Sorry it has been a while since I have written. I warned you once we turned in the mutatu and got our CRV we would be hitting the roads. AND Seth has been out of town quite a bit this month, leaving me a single mom. While the baby is beyond wonderful, it is exhausting. A big shout out to all of you who have done this alone. Wow! Anyways, I digress. We have gone on a few small trips around Nairobi...nothing big, just getting our feet wet. But you know I will be sure to bore you in great detail about those trips.
A friend and I went to the Kazuri Bead Factory a few weeks back. It is located in Karen. For any of you who are familiar with the movie, "Out of Africa," Karen is where the author, Karen Blixen lived. It is an upper class neighborhood about 30 minutes from where we live. A British woman started the factory to give jobs to
single mothers who had no means of income. Today there are over 300 women employed by Kazuri, women who have fair wages, good working conditions, and a medical clinic that provides free health care for employees and their families. The tour was fantastic and we got to watch the process--from the preparing of the clay, to the making and painting of the beads.
You could even design your own necklace and they would make it for you. The rooms where the ladies worked were filled with women humming, singing, chatting, and laughing. It seemed as if this place was a little piece of heaven for these women--a place where they were safe and were given means to provide for their families. Amazing. Made me feel the need to buy several necklaces instead of just one...must support the cause, you know.
The following Saturday Seth, Claire, and I woke up at the crack of dawn and made our way to Nairobi National Park. It is about 4 miles outside of Nairobi. It is amazing...right in the
middle of the city is a preserve filled with wild animals--lions, rhino, giraffes, zebra, gazelles,warthogs, and so on As we pulled into the parking lot we saw two warthogs hanging out near the picnic tables hoping for a little snack. Seth told me to quick grab the camera and as I was getting it out they ran away. Apparently, their nickname here amongst safari goers is "Fed Ex" because of how fast they are. Once in the park we saw tons of zebra (there were so many that about 10 minutes in we stopped pointing them out), gazelle, and other animals. We were a bit too late too see the lions. They come out early, make their kill, and sleep the day away. I was thrilled, however, when we turned the corner and a giraffe was walking down the road towards us. He stopped for a snack at a nearby tree and then walked right past our car, popping in to say hello. For a brief moment as he walked by, dwarfing our CRV, I worried about giraffe attacks. Seth asked me how many people I knew who were mauled by giraffes. I told him none, but perhaps that's because they never survived to tell their tale. Apparently unconvinced, he kept the window down.
We could have reached out and pet him. We spent about 4 hours in the park--Claire loving every second of it, although she was more interested in her teething ring than the wildlife around her. Seth's chest was puffed with pride when we arrived home, our car coated in red dirt because the neighbors commented on how dirty the car was and how we had finally broken the new car in. All in all a great day.
The following weekend Seth was off for President's Day so we headed to the Giraffe Center, an orphanage created to protect the endangered Rothschild giraffe. The Rothschild is found only in the grasslands of Africa. Setting my fears of giraffe attack aside, we climbed the platform to feed and meet the giraffes. I know this sounds silly, but I am continually amazed at how TALL these creatures are! And they have these huge, gorgeous brown eyes with eyelashes mascara would kill to go on. Seth and Claire fed Daisy. I remember, as I took the picture of my baby girl with a giraffe breathing on her, thinking what an amazing experience this was for her...only to realize that Ms. Claire had no interest in this 19 foot beauty hovering over her. Kids these days. Oh well...it was one Seth and I won't forget!
That is about all this currently single mom has time for right now. Life is an adventure for the Sonnonstine clan and I never know what tomorrow will bring here in Africa. Time to rest up. Night, y'all.
Many of you have asked how Walter is doing. The dog loves Africa. He loves it from the tip of his furry tail all the way to his wet nose. It's like he wakes up every morning, stretches and shouts out, "I love Africa." At least that's what Seth and I think Walt is saying. And why wouldn't he? Our town home is right next to the tennis courts and no less than 3 tennis balls wind up in our yard on a daily basis. Our gardener, Bonifis, takes him on a hour long walk, ending with a visit to the dog park where he plays with Dixie the hound and Munga the shepard. He lays on a bed of mint leaves and gnaws on his dog treats. He sleeps on a sheepskin rug Seth bought on the side of the road for 1200 Kenyan shillings. Walter loves Africa.
