Well well. Less than a week to go until I trade this continent in for yet another. The past two weeks have been interesting and have had their ups and downs. I always forget that this is a place of extremes and that if you aren't on top of the world, you're usually totally miserable. So Let's get the miserable part out of the way first: it seems as though I have become allergic to Kenya, or at least to something in Peter and Anne's house because two weeks ago I developed a batch of brutal hives that have made me want to rip my skin off my body. I feel like a diseased circus freak, but I'm hoping that it'll all be made better by the powers of the indian ocean which is where I'm headed today for my last five days. Seriously, the ocean soothes the soul, so why not debilitating allergic reactions too?
Despite my unwavering love for Kenya, it hasn't been all that I hoped for this time around because of some unexpected stress and issues I didn't ever imagine having to deal with. But those are things that should be left for real conversations and not the blog. So let's move on shall we?
Now for the good stuff. When I haven't been scratching at my skin or watching the first three seasons of Dexter which I bought for three bucks from a Nakuru bootlegger, I've spent my time at the two schools, the two children's homes, and at home with Anne doing "women's work." Last weekend I took 8 of the kids from the old children's home to town and out for a luxurious lunch at gilanis, the Indian supermarket restaurant, which was so much fun. Those kids know how to eat!
Two days ago was my last day in kirengero and the nakuru area and I spent it out at mission in action children's home. The new building is almost ready and the kids from nyota have already moved in. Tess has a job there for the summer doing laundry and another "kid" from the old home, Simon, is teaching at the mission school. I cant tell you how amazing it is to see these kids that Ive known for five years grow into responsible young adults. They are amazing. I also got to say goodbye to joseph who just broke his arm playing football! I hate saying goodbye but the smile on that kids face when he sees me makes it all better.
My Last night in the village I cooked a big dinner for peter, Anne, and the four kids. I made spaghetti with tomato primavera sauce. Kim, their nephew who is living with them, said it was a meal he would never forget! We finished off the meal with a little cake I bought and some hot chocolate that they all had to add more sugar to to make drinkable! Kenyans and their crazy sweet tooth!
I'm happy to say that during my time with Anne, I learnt how to make ugali all by myself (ugali, or as I like to call it "uugs," is the staple food in Kenya and is made from boiling maize flour with water and stirring it until it becomes hard as a rock. I despise it.) I was in charge of the four dogs-Rooney, Drogba, Julie, and Chiko-who became my best friends on account of me giving them treats whenever I could. When I left yesterday morning, Rooney followed me out to the highway which broke my heart. I love that puppy!
The ride to Nairobi yesterday was actually enjoyable, as I saw zebras and baboons roaming on the side of the highway. Sometimes the beauty of this country is so overwhelming it knocks you on your ass. I spent last night in my favourite budget hotel in Nairobi, The Terminal, and am happy to report that the guys at the front desk remembered me. I'm not so happy though that I forgot it was karaoke night at the restaurant across the street as I had to listen to bad renditions of Mariah Carey's "Hero" and the early 90s classic "it must have been love" for hours. Actually I didn't mind so much, it's all part of nbo's charm, something which I took full advantage of yesterday (ie: hot shower, java house, bartering at the outdoor market for earrings and of course nakumatt).
Currently I'm sitting on the 8 hour "deluxe" bus ride to Mombasa, deluxe because you get a soda, some cookies, and they play Shania twain and Celine Dion music videos as well as straight to DVD action films. My bum is going numb and I just told an Indian teenager in front of me that I didn't pay 1600 shilling to watch him grope his girlfriend all day. The road is brutal but the ride is cheap and since the hotel I'm going to stay at is expensive, I guess it will all be worth it.
Hopefully by the time I post this, I'll be by the ocean. I'll update once I get to turkey on Friday. I'll be there for two and a half weeks and am super pumped. The first week I'm spending out east in Adana with my dear old friend Oriana and her husband Matt. I missed their wedding in April so I'm hoping this reunion will make up for it. The rest of the time I'm not sure what I'm going to do other than explore Istanbul and go somewhere on the Mediterranean. Then it'll be off to London to meet my mum which I am so excited about I can barely contain myself. It will have been 5 and a half months since we've seen each other and being the true mamas girl that I am, the reunion will be so sweet! Until next time!
