food for themselves. Any food or products that they produce beyond this would be sold at markets and would be their major source of income. To sell these goods women, generally, must hike up to 10 km multiple times a week to markets that are scattered in cardinal directions. They also must hike this distance to grind maize (corn, basically; which makes up a large part of their diet) into flour at a posho (POE-show) mill. This also often involves long lineups and high charges since flour is a basic necessity.

As a gift to the community, we were asked if we could help set up a posho mill that would serve local families within a few kilometer radius. This would be overseen by the Orwa family who would provide land and a shed for the mill, and who would charge a minimal usage fee to villagers to cover the cost of fuel to run the mill. In essence this would be a non-profit service run by the Orwa family who have been involved in a number of community service projects with villagers and schools in the area.

Tracy and I have made a goal of purchasing and having the mill installed and pumping out flour by the time we leave at the end of September, yet we can not afford this on our own. We are hoping to raise enough money to purchase a mill and, if possible, leave a small cash reserve to help ensure longer-term sustainability of the service (i.e., to cover general repair and maintenance costs for a while). We are hoping to raise $1700 CDN (115 000 Kenya Shillings, KSh) for the mill and about $75 CDN (5000 KSh) as a reserve fund. It is hard to put this amount into perspective, but in this village, it would take years to afford this without outside help. This is a huge amount of money here.

We would sincerely appreciate any financial help that you could give us in achieving this goal. If you would like to help financially, we can arrange payment via mail (John and Lana Churchill, P.O. Box 56, Port Williams NS, Canada, B0P 1T0; jchurchill@ns.sympatico.ca) or in person when we get back in October. If you would like any more information about anything please ask us (james.churchill@ualberta.ca, tlc6@ualberta.ca). We will not have reliable access to email until we get home, but will do our best!

Please pass this along to others you think might be interested. We hope to hear from you soon, and we will give an update with pictures as things progress. Thank you in advance for your support and prayers,

Love, James and Tracy Churchill

Emails and africa

Hey everyone, just a quick note to say that we are doing well. Also, to thank you for the emails and for some reason I cannot reply to them. So Sharon H. and Lisa, Sherry, Melody, mom and Julie I got your emails I just can't reply...sorry. I love and miss you all. Melody we left your swipe card with your neightbor. By the way you are welcome to both our phones if you would like them..we kept our SIM cards. Neither one is a tri-band but I was told that mine works everywhere in the world except Canada and US, you would just have to buy a European sim card.

Things are going well in Africa. We are in a little village and having so much fun. We now know how to harvest peanuts, bananas and sugar cane. ahahaha. We have so much to tell and so many pictures to share when we find a better internet connections.

Africa and culture shock

Hello everyone, sorry that it has been so long since my last post but we haven't had a ton of internet my last entry. We finished up our stay in Thailand which was absolutely wonderful. I can't believe how much I loved Thailand. I would go back in a second and I would recommend to anyone looking for an adventure to go!! It's a bit expensive to fly there but once you are there it is very reasonable and the people are wonderful.

We are now in Africa and I must admit that both James and I are a bit culture shocked for the first time on our trip. Everything is just so different from what we expected...it's taking some time for us to adjust. It is beautiful here and we have a wonderful host family who are showing us the ropes. Felix, Amos and Winnie are wonderful and have been showing us around Nairobi. On Monday we will be heading to the village were Felix and Amos are from...it is part of the Luo tribe in case anyone wants to look them up.

I would ask for prayer for my stomach, it is having some trouble adjusting to the food. And our safety as it can be a little unsafe for "mzungu" (white people) to walk around without a guide. So far we have been with Felix and Amos so we are safe...so no need to worry Mom and Lana. Please also pray for our host family...Felix and Winnie...they are preparing their wedding ceremony celebration and moving into a house so their finances are very tight. Any finally for the Kenyan people, their is a great deal of poverty here, Nairobi is home to one of the larges slums in Africa.

We miss you so much, we are both a bit homesick so any emails you would like to send out way would greatly be appreciated!! Stories from your side would be lovely. Can't wait to see all soon. Our email is churchillswithoutborders@yahoo.ca