Our car arrived last week. We are beyond excited. It is a beautiful, shiny, silver Honda CRV. For the past few months we have been driving around in a mini van rental while we waited for our car to arrive from Japan. Here in Kenya there is a rather ubiquitous form of public transportation called the "matatu." Picture a minivan from 1984 with decals of Brittany Spears or other American pop icons all over and you will get a general idea of what they look like. From what I understand, as we diplomats are forbidden to ride them, they are designed to fit perhaps 10 - 12 people. However, I don't believe that I have ever seen a matatu with less than 25 people on it. Yesterday I saw a mother on one with 3, yes 3, children in her lap. You may even see chickens and goats strapped to the top of the matatu. There are generally 2 people operating the bus--one to drive and another to collect the small fee to ride. The second person also seems to have the job of hanging halfway out the window to wave traffic out of their way as they do not stop and are not concerned with accidents or passenger demise. It is not uncommon to see a matatu in the ditch or turned over on the side of the road. I tell you this because Seth and I's rental van resembled a matatu so much that we even had the Kenyans fooled. The first few days we were here I kept thinking Kenyans were so friendly as we were out driving the pot hole ravaged roads. They would wave and I would smile back. How welcoming Kenyans were! It was only after mentioning this to Seth that I realized that they weren't waving at us to say "Hello." They were waving us down for a ride. We could have charged prime rates and made some serious dough. Heck, we could have strapped Claire to the roof with the chickens and sheep to make even more money with additional passengers. Live and learn.
Needless to say, you can expect my blog to get more interesting as Seth, C, and I now have means to get out and explore our African surroundings. And if we pick up a Kenyan and a few chickens on the way, so be it.
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.
So I am having a rough week...I think that is why I have been avoiding writing. I don't want it to seem like whining, just having a tough time right now. It's funny, it usually makes me crazy that the decorations are out at Target before Halloween, but I have found myself turning corners at Nakumatt (our grocery store) and looking for gaudy bows and reams of wrapping paper and there are none. I miss that. I miss the shopping malls with the packed parking lots. I miss the cookie exchanges that I moan and groan about having to bake for. I miss the aisles of Christmas candy and junk you swear you will never buy but you do. I miss snow. I miss my friends. I miss my family. They say overseas moves have high peaks and low valleys. I think I'm gonna need to start climbing that mountain again because I seem to be down at the bottom right now. Never fear, my jolly-ness will return.
Seth has been working with a Swedish man here at the Embassy and he and his wife invited our family over to their home last night for a dinner party. It was the night the Swedes celebrate St. Lucia. According to tradition, December 13th is the longest night of the year, the Swedish Winter's Solstice (contrary to what we believe is Dec. 21st). We were told a fantastic story of women wearing candles on their heads, walking to neighbor's homes, to bring light in a time of darkness. Some believed that this was to keep away the ghosts during the longest and darkest night of the year, other Swedes associate the holiday with WWII--bringing light during a time of darkness. It was a beautiful, warm night last night and we were all sitting out on the veranda when up the path, in the darkness, came 10 young girls dressed in white gowns with red sashes, carrying candles. They were students from the Swedish School in Nairobi. They performed several songs for us. It was beautiful. I was so glad and honored to be there for that special night. It made me realize that even though Seth and I can't be home for Christmas this year, we can start our own traditions with Claire that will still make the holidays special for us.
As I sit here thinking of all of you, I wish you more light than darkness this holiday season. We are sending lots of hugs and love your way during the holiday. Now go drive around for an hour to find a parking space at the mall, wait in line for what seems like forever to buy junk you didn't intend to buy, love on your family and laugh with your friends...and think of me! Merry Christmas, everyone!
Someone told Seth and I about a Masai market that was being held in Langata and we decided to venture out. We left our armed-guard gated community, manicured lawns, swimming pool, tennis courts, and commissary (where a bag of Doritoes is $7 but still REAL Doritoes!) and headed into the unknown with nothing but high hopes and a map. It's important that you know that the "roads" here often change names, end up somewhere other than where the map tells you, or are simply not on the map at all. HUGE kudos to Seth for getting us there!
I always thought that our surrounding community, Runda, was nice but far from modern. We have a small shopping mall called "Village Market" that has a grocery store/department store, shoe store, a few restaurants, and even a movie theater. While it certainly isn't Tyson's Corner, you can get what you need for around the house and even grab a bite to eat...just pick a place with lots of Westerners so you know the food is safe!
Was I in for a surprise then when Seth and I passed the mall, the farthest out I have been thus far, and hit the dirt roads. There were people walking along the sides of the roads dressed in their Sunday best, holding their children's hands and heading from church to visit family on their day off. There were women with baskets on their heads coming back from the market. The landscape was BEAUTIFUL...rolling mountains, acacia trees, palms, lush forests, the occasional cow or donkey eating grass...there were areas that are straight out of a National Geographic magazine. And then, I started to notice trash lining the sides of the roads. The roads soon became filled with people going to their "Village Market." We were in the slums of Kenya--shacks that claimed to be hotels and restaurants, butcher shops with dead things hanging in them no person should eat (there were definitely no health department regs there!), bars that sold Guiness but were propped up on sticks to stay upright. Barefoot children rummaging through trash piles that goats were eating from. I couldn't help but look back at sleeping Claire safe in her overpriced but incredibly safe car seat while babies were strapped to the back of their parents motorcycles. I was overwhelmed. It was the first time that I realized, excuse the language, Holy Shit..we are in AFRICA. We drove through many more of these shanty towns before arriving at the market. The market itself was beautiful with many wonderful things to look at. But I could NOT get what I had seen out of my head.
