AFRICA

On Sunday I was reintroduced to the idea of visiting a foreign country to volunteer. As a volunteer I would have the opportunity to work in an orphanage for disadvantaged children, and be a role model for them. I would get to see a different world than I am used to, culture, habitat, people, food, education, and so forth.

Since beginning work at the daycare over six months ago, I have gained a great insight into the lives of parents, teachers, and the relationship they have with children. I've gained a great respect and patience for children that I wasn't quite sure was possible. And its exciting!

When my friend mentioned that she's been trying to go to Africa and work at an orphanage, it sparked within me the desire to go with her! As soon as she mentioned it out of my mouth popped the words, "I want to go". There was no hesitation. It sounded like such a meaningful and potentially incredible experience. I want to go, I want to go, I want to go!

HOW COOL AND REWARDING WOULD THIS BE?! Its a priceless opportunity!

I would help teach them their ABC's and numbers, play games with them, clean their laundry, and provide much needed TLC. So much more too! I've been researching different organizations and have been fairly impressed with AllOutAfrica. They have an orphanage in Swaziland - a part of Africa that has many English-speaking natives. Yay! My friend wants to visit Uganda with a group called Family Rescue Foundation. I still have a lot of research to do on both. And I am still searching for safe, cheap, rewarding. I'm hoping another friend emails me back about her trip to Africa because I know she could provide an organization name, experience, and more information that I could other places!

I printed out a couple pages on a few different African countries last night. Tonight I found the US Department of State International Travel website and was impressed by the information they provided about Embassy Alerts, Crime, Safety and Security. So I printed those out for Uganda and Swaziland and may go back for a few others.


PLANE TICKET: ~ $1,858
VACCINATIONS/PASSPORT/VISA: ~ $700?
UGANDA ACCOMMODATIONS FOR A MONTH: ~$500
HELPING ORPHANED CHILDREN: priceless.

I know a trip will be expensive. Looks like at least $3,500 for a round-trip airplane ticket and accommodations/food for a month (to Swaziland. Uganda is significantly cheaper: $200 less for plane ticket, about $700 less for accommodations). Then there's vaccinations (a butt-load so I'm guessing it will get spendy), passport ($120), visa ($50 in Uganda. Don't need one for Swaziland), more vaccinations, self-defense classes, possible learning tools to leave at the orphanage and other things like that.
BUT it would totally be worth it. So I'm learning more about it, and am excited about possibly doing it! As well as talking my roommate into it...and my parents into letting me...

http://www.familyrescuefoundation.org/index.html

http://www.alloutafrica.com/volunteers/project.php?id=7&type=child_care


SOOOO.... WHAT DO YOU THINK?! Any ideas/ suggestions?

:)

Masquerade Ball

Last night was the Masquerade Ball on campus! It was a blast. I had so much fun. Greg and I doubled with Alyssa and Craig.


Greg was in charge of the umbrella and became a little obsessed about it! It was cute because he was such a gentleman about it. ;) He opened my door all night (and I actually let him!). The dance was great, we had a live jazz band so it made for a night of swing dancing, and a couple slow dances in there... he dipped me in a different style than I was used to and I think I remember letting out a short scream of surprise on that one. I also slipped on my dress and almost did the splits before he caught me. It was an adventure! We went to BRCs for dessert - yum! Then went back to our lounge and played foosball. Alyssa and I won the first game. Then we played couple against couple and Greg and I lost :(


-The Sparkling Cider was a gift for my 21st birthday from Greg. It was to keep me from going out and partying (yeah, cause you really have to worry about that with me ;) ). I still have it, one month later... Everytime we do something together I take another drink from the "victory bottle"

The Cheney Three

Last weekend Alyssa and I went down to conference to visit Stuart. We stayed with Kathryn and got to meet her fiance Karl, as well as see her beautiful dress! :) Saturday morning Stuart made crepes and eggs for breakfast...hmmm so good. Alyssa and I took down some of the frozen fruit mom had brought us since he hadn't gotten any. We watched conference on the TV and then while the guys were at Priesthood, Alyssa and I got together with the Grange girls. I hadn't seen Jessie since she's gotten married so that was good! I have to say... its a little weird having friends married. I think I'm the one who makes it awkward though. Because I don't know how to act around them anymore. Even though I should act the same!

I also got to see Jenny! That was a little less awkward, but Jenny and I have a little more in common. I love Jessie, but Jenny and I were in French class together for heavens sake! Haha. That explains SOOO much :) She's still adorable, and can't believe I'm taking a french class this semester. But I love it :)

Stuart, Trevor (his roommate), Alyssa, and I went up to the Sunday morning session. Danny had gone up earlier to start rousing tickets. Between the 5 of us, we got 10 tickets within like 10 minutes. It was awesome! So we were able to all sit together and then give the rest of the tickets away! It was Alyssa's first time going to conference in the conference center, so I'm glad she got to :)

It was a good weekend, but I was very glad to get back into my own bed!

Bucket List

With the dawning of a new age (ok ok. only turning 21) but comes all sorts of things I want to do before I die. I know, I'm nowhere close to it (I hope) but, its not a bad idea to know some of the things I want to do before I'm a goner.

I asked some friends for their ideas, but sadly not all those ideas made it on the list - things like deep sea scuba diving DO NOT sound appealing!