Warning...ELEPHANT EDUCATION TO FOLLOW

How's it going? James and I are getting ready to head to Koi Samui this afternoon...can't wait to park it on the beach for a few days. We have had some amazing adventures since we came to Chiang Mai!! We spent 2 days at the Elephant nature park (www.elephantnaturepark.org) which was one of the most amazing and sad places I've ever been. It was started and is run by a Thai woman named Lek (means small in Thai). She rescues trekking elephants and mistreated elephants from all over Thailand and gives them a place to live that is free from mahouts (elephant trainers) that beat them with big metal hooks. These elephants are free to roam and do not have to give curious tourists rides. Because tourism is the only way for captive elephants to make money since logging was banned Lek gives tourists a better way to interact with the elephants. Instead of sitting on them in a basket that sits on the weakest part of their spine you get to help out with their morning feeding session and you get to walk with them down to the river where you can help wash them off. James and I had a great time and have tons of pictures to show you all soon. Check out the website it is such a cool place and they could definitely use financial support if someone is looking for a good cause to support. They don't charity status because of some PR damage that PETA did 5 years ago(way to go PETA). But it is a great establishment and Lek is really trying to change the way elephants are trained. Right now most elephants (around the age of 5) are forced into a cage that is too small for them to move in and are beaten until they submit to their trainer. Most people, including most Thais, don't realize that this is taking place so Lek is trying to make people aware. The problem with this practice, besides the obvious, is that because tourists like the baby elephants the mahouts are doing this process on younger and younger elephants and the process can lead to their death. Lek is trying to use a positive reinforcement system instead of beating the elephants. James and I got to meet some of the baby elephants that are being trained with a postive system and it seems to be working great. I got a big wet kiss to prove it. :) The training is not the only hardship that elephants are facing...we met an elephant that was a drug addict because her mahout worked her 24hours a day and gave her "uppers" so she could had the energy, we met a blind elephant that had her eyes sling-shotted out, one that had her back broken because she was chained to an aggressive male elephant and another that was missing part of her foot because she stepped on a landmine....very sad. Anyway, sorry for my big soap box speech but Asia elephants will be GONE by the year 2015 if methods aren't changed soon. We've done lots more in Chiang Mai but I think I've said enough for now :) We both loves Thailand and have TONS of pictures to share. Love you all!

Stories from Thailand

"HereWell we left the sdafety of Darlene's school after a fabulous week, headed into insane bangkok! here's a glimpse:

...zzzzzzzzzOOOOOOOOOOOOooommm...the light turns green and 80 morotcycles and a steady stream of cars scream down Silom. On the side of the "lawsuit-waiting-to-happen" sidewalks (as tracy calls them) there is a line of about 20 women waiting for motorcycle taxis that come one by one and deliver each woman, side-saddle, to other destinations. Walking the sidewalks, there is no room for error - if you are bumped you will either step into the whelming traffic, or walk on a man with 1 limb selling flowers. Street vendors (selling barely-noticeable things) and 7-11s every three steps. Beautiful thai people with "We love the King" shirts on, wearing filters to mask out air pollution or inhaling from pocket menthol inhalers to personalize their breathing experience...

We are finding that for basic things we are generally ok with our level of english, but in many places we have been, it has been an awkward and sometimes impossible experience communicating with a 10 word vocabulary. The major problem is that the Thai language is built on 5 tones (which all sound identical to us) but apparently "mai mai mai mai mai" spoken using all five tones can communicate a whole sentence! For example, an english teacher, Jim, at Sammuk was received by uproarious laughter on his first day, because his name, spoken with the tone he chose is slang for female anatomy. He's currently working on a name change.

After bangkok (more about that later when we go back there for 4 more days) we took a back-up bus (the first one broke down on the way) to a small town called Pak Chong, northeast of BKK. From there we took a songtow (sp?) to our 200 Baht (about $6) pre-arranged accommodation (which in Thailand means "can we stay there tonight?" replied in turn by "yes!"). It turned out to be about as grimy, dingy, hot and infested as you can get (complete with bugs on the wall), but had a bed and a lock on the door. James said "perfect!!!!"...





[Tracy's addition to James narrative....I was ready to cry because it was the grossest room I'd ever seen...end Tracy's addition]





...but we held off on the utterly bohoemian experience until hill tribe trekking (Chiang Mai - coming to your local station in a few days). We pushed on to Jungle house up the road with a zoo in the backyard, and a rat in the air conditioner.

In the morning we joined a tour group with 2 hollandaise, and 2 brits and had the best wildlife tour of our lives!!! The tour took us to Khao Yai National Park and was led by two supremely knowledgeable guides. I think there names were Nine and Lek. We were continually amazed at their ability to spot white-handed gibbons and Oriental Hornbills sitting in the canopy far off on the horizon (it became a joke actually...we thought they must have had inside information). They had two spotting scopes with them which made watching birds etc. like tv. Other incredible things we saw were a water monitor lizard, one of the last remaining wild Asian elephant herds in thailand (from 250 left in the park - many other elephants, like those we saw in Chonburi, are kept alive as work elephants (for agriculture, forestry, entertainment, jungle treks) since this is the only way to pay for the the enormous cost of feeding them each day) tons of incredible birds (we got some awesome pictures by putting the dgital camera up to the spotting scope) and lots of other things i cant remember at the moment

