We've made our decision. Jack will be attending the very diverse and not terribly fancy-but super clean and attentive daycare about 5 minutes from our house and Brandon's job. I am so excited for our little boy- he's going to meet some new friends, get tons of lovin' from his teachers, and experience life away from Mama or Grandma Moe Moe a few days a week. It'll be hard at first, but I really believe this is going to be a great opportunity for him.
He'll probably start in about 3 weeks. Just in time for me to head back to school and get my new classroom all set up!!!!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Sticky
Oh how great it is to NOT have air conditioning. Especially on a hot and sticky night like tonight. So instead of hiding in the playroom (the other room we have a window air conditioner in- Jack's room is the other one) I've decided to post a bunch of pictures. You're welcome!
That would be yellow blankie waaaaay on the top. Which is why Jack is not too happy!
Jack adores his Auntie Liz
I will NOT smile.
Make me some freaking pancakes!!!!!
Jack and Super Nana
Best Buddies
Uncle Timmy building a tower
That would be yellow blankie waaaaay on the top. Which is why Jack is not too happy!
Jack adores his Auntie Liz
I will NOT smile.
Make me some freaking pancakes!!!!!Jack and Super NanaBest BuddiesWatching a little "Bob the Builder". That show blows by the way! 
Me and my dog,
Jack has always been a fan of Finley, but recently he's become really attached. He gets mad because he wants Finley to be in his playroom while he's playing with his match box cars, but he doesn't understand how to call Finley yet. I should put Finley's leather leash on and show Jack how to lead him into the playroom. I'm pretty sure Finley loves Jack because
Me and my dog,
Jack has always been a fan of Finley, but recently he's become really attached. He gets mad because he wants Finley to be in his playroom while he's playing with his match box cars, but he doesn't understand how to call Finley yet. I should put Finley's leather leash on and show Jack how to lead him into the playroom. I'm pretty sure Finley loves Jack because
Jack=a steady stream of multigrain cheerios on the floor!
Jack is in awe that Uncle Timmy REALLY IS A POLICE OFFICER! He gets to drive the woo woo car!!!! (That would be what Jack calls police cars, cause they make a woo woo sound)
Look how tough Uncle Timmy looks when he crosses his arms!
Holy $#&* A real woo woo car!!!!
Look how tough Uncle Timmy looks when he crosses his arms!Holy $#&* A real woo woo car!!!!Ali
Jack truly annoyed his Uncle Timmy by saying "Ali" clear as day at lunch today. My sister was very excited... even made my brother call her buddy and Jack's D.C. Auntie, Liz to rub it in! Timmy recorded it on his phone- it's so cute!!!
Other words in his repertoire:
Turtle
Bye
Puppa
Mama
Daddy
Ball
Toot-Toot (for train)
Nutie (for his Nukie)
That's all I can think of now.
I'll have to post pictures of this later- but his new favorite thing is "helping" me cook. He stands on a chair at the counter and helps me with whatever I'm doing. Last night he "helped" me make enchiladas. In the mornings he's also in charge of putting his waffle or pancake in the toaster. I love it that he likes to help!
Other words in his repertoire:
Turtle
Bye
Puppa
Mama
Daddy
Ball
Toot-Toot (for train)
Nutie (for his Nukie)
That's all I can think of now.
I'll have to post pictures of this later- but his new favorite thing is "helping" me cook. He stands on a chair at the counter and helps me with whatever I'm doing. Last night he "helped" me make enchiladas. In the mornings he's also in charge of putting his waffle or pancake in the toaster. I love it that he likes to help!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Eyeball Crust
Jack has pink eye. It started with some green goop in his eyes yesterday afternoon, and this morning the goop had his eyelashes glued together and was smeared all over his cheeks. After a trip to the doctor and $55.00 worth of eye drops, he's already looking much better. The good news is that it's only contagious for 24 hours (please god, do not let me get pink eye. I do NOT do glasses well. I hate them in fact. I've been wearing contacts every day of my life since Freshman year of high school. That was a long ass time ago. I do NOT do glasses!!!) so we're all set to visit our buddies when we head back to Kansas City next week for a visit.