P.S. Scroll down to see some photos I just posted!
Despite my unwavering love for Kenya, it hasn't been all that I hoped for this time around because of some unexpected stress and issues I didn't ever imagine having to deal with. But those are things that should be left for real conversations and not the blog. So let's move on shall we?
Now for the good stuff. When I haven't been scratching at my skin or watching the first three seasons of Dexter which I bought for three bucks from a Nakuru bootlegger, I've spent my time at the two schools, the two children's homes, and at home with Anne doing "women's work." Last weekend I took 8 of the kids from the old children's home to town and out for a luxurious lunch at gilanis, the Indian supermarket restaurant, which was so much fun. Those kids know how to eat!
Two days ago was my last day in kirengero and the nakuru area and I spent it out at mission in action children's home. The new building is almost ready and the kids from nyota have already moved in. Tess has a job there for the summer doing laundry and another "kid" from the old home, Simon, is teaching at the mission school. I cant tell you how amazing it is to see these kids that Ive known for five years grow into responsible young adults. They are amazing. I also got to say goodbye to joseph who just broke his arm playing football! I hate saying goodbye but the smile on that kids face when he sees me makes it all better.
My Last night in the village I cooked a big dinner for peter, Anne, and the four kids. I made spaghetti with tomato primavera sauce. Kim, their nephew who is living with them, said it was a meal he would never forget! We finished off the meal with a little cake I bought and some hot chocolate that they all had to add more sugar to to make drinkable! Kenyans and their crazy sweet tooth!
I'm happy to say that during my time with Anne, I learnt how to make ugali all by myself (ugali, or as I like to call it "uugs," is the staple food in Kenya and is made from boiling maize flour with water and stirring it until it becomes hard as a rock. I despise it.) I was in charge of the four dogs-Rooney, Drogba, Julie, and Chiko-who became my best friends on account of me giving them treats whenever I could. When I left yesterday morning, Rooney followed me out to the highway which broke my heart. I love that puppy!
The ride to Nairobi yesterday was actually enjoyable, as I saw zebras and baboons roaming on the side of the highway. Sometimes the beauty of this country is so overwhelming it knocks you on your ass. I spent last night in my favourite budget hotel in Nairobi, The Terminal, and am happy to report that the guys at the front desk remembered me. I'm not so happy though that I forgot it was karaoke night at the restaurant across the street as I had to listen to bad renditions of Mariah Carey's "Hero" and the early 90s classic "it must have been love" for hours. Actually I didn't mind so much, it's all part of nbo's charm, something which I took full advantage of yesterday (ie: hot shower, java house, bartering at the outdoor market for earrings and of course nakumatt).
Currently I'm sitting on the 8 hour "deluxe" bus ride to Mombasa, deluxe because you get a soda, some cookies, and they play Shania twain and Celine Dion music videos as well as straight to DVD action films. My bum is going numb and I just told an Indian teenager in front of me that I didn't pay 1600 shilling to watch him grope his girlfriend all day. The road is brutal but the ride is cheap and since the hotel I'm going to stay at is expensive, I guess it will all be worth it.
Hopefully by the time I post this, I'll be by the ocean. I'll update once I get to turkey on Friday. I'll be there for two and a half weeks and am super pumped. The first week I'm spending out east in Adana with my dear old friend Oriana and her husband Matt. I missed their wedding in April so I'm hoping this reunion will make up for it. The rest of the time I'm not sure what I'm going to do other than explore Istanbul and go somewhere on the Mediterranean. Then it'll be off to London to meet my mum which I am so excited about I can barely contain myself. It will have been 5 and a half months since we've seen each other and being the true mamas girl that I am, the reunion will be so sweet! Until next time!
P.S. Scroll down to see some photos I just posted!
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