Three Reasons...

I haven't written in a while because not much has been going on. One thing worthy of sharing is the drought we are having.  It is summer in Africa and there is a vast shortage of rain.  Not something that is particularly troublesome in the states--annoying when we have to remember which day to water the lawns.  But here it is a matter of life and death for many.  We are in the midst of the La Nina weather phenomenon--the opposite of El Nino.  The grasses are drying up and the animals cannot find food.  Today a girlfriend and I were heading to the grocery store and we saw Masai people herding their cows along the side of the roads trying to find them grass to graze in.  You could count the rib bones on these cows they were so thin.  It made my heart break.  According to a recent news article, ‘Because of the drought, cows in Eastern Province are now selling for 6,000 shillings per cow where once they were worth 100,000/-. They are selling the cows off because they cannot feed them. I have seen very many trucks full of cows coming into Nairobi, bought by businessmen who buy them cheap. They have money for feed. This is how business works during these times.’ And then we pull into our compound where the grass is green, the yards are lush with flowers, and they are washing the tennis courts.  Seriously.  They are flooding the tennis courts with water and then squeegy-ing them off.  I think it may be time for this pesky stay at home mom to write a letter to the Embassy saying this is not necessary.  I may even invite a few cows over to my yard to begin to graze.


Seth and I have been staying close to home until our car arrives from Japan as our rental car is a bit sketchy.  There is no AAA here in Kenya and we are not too keen on being stuck somewhere amongst the big 5 (Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalos and Rhinos) wondering how in the world we are going to get home.  Although, that would make a good blog entry!  We have mainly stayed in the compound with the occasional visit out to dinner, to Nakkumatt for groceries, or visits with friends in nearby neighborhoods.  A friend recently challenged me to write about things that I love about living in Kenya to share with you all.  Not being one to say no to a challenge, here goes...

Being Home with Claire: As I am staying home with our little nugget I am able to take her all in.  I can nibble on her fingers and toes without a worry that I need to be heading off to work.  I can lay on the floor with her and sing songs and read books and play for hours without needing to rush off to Target or the grocery store.  I have the gift of watching her grow--we go on walks and I tell her all about the plants and flowers, point out the geckos running across the street and the funny looking birds in the trees, and we lay in the grass and talk about our day and what we will do when daddy gets home.  I get to stand outside her bedroom door and listen to her coo, sing, and babble away and not feel like I have to hurry in and get her ready to rush out the door because there really is nowhere to go.  Claire is changing and growing every day and I am able to witness all of it.  How lucky I am.  Walter likes having his mama home during the day to snuggle with, too. Watching Seth become a dad has been incredible.  It's amazing to me that even with a job as difficult and demanding as his, he walks through that door and becomes super dad.  I know he has been insanely busy at work--long days where the work never seems to get done, and yet he takes the time to sing a song to Claire before heading off for the day.  Nothing like singing songs about poopy and then heading off to discuss matters with foreign dignitaries and the like.  All in a day's work I guess.  

Flora and Fauna: The flowers here are amazing--full of bright colors and intricate designs.  There is a rumor here that you can plant a screwdriver and it will grow into a tool tree.  I believe it.  Everywhere I walk in the compound or out, either tended or wild, the flowers are breathtaking.  My mom will hardly have time to look at the granddaughter she dreams of holding because she will be too busy taking in all the foliage.  And, I NEVER thought that I would say this but the insects, lizards, and other creepy crawlies are quite interesting (as long as they aren't in my house, mind you!).  The other day I found the shell of a lizard laying on the sidewalk.  I imagine some bird scooped it up, ate up its insides, and then dropped the lizard back on the ground.  The interesting thing was that the shell of the lizard  remained untouched...until I looked closely I had no idea the thing was even dead.  I found myself really wanting to put it in a bag to share with my nephew or my students upon my return to the US but then realized that it would probably get pretty nasty before then.  The birds here are unlike any I have seen back home.  There are HUGE brown birds with long, pointed, scooped beaks who build giant Dr. Seuss-type nests on top of the rooftops.  There are teeny black birds with amazing cobalt blue wings who hop from destination to destination.  And there are little bright yellow and black birds who sit outside my window in the morning and laugh.  I swear.  And this is just in the compound, people...wait until Seth and I get our car and REALLY start to see the flora and fauna of Kenya.


Weather: This may disappoint my Minnesota peeps. but I am growing out of the need to feel 20 degree below zero windchills and having the insides of my nose freeze when I go out to get the mail.  Virginia readers, you are a little warmer than Minnesota, but the snow we got last year was enough to last me for a while, thank you very much.  The weather here is perfect (except for those trying to survive during La Nina).  As Seth says before he opens the curtains in the morning, "Let me guess, 75 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze."  Pull back the curtains and, aaaah, what a wonderful weatherman he makes.  Al Roker would seem amazing at his job if he lived here--accurate with the report every day.  It really is like that--so nice to feel the sun on your face, the breeze on your skin.  And it's never humid--even when there is a huge thunderstorm during the rainy season the clouds just roll in, it rains, and the clouds roll away to bring more sunshine.  Beautiful. 

Are three reasons enough?  For now it will have to be I guess. I am still learning to appreciate my time here.  I have also learned just how lucky I am to have the family and friends I do.  The amount of love I feel coming from skype calls, packages and letters in the mail, emails and facebook messages, people actually caring enough to read this boring blog...I am so so lucky.  Kenya is teaching me gratitude--for my life, my family, just...everything.