In other news, Jack decided he wanted to walk instead of be in his stroller for our family walk tonight. The kid walked the entire way! 30 minutes of walking! He did a fairly good job of holding my hand to cross the streets- once he figured out it was either that or be carried. Finley was probably wishing we'd walk a little faster- he's such a furball- he gets so hot so easily. Thank goodness we have another appointment with the miracle groomer in a few weeks.
In other news, Jack decided he wanted to walk instead of be in his stroller for our family walk tonight. The kid walked the entire way! 30 minutes of walking! He did a fairly good job of holding my hand to cross the streets- once he figured out it was either that or be carried. Finley was probably wishing we'd walk a little faster- he's such a furball- he gets so hot so easily. Thank goodness we have another appointment with the miracle groomer in a few weeks.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Random Pictures and Stuff....
The awesome staff who took care of us in Kilifi: Sammy, Elias and Changawa. The little boy is John, he lives at the orphanage.
Table where we ate breakfast and lunch, the swimming pool, and just down the hill, the Indian Ocean.
The house and pool
More house and pool
Why do all kids have to smell their special blankies? Augustus (the son of another fulbrighter we met in Kenya) does the same thing! He's 1 and looks so much like Jack!
Too much frosting!
Uncle Timmy lets Jack help with his 24 birthday candles
Mama smooching Jack-a-roo after his bath
What I wore to teach the lesson part of my interview
Saturday Night Fever. I hate suits. The shirt was tucked in for my interview and the jacket was buttoned.Another busy weekend....
Friday was our 5 year wedding anniversary! Holy cow! 5 years is a long freaking time!!! :)
Friday was our 5 year wedding anniversary! Holy cow! 5 years is a long freaking time!!! :)
We celebrated with a fabulous dinner out and then a great movie, Knocked Up. So funny! It was great to be out- just the 2 of us.
On Saturday we had everyone over for a celebration bbq lunch. We celebrated my brother's 24th birthday and our anniversary. Jack especially enjoyed the cake! We ate outside since it was absolutely beautiful here- Jack thinks it's pretty neat to sit in his highchair outside.
On Sunday I went to church with my dad and then grocery shopping. He is in love with our grocery store, so he did all of his shopping here too! We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on stuff- including sleep!
This week I have a bunch of errands to take care of. I'm also going to be just enjoying the rest of my summer. Now that I have a job- I feel like I can relax and enjoy the next month or so with Jack- lots of trips to the park ahead!
I almost forgot! More info on my job! I'll be teaching 2nd grade at a private K-12 school about 30 minutes from our house. It's the same distance I drove to my school when we lived in Kansas City, so that doesn't bother me a bit. The big draw for this school from a parent viewpoint is the small class size- I'll only have 11 or 12 kids in my class! Imagine how much more you can accomplish with a smaller class! The campus sits on about 180 acres of woods and prairie- there are tons of walking trails, so I'm super excited about taking advantage of that once the school year starts. Lots of experiments and activities outside. I feel so lucky to be teaching there- I think I'm really going to like it.
Here's the funny story about the job:
A few days before we left for Africa, my mother-in-law called to see if I ever check the newspaper for teaching jobs. Um, no, who in the heck uses the newspaper to post teaching jobs? Doesn't everybody use the internet now??? She told me how she found an add for a 2nd grade job at this school she had heard of. I checked the website and thought- no freaking way! It looks way too fancy and smart. I am so not smart enough to teach there. No way. Well she wouldn't take no for an answer. The day before we left, I printed off my resume and cover letter, and mailed it on our way out of town. While we were staying in Kilifi at the house by the ocean, my mil calls and says "You have an interview at --School!" We were both laughing so hard- I never would have dreamed! She tells me that when the assistant to the head of school called, she explained how I was out of the country but could be there first thing Monday morning. So we get back on Saturday afternoon- after 2 consecutive 8 hour flights, and off we go to the mall to find me a suit! Thank god my future sister in law was there- she's the only one I trust with fashion advice. She insisted I didn't look like Saturday Night Fever, so I bought the suit. She also found me some super cute heels to wear also. You rock, Liz! Thank you!
