Village Market Mall with kids
Pet store
Big Nakumatt
Waterslide park
Pizza
Ice cream
Highlight according to joseph - the fish in the pet store. So easily amused.
Sunday
4th of July
Church with the kids
8 Scottish and 4 Kenyan scouts arrive - same people as on train to mombasa
Sheep roasting on BBQ
Confetti bonfire and dancing to the Land Rover stereo.
Bonfire and s'mores
Monday
Tricia, Devon and Brendan leave. I am glad to be leaving on a sunday so I won't have to deal with the school kids' goodbye. Went to Nairobi - shopped at city market (an experience onto itself) and met up with julia and frannie for dinner at thai chi and goodbyes. The duck curry is superb. As we packed everyone into the car outside the terminal, there was a guy who had set up his business between two taxis. His business is sharpening machetes on a tire wheel. I almost didn't think twice about it. TAB- That's Africa Baby.
Tuesday
Took an awesome shower at the Terminal Hotel. The temp was right. The pressure was good. Everything was great. I washed my hair (which badly needs cut and color) TWICE and just hung out there for a bit. Yes, I noticed that the water was backing up around my ankles but whatever. The thng that didn't really cross my mind was that the floor is flat with a drain and there is only about a half inch lip at the door. By the time I left my mini steam room, room 106 had become Lake 106. And it didn't bother me much. I didn't have much to get wet since changing clothes only happens every third or fourth day. However, when I left the room I was a little surprised to see the hallway and room 105 were now also part of this waterway. Oops. And the girls in room 105 weren't as easy going. Sorry. TAB
Julia and I went shopping some more at the market and headed back to Njabini. The scouts are working on extreme home makeover for a single mom with eight kids. She is getting new walls in her house and the children's bedroom is being expanded from a 8x10 space to 20x10. (EIGHT kids sleep in that space.). Some windows were added to the rooms and we added a painting of lions to promote the owner's inner strength.
Wednesday
Back to Nairobi for meeting with design fellow from Architecture for Humanity. Fantastic meeting with lots of possibilities. There are local chapters of this organization all over the world. Projects for non-profits can be posted on their website for the rest of the community to see. Their ideas of how to work in the design community and help others in need is very innovative. www.architectureforhumanity.org
(Thanks Barb)
My brain is in "return" mode even though I still have three full days left with the kids. I've bought too many matchbox cars and fancy handkerchiefs and high school musical sticker books of late. The chocolate is being dished out hand over fist as well as basically any request from these kids. The SUCKER stamp on my forehead seems to be blinking neon. I keep thinking that I shouldn't spoil them and then I pinch myself and remind myself that one boy was saved by his grandmother right before his mother boiled him to death. Huh? How many cars do you want? Can I ever erase those memories? No way. But can I help make his future better, one day at a time? You betcha. As long as I am here I can hug that kid up and let him wiggle and scream and tell me that he doesn't want me to kiss him while the whole time he has that smile on his face that all boys get when they want to look cool but really like what you are doing. It just cracks me up.
I wonder what it will be like to come back to America. No donkeys or cows in the roads. PAVED roads. Electricity 24/7. People speaking english. Warm water. Temperatures over 50 degrees and pretty sundresses. Nice sheets. Empty house. Hmmmm...
Peace out. Help someone else. Pay it forward. Dream Big Dreams.
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