The food continues to be beans, rice, kale, cabbage, carrots, lentils, maize and potatoes. Everyday is a combination of some of the above. Its all pretty bland and salt and pepper help quite a bit. The fruit is wonderful - especially the pineapples. Bananas and mangos are also readily available, if you call a mile trek to the market "readily". For breakfast most mornings I have eggs and some pan toast. Today when I reached in the cupboard to grab a couple eggs, I let out a small yelp. One of them was furry. of course - chicken feathers. What else? I have also come to realize the secret to great scrambled eggs. It is WHOLE milk. Not skim or 2 percent. Here milk comes in boxes - like juice boxes, complete with the straw. I don't know what they do to it that makes it ok at room temperature but it works.
Kenyan tea is fantastic. It's a treat and this most certainly would be a great way to put on pounds if I wasn't hiking everyday. At the Gimwa the tea develops on film on the top of the cup. I think it has to do with the milk. When the matrons make it there is no film but I think that's because they use Flossie's milk and run it through a sieve as it is poured into the cup. Again - it's a treat - not chunky at all.
Speaking of our pets, we have recently acquired another four rabbits. The older boys are caring for them and we keep asking them what they will name them. The boys are not in a hurry to do this and I have a feeling it's because we ate one a few weeks ago. I think pets are transient in this world.
The roads are shared with cows, donkeys, an occasional stray dog and chickens for the most part. There is also a herd of children that develops after school lets out and I have been "lucky" enough to travel with this pack for the last few days. Some of the kids speak english but most don't. So we tried making a common grunt, hmmm, haaa language that lasted for a few days. It got old pretty quickly. Today I had the bright idea to use the time for spelling lessons. COW- point to the one next to us - C-O-W. Black Cow. B-L-A-C-K C-O-W. You get it. Colors. Animals. Parts of the body. Anything to keep them
occupied. Edutainment.
Transportation consists of mutatus, tulagas, motorbikes and bicycles. The tulagas are bigger than mutatus, more like a bus where people don't sit on each other. There are groups of motorbikes that are another form of public transport. The drivers have helmets but the passengers ride at their own risk. Whatever. And there is a bike shop here where you can actually rent a bike. Good luck. I'll walk and negotiate the ruts and mud on my two feet.
The children are wonderful and I really don't know how I got so lucky to find this place. I truly enjoy cuddling with the kids at movie time or teaching them how to make jewelry or construction paper books or taking pictures with them. They are loving, respectful and caring kids most of the time - there ARE fourteen of them remember. But all in all, I couldn't have asked for a better place to experience what Africa is like. I am learning so much about the culture, the issues and the possible solutions. It's just amazing.
Tomorrow we (Olivia - the 18 year old) and I leave for safari. Have I mentioned that I am the oldest one here? I am older than Phoebe, who they call mom and who has seven kids. I am OLD. When did that happen? I guess the alternative isn't a good option so I suppose I will just embrace it and one of these kids and just enjoy it for what it is.
Safari- ol' moran tented camp. Google it - its there. And the wildebeest camp is where we are staying tomorrow night. That's on line too. Check it out. It should be a hoot.
Hope all is well in America. Peace out.
B
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