So on Sunday I work my butt off all day getting my portfolio together and randomly thinking about questions they might ask me. I'm still a little jet lagged, but at least I was functioning! So Monday morning rolls around and off I go on the interview. The assistant/secretary was super nice and we chatted about Kenya for a bit. I then met the Head of School and went in for the interview. He was super nice and we joked a bit about how jet lagged I still was, etc. He told me how they had 40 applicants for the job, he had interviewed 18 last week, but was willing to wait till that day to interview me because I was "very intriguing on paper" and he really wanted a chance to meet me. Well apparently he liked what I had to say, cause after about 15 minutes of talking, he asked me to be one of his 5 finalists for the job. Hooray I'm thinking! This is awesome! The next thing he says is- "I hate to tell you this, but the call backs for my finalists are this afternoon. The other 4 are coming in to teach a 15 minute lesson/activity to 3 or 4 kids while some of the faculty watches, and then they'll be interviewed by the faculty when the activity is over. Do you think you can come back at 2:30 and do that? I'm sorry it's so last minute, but we saved you the last spot in case you were interested" HOLY CRAP! So now I have to drive home and get an activity together??? And come back and teach it in front of kids and faculty???? What the hell I say, sign me up! So I came home, got some math games together (after digging through various boxes in the basement!) and headed back to teach.
The 4 other finalists had all weekend to prepare- I had about 3 hours. I saw the girl who went before me leave as I was putting my stuff in the classroom- she had a big huge poster board! Some elaborate lesson and activity planned. I had some dice and a few pencils!! It bothered me for about 2 seconds and then I just thought- who cares? I'm just going to play with these kids and show the faculty what I normally do. Teach and have fun doing it. So everyone comes in and the kids and I have a blast playing the math games- I even teach them a thing or two. It was sort of odd teaching in front of the head of the school, the lower school principal (who would be my boss) and 3 other teachers, but it didn't really bother me at all. After the games the staff interviewed me and it was really comfortable, felt more like a conversation even though they asked really good questions. They also said how much they liked watching me interact with the kids- obviously they didn't need to see what kind of amazing lesson I could present- they wanted to see the real me.
When it was over the head of school told me not to be surprised- but they would have their decision made after I left- no surprise there! Every part of this process has been on fast forward for me!! :)
The next morning I got the call offering me the job. Never in a million years did I see this whole situation coming- and to think I didn't even want to apply!!!! :)
I owe my mother-in-law a steak dinner! I never would have seen the opening or even applied if it hadn't been for her!!!
When I start Jack will be staying home 3 days a week with my mother-in-law. The other 2 days a week he'll be going to a day care. We've got our list down to just a few finalists, so we'll be making a decision soon. I'm very excited about him getting a chance to play with other kids and just experiencing new games and toys. It'll be so great for him.
So that's the story- I'll try to keep posting Kenya pictures....
Thursday, July 19, 2007
More Details
Ok, I'm finally going to make the time to sit here and write about the trip and the job. Only a week late mind you!!! :)
The trip was amazing- it was really hard to leave Jack (tears all around) but once we left, I didn't worry about him for a single second.
We took the bus to Chicago (awesome idea, nobody had to drive!!) and our flight left for Amsterdam at 4:30. How exciting to be sitting at a gate that says "Amsterdam" as the destination, and not somewhere totally boring!! We got into Amsterdam at 7:30 in the morning their time, we were feeling pretty good at that point. We didn't really sleep on the plane and it was only 11 or 12 at night for us anyway. Of course since we got there so early, our hotel room wasn't ready, so we walked all around Amsterdam and went through the Anne Frank house. First of all, Amsterdam is BEAUTIFUL!!! The architecture, the cobble stone/brick streets, the canals, the bikes, everything- just truly beautiful. The Anne Frank house was very interesting. Her dad chose to not have any furniture in the house- but the wallpaper and the pictures Anne put up on her wall were still there. It was such a surreal feeling to be standing in the actual place where her diary was written. At the end of the tour, you even get to see her real diary which I thought was really neat.
We walked around a little more and stopped for some breakfast. By this time we were feeling really tired and even a little dizzy. Our hotel room was finally ready, so we slept for 5 hours and then headed out for dinner. We spent the rest of our time in Amsterdam walking everywhere. We saw the Van Gogh museum, the Reijks (sooo not spelling that right!) museum, the Heineken museum (they give you lots of beer to drink!) and the floating flower markets. My favorite thing was probably the flower markets. They had varieties of tulips that were just amazing!
We did take several walks through the Red Light District. Talk about mind boggling! These young girls are just posing in the windows of these buildings wearing next to nothing, trying to entice you inside. Ick! It was very interesting to see though. We stopped in a coffee shop my dad knew about....
The flight to Nairobi wasn't bad. It's only an hour ahead of Amsterdam, so no jet lag at all. As soon as we got there it felt as if we really were in another world. The luggage took FOREVER to arrive and the line for customs took forever. My mom, sister, and our driver (a friend of my mom's from a safari company) were there to pick us up. We loaded into an old Toyota 9 passenger van and the adventure began! Imagine driving 50+ miles an hour down a street riddled with random pot holes, no street lights, no paint on the road marking the center line, and diesel fumes in the air. Holy crap we're not at home anymore!!!
The driver took us to Mum Anne's house. She's a mum from the orphanage my mom has gotten to know really well. She's practically family! To get to their house, you have to wait for them to come down this grassy/rocky road to unlock the gate. There is a lot of crime in Kenya, so everyone takes lots of precautions. They call their home the "compound". It's surrounded by a wall/fence, with another locked fence to pass through to actually get to their house. The house was pretty big, 5 bedrooms, one bathroom (no running hot water), a good size kitchen, and 2 living room areas. They were just the most gracious hosts I've ever known. So happy to have us there, and experience their lives. Mum Anne lives there with her 2 sisters, Carol and Grace. Also living there is Mum Anne's brother, Caleb, her niece Cynthia, and Carol's daughter- Gaia.
It's amazing how quickly you can adjust to different living conditions. I took a few bucket showers at their house. Basically you heat 2 big pots of water on the stove, pour them into a big bucket next to the tub. Add some cold water if it's too hot, then pour the water over yourself when you're done shampooing your hair, etc. Not quite the hot 15 minute shower I'm used to at home, but totally fine! You really can't drink the tap water there either, so we had bottled water to use when brushing our teeth and for drinking.
Our first visit to the orphanage my mom lives at was really cool. It was in a much more urban area than I thought it would be. Again, to get in you have to pass through a locked and guarded gate. The cottages where the kids live were great, cinder block homes, running water, electricity, small, but cozy. The kids have a great playground area in the middle which is fun. All of the kids in Cottage D (where my mom spends most of her time) were happy to see us- it was so fun to finally match the faces with the names I've been hearing about for so long! The kids were so full of energy, just so sad to think that they're living there because of being orphaned and HIV+
2 kids I met that I'll never forget. Ken. My mom has mentioned him on her blog many times. He's 12. Weighs less than Jack. When you pick him up and hold him on your hip (and I'm being completely truthful here) you can feel his thigh bones, his hip bones, his tailbone, all of his ribs, his vertebrae, etc. He is just so incredibly, impossibly, heartbreakingly thin. I wasn't quite prepared for how it would FEEL to hold him. He's 12 for god's sake! He should be playing soccer and wrestling the little kids. Not lying in bed most of the time probably in pain. Think how painful it must be to be that malnourished. He gets fed a million calories a day, but it takes forever for your body to recover from that.