But here's the beginning of Janelle Cheney's Bucket List:

• Learn to ride a horse better
  
• Own a horse
• Own an ATV
• Travel to every continent (except for Antartica)
• Learn how to dirtbike
• Visit all 9 Smithsonians
• Read the Bible all the way through
• Become fluent enough to French to visit a foreign country
  
• Visiter le Louvre et l'Arc de Triomphe
• Visit the "fairytale castle" in Germany - Neuschwanstein
• Drive a sports car on the Autobahn
• Visit the Aztec/Incan/Mayan temples in Central/South America
  
• Backpack
  
• Backpack in the Tetons
• Backpack in Europe
• Begin a low sugar 'diet'
• Visit New York City and Broadway
• Go to Six Flags and ride the rollercoasters
• Perform in a musical
• Serve a mission (humanity, service, proselyting, when I'm 70 - any of the afore mentioned)
• Do temple work for an ancestor
• Do temple work in the Portland, Rexburg, Salt Lake, and one in another country
• Zero Gravity simulation
• Get married
• Raise a family
  

21! and the weekend after ;)

Well, my birthday was alright. I was a little sick so I didn't feel too much up to doing stuff. Alyssa invited people over for cake, which was a total surprise. I went to the store to get more powdered sugar and when I got back, there were all these people in the apartment! :)

I have to say my favorite gift (not that I'm ungrateful or didn't like the others - they are wonderful!) is the one from my parents and Darrell and Kathy. Mom and Dad gave me the "Creative Memories Digital Scrapbooking" software. Darrell and Kathy gave me some "Digital Frills". I'M ADDICTED!

Saturday we got up early for a service project. The entire apartment headed to Jamba Juice for shakes! Yum! We then headed over to the dunes for cleanup. It was a good time, pretty fun. Some girls in our ward discovered a buried truck cab so a bunch of people started digging it up. It took about 2 hours for them to dig around it and get the sand out of the cab, then the guy from BLM attached a cable to his truck and pulled it out. We then had to refill the hole...



After cleanup we had "lunch" I don't know if you can really call it that. Not a huge fan of the "hot dogs count as lunch" anyways.... After lunch we started to walk to the car and I see this sign for "Free ATV ride" hmm. How can I get myself ones of those? Anyways. I talked my friend Kory into coming with me, mostly so I didn't have to drive the ATV - i just wanted a ride. It was like a 15 minute wait, but so so worth it! It was a lot of fun! All I can say is that I'm going to have one... in like 10ish years... when I have my horse...
So not only did I get free food, a free teeshirt, helped dig out a car, and did a little bit of service, but I got a free ride on an ATV, and a free park pass to any national park I want! Anyone feeling up to some HIKING? Yaya!

This ATV was huge!

After the service project I went to Meggie's and did my laundry (for free). I am so thankful for married friends who have washers and dryers and let me use them! I also met her friend Kyle, and he made us some good Italian food he learned on his mission.

Sneezing

So yesterday I only quit sneezing and blowing my nose for two things.

1)When I taught my Sunday school lesson

2) When I attended the Stake Fireside. My roommate April told me, "You'll be blessed if you come!" I sneezed once at the beginning, she leaned over and said "Thats the only time you'll sneeze this entire thing" and it was!

When I got up this morning I felt like crap :( ugh. I didn't go to work blah and stayed in bed until the last moment I could. Alyssa came home and took one look at me and said, "umm... do you feel any better?" She could definitely tell by what I looked like I didn't.

Anyways. Sorry to complain :( It just sucks being sick when school is starting and I'd rather be at work than at home!

Teaching...

I always feel like Sundays are the days I get to catch up on life and let everyone else know how its going... so here it goes.

Last weekend I was called to be a Sunday School teacher, teaching Gospel Doctrine. Now if that ain't intimidating, I don't know what is! Bro. Sanns called me into his office and we chatted a little about life and majors, and such. He asked if I like teaching and I immediately and adamantly said, "No. I do not like teaching. It scares me to death. I love talking to people but not teaching them. I always feel like I don't know enough to then try and teach someone else." Bro. Sanns just smiled and said, "Well, I think that's funny because we have a calling for you. We'd like you to be a Gospel Doctrine teacher."

The only thing going through my mind was "Oh crap, my worst nightmare just came true. I am going to have to get up before return missionaries and act like I know this stuff?!?! What is Bishop thinking? Does he know me?"

I of course accepted and commenced the freak out process. I got my manual on Sunday and then tried to forget about it over the week. I succeeded until Friday night. I was excited for the weekend and then I remembered "Oh yeah, I kind of have to teach on Sunday..." So the freak out process started all over again.

But I am proud to say it went well! I know I wouldn't have done it without the Lord! I'm fairly certain half my remarks didn't make sense, but apparently it wasn't too off ;)
I don't think it'll be as bad as I thought... Thank Goodness!

I've been thinking about turning 21 and how that makes me feel. At first it was super weird, and I suppose a little bit of it still is, but I've also been contemplating a mission (thanks to the question from Candace ;) ) And I'd say that that option is now on the plate more than ever. A scary and daunting thing to contemplate? ABSOLUTELY!

My friend told me, "I love teaching, its something I learned in the mission field to love and you'll love it too." And he was right. I had a sense of satisfaction when I was done with my lesson. And I even kind of liked it. Shh!!!! Don't tell anyone...

I'm sure I'll get the nerves again when I next teach, but as long as I stay on the Lord's side and do my part, I should be good to go!