From Khao Yai we took local transportation to the town and then a local train to Ayutthaya. Although we both de-trained exhausted and with massive headaches it was a great taste of small village travel. To travel about 100km took 3 hours, with stops at every village along the way. When the train was up to speed it felt rickety like acarnival ride where you know the cart could pop off at any time. Air conditioning was acheived through the open windows when the train was up to speed, and even better when you stuck your head out (but you had to dodge garbage being thrown out the windows). At each town a new cast of locals would board, walk up and down the aisles and sell you whatever they grew or made, from lychee to a dead chciken on a stick to beer. We are now in Chiang Mai after a 12 more tomorrow In Chiang mai we are hoping to do hill-tribe treks and maybe an elephant trek. Hill-tribe trekking involves hiking through the wilderness to visit small tribes that still practice the traditional way of life. is a quick update from James and a few pictures from me. " End James' story.

#1- we had a lovely few days with Melody...she and I had manicures and pedicure ($3 each) and ate at some great restaurants. Thanks again Mel.

#2 James and are bothe the proud owners of cell phones now...they really do make travelling easier.

#3 and #4 some wildlife that we saw on our tour...see Kerrie there are turkeys in Thailand too.

#5 James had a bit of a problem with the land leeches on our trek...yes Shannon you read it right...land leeches!!! They are everywhere in the woods around here....

A few more

The first picture is from a class at Sammuk Chrisitan Academy.Then a long line of tuk tuk drivers. then James was brave enough to ride the cart down the hill at the Chinese temple. We all held our breath as he made a speed decent. And finally could thid centipede get any bigger...wowzer.

Some Thailand pictures

Hey y'all, here are a few pictures of dear sweet Thailand. The first one shows a job that I would not want...this guy caught the elephant poo in a bag then had to carry it around for the evening (there aren't very many public garbage cans around). After the elephant did his business I got to feed him some sugar cane. The third is picture is Darlene and I doing a funny Thai pose in Chonburi. Then James and I drinking Thai iced tea out of bags. When you buy a drink at a market they put it in a plastic bag for you :) I love Thailand!! Another cool thing is that the electircity in hotel rooms is connected to your room key...such a cool idea. Keeps people from wasting electricity. Awesome.

Keeping busy in Thailand

Thailand is such an awesome place!! James and I are having a fabulous time in this extremely hot country. We spent our first week with Darlene at Sammuck Christian Academy...what a cool place. We went bowling with some of the English teachers and as the night came to a close we realized that we really didn't have a way back to the school. So what do you do when you don't have a ride in Thailand? Do you get a cab? Noooooo! You pile nine people on 3 scooters...hehehe....sorry mom, Sharon H. and Darlene but it was so fun. Darlene was wonderful to us...she spoiled us rotten, she is such a great person. Thai markets have also been a favorite with us. Darlene took us to our first one which was handy because she is fluent in Thai, Melody Hopkins took us to the second one...man can that girl barter!! Then today James and I went on our own...let's just say that we have A TON of presents for people back home. The food is great! The people are great! The weather is great! The clothes are great (finally some girly clothes)!

In Thailand

Hey everyone, we made it to Thailand!!! Hurray! After many hours on the plane we made it too very hot Thailand. We were welcomed to our room at Sammuck Christian Academy by a very large cockroach and lizard. :) The school is awesome, Darlene is wonderful and the kids are fantastic. James has already been invited to play soccer by the boys. The butterflies here are the size of birds and James is in bird heaven. I'm not sure about phone access yet but I'll let you all know when we get a new cell number. Love you guys.

Movin' on

Hello all, just a quick update.  I am using the FREE internet in the Austraila airport.  We are on our way to Thailand today but have 8 hours to kill here in Sydney.  It costs $140 each if we leave the airport so we decided to hang here for the day.  There is tons of shopping here which is somewhat depressing since my backpack to already filled to overflowing.  Things are going well, New Zealand was lovely but both of us are excited for Thailand.   Darlene, James' cousin, has arranged a ride from the airport in Thailand to her school where we will hang out for a few days.  It should be lots of fun.  Well I guess that is all for now...I'll try to post some Thailand pictures in a few days but I'm not sure how much access to internet we will have.  Love you guys

Fiji pictures

We are at the university computer lab where Sharon goes to school and they have a wonderfully fast internet connection so I'm adding more pictures. Here are some Fiji ones. The first is Joe...a local who showed us around, then our little beach hut, a typical sun set and then me trying my best to husk a coconut.

Pictures for you all

Hey everyone...here are some New Zealand pictures. The first is the four of us on a boat cruise, then our mug shots from a hostel that used to be a prison, then James was very excited that he got to meet the Simpsons, then another picture from our boat cruise in Milford Sound. Miss you all bunches