Switzerland Trip

For Christmas my family took us on a skiing trip to Switzerland. On the way there we picked up my brother Hugo from boarding school in Kandern, Germany. We stayed in Interlaken which is located on a lake surrounded by the Alps. The day before we arrived they had their biggest snow fall in December for the last 10 years. The weather was great and the skiing conditions were incredible. Here are some pics from our trip.


Sun peeking over the mountains and through the clouds.


Tree line in Kandern.

Mountain top shrouded in a veil of white.


Panorama taken from Busalp where we went "sledging".

Sephia tree in Kandern.

After sledging i noticed that Kristi had frost on her eye lashes. Here is a pic.

Three tree symphony.

Black birds in a white world.


A lonely cabin.

Some new pictures

Thought it was about time to write a new blog but writing requires a lot of effort and posting pics is easy. I also added a link to my flickr site where you can see some more albums.

last boat crossing in Geneva

Sammie and the windpump.

Same windpump close to our house.

Sunset over Geneva.

Kristi weathering the storm. (Geneva)

not so Kitsch (for Aron)

We recently had Morgan, Tara, Matt and Elizabeth come visit us here in Paris. We had a wonderful time seeing the sights and exploring some new places. Here are some pics documenting the not so everday life in Paris.




My Girl...making Paris seem like a blur.

Putting some glass i found on the sidewalk to use.

Yes even Paris has a birdman...quite a few actually.

Not actually Paris, but about 30 km outside in a town called Senlis.
Artist, writer and master of sudoku.

Horseman from the apocalypse.

Begging on the Champs cant be too bad for business.


Jammin' on the streets of Paris.

Arch de Triomphe and more

Here are some recent pics of trips we've had to Paris.

Aspiration Statement

As part of our application process Kristi and I were required to write an aspiration statement. Here you will find the questions and our answers. A lot of the questions were somewhat vague which made them difficult to answer especially considering we weren't in-country yet.

Aspiration Statement

Jacobus Van Der Merwe

The Gambia

February 1st, 2008

A: Professional attributes that I have used extensively in the past and which I believe will be helpful include, leadership, conflict resolution, and entrepreneurship. I am very disciplined and self motivated, able to work with little or no supervision. In the past I have also been responsible for conducting needs/strength assessments. All these attributes along with the skills training I will receive at PST will make me more than capable of being successful for my assignment in The Gambia.

My first aspiration is to gain a greater understanding of humanity by living in conditions similar to which the majority of the world’s population lives in. By doing so, one gains new insight into understanding their concerns, passions and needs. I believe that in order to make a lasting difference there has to be a bridge of cultural understanding, and often that can only be built through putting oneself in the another person’s shoes. My second aspiration is to start successful projects that are sustainable through local participation. Once again the success of these projects is often in direct correlation to our understanding of the problem. If a project cannot be adopted by the local population, then it will merely be a two year novelty.

B. Successful strategies that meet needs depend on an honest respectful relationship, a common vision, cooperation between local/national/international interests, and an adaptability of the game plan if needed. From my own experience, for projects involving multiple individuals to work effectively, it is necessary for there to be respectful communication and a vision/goal that each person has a stake in. It is essential to get as many people on board with your project. I will attempt to have project goals be determined by need and not by personal bias or an individual agenda. In areas where I can provide leadership, creativity or consultation I will do so.

C. Personally, the major skill I will be utilizing during the process of cultural adjustment is flexibility. This flexibility applies not only to adjusting to a new culture, food etc, but also to my expectations. Throughout my application process I have repeatedly told myself to have little or no expectations. By expecting nothing, I have nothing to lose or be disappointed about. My motto has been has been and will be “it is what it is.” The fact of the matter is The Gambia will not be like the USA and I should not expect it to be. It is unique and different, with its own cultural quirks and taboos. The one does not have to be better than the other, simply different and I will appreciate these differences for what they are rather than attempting to compare them. Having grown up all over the world, I do not foresee having any problems adjusting; however, if my plan does not to work I will be flexible enough to change it.