My brother in law, Kyle, likes to tease me, and has asked Seth if I have stopped crying yet since we left the states. Truth be told, I really haven't cried much--and that's impressive for those of you who know me! I am homesick, yes. I miss my family and friends more than I can say. But I have also decided to embrace this experience and get everything I can out of these two years here. BUT I did cry later on after we got home--I went and took a bath in our huge oversized tub (another luxury I have here) and just cried. I don't know if it is the teacher in me or if I am just getting softer now that I am a mom, but I just kept thinking about all those children rummaging through TRASH, looking for God knows what, and all the wasted potential that we left behind in those slums. What will become of those kids? Will they go to school? Is one of them bright enough to be a doctor but will end up pulling a donkey up and down hills trying to sell firewood to people who don't need it? Such a waste of so much potential...breaks my heart.
Exciting news in the Sonnonstine household! Our air shipment arrived in Africa last week, cleared customs on Thursday, and arrived on our doorstep on Monday morning. It took 4 grown men to deliver our 5 boxes. I am beginning to think that Kenyans operate much like Americans build roads. There are always a bunch of men standing around looking at the two guys actually doing the work. They brought the boxes upstairs and then we all stood around while one man, painstakingly slowly, cut open each individual box. I can't imagine how long it will take them to do this when our surface shipment arrives with over 80 boxes! Then they all came downstairs while I signed paperwork. I offered them some snacks and they ate my two loaves of apple bread I had just baked as well as a Twix bar. They were thrilled with what a generous mazunga I was. :)
Of the 5 boxes of items, 99% of it was for Claire--toys, books, bath stuff, a ridiculous amount of onesies, pants,dresses, baby sunglasses, hair bows, her swing (which I AM excited about!), bouncy seat, etc. I am amazed at what I THOUGHT a baby needed to be happy, versus what a baby REALLY needs--her mom and dad to love on her, a good soft blanket to snuggle in, and something to fill up her empty tummy...all of those things we had in Africa BEFORE the air shipment even came. I think when I begin my volunteering at the orphanage here, I will be bringing a box of items with me each time to donate. Those babies don't have a mom or dad to snuggle them, a soft blanket, or much food in their bellies. What a lucky, lucky baby Ms. Claire is.
Now if we just had some damn diet coke in that shipment.
Lunchtime here today finally brought some much desired sunshine. Claire and I sat outside on the patio and had lunch, listening to the birds sing. The rainy season is officially here and, according to the locals, will last throughout December. Can't decide if a rainy season beats a Minnesota snow yet. The rain is good, though. Things were getting awfully dusty here. As I said before, the soil here is a deep red and the bottoms of my feet are permanently stained that color. Perhaps Crayola needs a new shade in their
crayon box--Nairobi Red. Hopefully the rains will help clear up some of that dust and we can breathe free again.
We had to go with another gardener instead of Moses. Apparently, there was talk at the Embassy that Moses was quite "sneaky" (whatever that means) and Seth didn't feel comfortable hiring him. We hired a soft-spoken man named Bonafis who will work Thursdays and Mondays. Since he missed Monday of this week , he came bright and early this morning to get started. I am not sure that our postage stamp of a yard necessitates having a gardener twice a week, but it is a good job for him and provides much needed income for his family. Plus, he will help me grow vegetables that I will feel comfortable eating and soon, making baby food for Claire from.
This weekend Seth and are going to go buy flowers and plants for our yard, as well as vegetable seeds. In order to reach the stands, it seems you must first find a spot on the shoulder to park your car, brave the crazy Kenyan traffic, and run like mad to cross the street to get to them. There is no such thing as yielding to pedestrians here! I have added some pics of the roadside flower shops in this entry...they are from Seth's last
visit to Nairobi.
On Friday I went to a class at the community center for washing and cleaning vegetables and fruits. When I got there it was clear that I was the only "white" person showing up. Everybody there was either a maid or a nanny sent to the class by their employer. I felt ridiculously out of place but ended up learning a thing or two. Later on I heard one of the maids saying that it was funny to see a "mazunga" at the class. Today I asked one of the guards what "mazunga" meant and he told me it derives from when the Europeans first arrived in Kenya, the Africans noticed that the white people didn’t work very much. They had a tendency to walk around and tell other people what to do. It is apparently not a derogatory term, but means that you are wealthy enough that you can be more relaxed and not work as hard as others. It kind of makes me think of "whitey" or "honky" and I can't help but feel that there is perhaps some animosity behind it. Although that could be my paranoia because I have not met an angry Kenyan yet. Seth is in the process of ordering me Rosetta Stone's Swahili so hopefully I will not be a total "mazunga" if I can speak to the Kenyan's in their native language. A little effort goes a long ways...
Our air shipment has landed on African soil and is currently going through customs. I am SO excited to start making things feel a little more like home. Although I laughed when I saw our shipment list because it looked a little something like this:
