Reading Lesson

The wee one's teacher sent home a note over the break asking parents have the kids review their phonics. She didn't say where.

Kenya Christmas

Snooping in our own windows.

Among the series of chaotic events leading up to our move was the fact that our Christmas box did not make the "go to Kenya" shipment -- and it was sent to storage. This was almost the only box I actually took the time and effort to sort through last year for the move. I was mad at sorting time - choosing which memories and kiddo's decorations home made over the years should move or go to storage made for an unhappy momma. Then having the box literally miss the boat was Not Happy. We managed to bring a few things with us, like our hand-quilted-by-Aunt-Charlette stockings, but otherwise we improvised. My mother sent us some ornaments and my daughter stepped up her project-making. Thus, her orange boa adorning the left side and many marker and paper ornaments. That rosemary monster bush on the left sacrificed a number of unruly branches to a wreath that hangs over the mantle. Still seems to sunny for Christmas, but we are playing CD's and having cocoa anyway!

Now, we've been to Kenya

Don't get me wrong, we have driven around quite a bit. We've seen more of Nairobi than we care to. We've been to several different parks within a 4 hour drive (closer than you'd think...it takes a while). We've seen the astounding number of people who walk along any given road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, because that is how one gets from place to place. We've commented on the proliferation of 'hotels' that look like a series of dark and dilapidated telephone booths by the side of the road. We've driven through teeming rural markets, where matatus, donkeys with their carts, goats, children, and bicycles all present hazards.

But now, we've been to the interior. We went scouting for a friend who runs a prison/family ministry in the States, to the Kisii highlands. They've been asking, and asking, for her to come. Since we are here, well, we went to meet and greet and get some American-style details. We met with 10 pastors, and went to see their "church under the trees" in a remote village. The kids in this photo are the orphans - parents are in prison or have died in prison. We met many joys and frustrations on this short trip, but I can't get over these faces looking at me as I take the picture, and Andrew standing next to me; wary, curious, playful, sad.

No Santa

Friday night was an exciting event in our family. Our little diva had her first ever Christmas concert. She sang her heart out, along with hundreds of other kindergarten through 5th graders, and had the time of her life.

Unfortunately, she'd been battling a fever for about 24 hrs. I tried to keep her home from school Friday, but the fever was gone (temporarily, it turns out), and she really didn't want to miss math. (She doesn't get that from me.) I let her go half day.


We had a low key Friday afternoon, a high-key concert, and dragged ourselves home. By the late hour of 8pm, we were all feeling a little worse for wear. By Saturday morning, Andrew was encapsulated in blankets with a roaring fever; I was holding off the shakes myself. Calynn claimed she was "better", but around 11AM I came into the room to find...





Saturday was the day Santa came to the American Embassy folk. We heard it was great for the kids...

Acculturation

I parked on the sidewalk when I went to the market, didn't even think twice until my way home...

Age Creeping

Preface: Google is having trouble fixing the "Follow". I can't follow other blogs and you may have issues trying to follow mine.

I have to thank my dear friend Sara for electronically wishing me a happy birthday the day before my birthday, US-time. Hers was the first wish to come in -- the second was the University of Michigan Alumni Association, and next the UNC Alumni Association. All this moving and I still haven't managed to lose those guys.


The weather for my birthday weekend was what we are coming to see as typical - warm enough to play outside in shorts if it's not raining, but cool enough to build a fire if it is raining. Thus, Andrew made steak on the grill and still built me a fire in the fireplace.


The wee lass worked on her art. You can barely see the edge of our artificial Noble Fir Christmas tree purchased with much hassle from the States, and of course boxes -- nothing says "Home" like open boxes.
Here is her tremendous creation - "mom and dad and their thrones." Bold, daring, yet with an endearing sentimental twist.




One of the great things about Kenya is that Andrew can indulge in buying me flowers whenever, and neither of us feel guilty about how much he spent - because it's not that much! Aren't they gorgeous!

Multilingual

One of the benefits of the foreign service life is learning different languages... This morning my daughter informs me that she speaks 6 languages.

Oh? What are they?  

French, Spanish, Swahili, English, Wookie, and Ewok.

Christmas Project

The kiddo's school, the wonderful Rosslyn Academy, is sponsoring their annual Christmas Project. The school community raises money, food, and clothes for a selected cause. This year they are sponsoring the Village Project Africa in Makutano, Kenya, and the New Dawn Education Center just around the corner in Huruma slum. See the school's video here.

This morning, my daughter pulled out her purse where she has been keeping her piggy bank money, grabbed a handful of shillings and quarters, and carefully put them into a donation envelope to take to school. As I was tucking the envelope away in her backpack, she says, "Wait a minute! Now I don't have as much!"

Yes, sweetling, let's go.

Goodbye

Andrew left today for a 2-week trip to Addis. One does not take a job in a foreign country without having a nearly uncontrollable itch to travel around and see new countries, so I was happy for him and excited for his trip.We were all disappointed that he was going to miss the Princess Leia debut at Halloween, but since I've missed Halloween before because of cool international travel we tried to act like we were OK with it. Until the taxi came and picked him up. ARGH!!! I hate to see him go! Unexpectedly, my first thought as he drove away, was, "How can you bring me all the way to Nairobi and leave me here?" Kiddo and I spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. I'll be OK with it, just give me a day or two.

Touring Car

So, yes, we purchased a car sight-unseen from Japan. It's cheaper than buying one in Nairobi, and has the added benefit of not having been driven in Nairobi.

However, our car is taking a vacation on the way to stay with us. We thought it would be here by now (along with all our household possessions) but it has stopped in Malaysia for a while. That, uh, seems like it's still quite a ways away....

Driven Crazy

We have rented a car to keep us moving while awaiting the arrival of ours from Japan. First non-embassy trek: the local market less than a mile away. A very easy trip, if you don't consider the crazy matatus zipping down the street; front-tire-swallowing potholes; curved, hilly, bi-directional roads that are - I swear - less than 2 lanes wide; and the occasional bicyclist or cart driver pulling impossibly wide heavy loads given their mode of transport. While driving is not stress-free, it's better than walking along the same road.

Additionally deterred from braving Nairobi traffic to see "animal stuff" by the fact that our GPS is still somewhere in the mail and we are not sure we could get both there and back, we headed the closest direction out of town and went to Hell's Gate National Park. After navigating a too-narrow, truck-clogged, matatu-ridden drive clinging to the edge of the Rift Valley wall, driving in and around the park was cake. The biggest challenge was this steep grade, rocky hill where we were met by shepherds sheep and goats, and an oncoming safari vehicle. Andrew handled it like a pro and I actually enjoyed it, except for worrying that our rental car tires would pop.

Pleasantville

It's weird how living among expats in a foreign country is in many ways more like being in America than it was being in America. Take the following:

1. Our neighborhood has nice sidewalks lined with flowering trees, a playground where all the kids gather, a pool and gathering spot

2. Neighbors always say hi or wave as we pass.

3. I walk my kid to school every day.

4. At first glance, there may be more Africans at our home church in Herndon, VA, than there are at our ex-pat dominated church here.

Websites that don't cooperate

Issue: All our kid-photos since day of baby's birth through age 4, as well as various vacations and remodeling projects, are stored and shared online from Kodak Gallery.

Obstacle: Kodak Gallery does not like my IP address, and won't let me access my own photos to make our annual kid-picture-filled cheesy calendar for the grandparents. Grrr...

Solution: Shutterfly! I realized after a friend posted her photos and oohing about how cute and big etc her kids were getting... I can actually SEE these photos! It's going to take me a while to catch up, though.

I know a lot of expats use a VPN, but I have a work-related VPN that only covers access to work related sites and servers, and it cannot work with other VPNs. Double grrr.

Other websites that are on the naughty list (I won't put links since I can't see them anyway):
Pottery Barn
Williams Sonoma
ABC (streaming video)
NBC (streaming video)

That video becomes really important when you don't have a TV, CD player, or even a clock radio!!

Sites that are internationally-friendly:
Crate and Barrel (they even ship all over Kingdom come!)
Amazon (a dear friend)
Kohl's

There are other online shopping sites that let us visit, but won't ship to a DPO address. Enter 3rd party shippers. That's a whole other hassle.

Safari Song

I always thought "going on safari" was a trek undertaken with ages of planning and executed with mysterious methods of communing with nature. We weren't here a week when an individual from the general expat community was impressing us with the sheer volume of safaris they had done. It turns out, you call a guy up (at least when you are car-less like us at the moment), and he comes and picks you up and takes you to see animals. It's a day trip. Or more, if you want.

Our first safari was this weekend to Lake Nakuru National Park. Holy flocks of flamingos, Batman, that was a lot of animals! As impressive as seeing them was hearing them, especially at the lake where the thousands of flamingos are softly honking, birds screech across the water, hundreds of pelican wings beat overhead, and winged critters of all kinds splash their wings against the surface.

On the way back we stopped in a downpour for some good old fashioned roadside nyama choma - grill-roasted meat. We had goat - a little tough but tasty. Our guide was impressed at how easily the 5-year old adapted to this foreign culture of eating with her hands. Yeah, she's a natural.

Big time birthday

I took the kiddo to a classmate's birthday party today. May I just say, whoa. Bounce house, clown, horse rides, bungee trampoline, puppet show, magic show, not to mention food, cake, candy, playground, presents, all in a tranquil but extremely difficult to find nursery school campus.

Pachyderms and Paintings

A colleague took us all to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to view the morning orphan elephant feeding. The elephants and their handlers are something else. Imagine living with a pachyderm, 24/7!

We then went for a lovely lunch at the Talisman. The food was nice and the setting was peaceful. We enjoyed watching a local painter recreate the restaurant on canvas.

Travel weary tyke

So a freshly-minted 5-year old on her way to Africa just won't go to sleep on the first leg of the flight - even on the red-eye. Who knew? She valiantly explored Amsterdam with us, and then collapsed as we've never seen her do. In the middle of the busy square where we paused, her head went down, eyes closed, and she was done! Andrew lugged her dead weight back to the train, and she was appropriately alert for the leg on to Africa the next morning.