D: From pre-service training I hope to gain a ground level view of how local development projects operate. This includes everything from assessing needs, to creating projects, to funding, to implementation and finally reevaluating the effectiveness of the projects. Furthermore, I would like to know which avenues to pursue if I require more resources or information. Finally, I hope to be functional at a local language and have the tools to develop this into fluency while on the field.

E: My personal/professional aspiration is to live a life of service; using my talents and gifts to help those less fortunate than myself. My major reason for joining Peace Corps was because I felt that my aspirations aligned with the aspirations of Peace Corps. Peace Corps will afford me the opportunity of doing actual field work, which in the long run will help me discover what degree I want to pursue in graduate school and which sector I would like to work in.

We've been invited to Peace Corps!

So after jumping through more hoops than we ever thought possible, Kristi and I were finally invited for Peace Corps Service. Since September it seems that our Peace Corps bus has experienced numerous flat tires, delaying our departure on multiple occasions. I do not lie when I say that i am utterly amazed and even flabbergasted at how it hard it can be for two college grads to work for free in Africa. So now after more than a year of having our brains, bodies and will power tested we have finally been seen fit for peace corps service.

So where will we be going? Drumroll...... THE GAMBIA! ...so now that you know where it is, you might still be wondering "where is it?" The Gambia is the smallest country in Africa located on the west coast, roughly twice the size of Delaware. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Senegal. I feel very honored and excited to be working in a country that prefixes itself with "The" or if you please "Da".
We have been designated to work as community and health developers. Kristi will focus more on the health side, especially dealing with women and child health, while I will focus more on developing sustainable community projects. Our departure date will be January 29th at which time we will spend 3 days at staging in the USA before leaving for Africa. I am excited that it is a country that i have not been to so that the experience will be a completely new one for both Kristi and myself.

drive-thru Europe

Kristi and I have returned from our trip through Spain, France and Portugal. I never cease to be amazed at the incredible world that God has created. The diversity of peoples, the ways of life, and the landscapes, always make me realize that my corner of the world is very small. What's even more amazing is that despite all these thousands of differences, there exists the common experience of mankind. Poverty is poverty, sorrow is sorrow, and happiness is happiness no matter where you go. Sure their forms and expressions differ, but the experience is commonly shared. What an amazing God we serve that despite all these differences and despite all the commonalities, He reveals Himself to all. A God who is mighty to save not just those of certain regions, certain life stories, or certain races- but a God whose arms reach around the world to anyone who calls on Him. Last night my family and I went to a Hillsong church in downtown Paris. There were people from all over the world; Koreans, Africans, Americans, Australians, French and who knows who else, gathered with one purpose-to praise our wonderful Creator. During the service while watching all these people worship in their own unique ways, I had the feeling that this is what Heaven would be like one day. Where color, background, nationalities and possessions mean nothing. Where the sole purpose for coming together is greater than ourselves. What a great God we serve, a God more than able to save anyone who cries out to him from anywhere, in any language.

Porto, Portugal

sitting in a internet cafe here in porto portugal with 13minutes left of web time. just updating to say we are safe and enjoying our euro road trip very much. Planning to hit seville, granada and lisbon on our way home. will post pics and more info on out return to civilization.

from euro

So Kristi and I have been having an amazing time here in europe. We spent last week with my good friend Aron (aka: swedish tour guide extrodanaire) exploring the streets of stockholm, which was absolutely incredible. he showed us all the ins and outs, coffee shops, pubs, "trendy" clothing stores and how to ride the swedish metro. As Aron and I sat out on his balcony at midnight enjoying the white nights and chit chatting about life, I realized how much i missed our friendship this last year. All i can hope for is that God allows our paths to cross again in the future. i write and wait here in france while kristi is somewhere in England. I walked around a rainy paris yesterday, attempting photography through the cloud breaks, and also took pics of some of the fields behind my parents house. I'm think about moving here...soon...peace corps?... we'll see...