The second kid I'll never forget. Anthony. He's 6 months old. He has the eyes of a 6 month old, bright, always checking things out, curious. His body however... and again, totally truthful, the body of a premature baby. I could run my thumb and forefinger (held together to make a ring) all the way up his leg and never touch him. He was that small. Can't sit up, can't roll over, can't hold a rattle. His hands were still in the fist position of a newborn. I held him and snuggled him and even got him to smile a few times. I told him I loved him. He needed to hear that, his mom abandoned him at the hospital 3 months ago.
The daycare center. My mom volunteers there every week or so. Her friend Caroline started the daycare center in one of the slums of Nairobi so that maybe the mothers and fathers could find some work- and NOT LEAVE THEIR CHILDREN LOCKED IN THEIR SHACKS FOR 8 HOURS A DAY. Seriously. That's what the alternative is. You have to work, nobody can babysit, so leave your kids locked at home alone. At least they might be safe that way. Amazing. So Caroline starts this daycare, there are so many people who want to leave their kids with her, they leave them at the gate to the daycare and walk away. On the way to the daycare center, Caroline drives us through a part of the slum where her kids come from. Everything you have ever seen in pictures or on tv... in real life. Kids playing on piles of garbage. Runny noses, coughs, dirty clothes, no shoes, babies on their mother's backs, people just trying to survive. Oh the tears when I saw that for myself. And Jack has a whole ROOM full of toys. How is that possible?
We came upon this mother who had a 3 year old daughter and a baby on her back. The little girl looked really sick. Caroline told her to come to the daycare so my mom could examine the little girl.
We get to the daycare, the kids are all outside playing. With 6 tires. They are dressed in crazy mismatched outfits, some with shoes and socks, some barefoot. All completely overdressed for the weather (something my mom said everybody is). Runny noses, coughs, big curious eyes. One little kid takes one look at all of us Mizungus (white people) and starts crying hysterically! We eventually win them over and they push to sit on our laps, play with our hair (how strange!)and be held and cuddled. I had brought 2 huge suitcases filled with donated clothing, socks, blankets, jackets, shoes, toys, and books that some moms from my moms group donated. I also bought a johnson and johnson first aid kit from target and a digital thermometer. Caroline was so incredibly grateful for everything. Her first aid kit had been a role of gauze. That's it.
The mom with the sick little girl and baby on her back arrive, they had walked the entire way to the daycare. My mom thinks the little girl has pneumonia (even though she's just a nurse, over there, she can give out medicine). My mom gives her an antibiotic and Caroline explains to the mom how to give it to her. Then Caroline reaches into my suitcase and pulls out a pair of socks and a pair of pink and white tennis shoes. The little girl (about 3 or 4 years old) had been walking through the slum with no shoes or socks. Barefoot. All the time. I will never forget her face. I wonder if she's still alive.
The safari. We took a 3 day safari thanks to a discounted package my mom got from a safari company she knows of. We took another 9 passenger Toyota van to the Masai Mara. It took about 6 hours to drive there. Stopped by the Kenyan police on the highway. We had been speeding. No radar gun in sight, the driver slips the police officer 1,000 shillings. The Kenyan police are so corrupt. We continue on through the Great Rift Valley. Where life began thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago!!! Couldn't believe we were there!!!
The road. Oh my god, the road. Huge potholes, everywhere. Swerving to the side, the middle, the other side just to avoid them. It was like one of the 4 wheel drive trips you pay to go on in Colorado. It was that bad. The road to one of the biggest tourist attractions in Kenya looks like a construction site gone wrong. That's the government for you! We got to the lodge- it was amazing! Beautiful and serene. A nice change from the diesel and chaos of the city. Our rooms were so cool- glass doors (a sign on the wall, keep the door shut, monkeys are smart and will come in looking for food!!!!). Mosquito netting over the bed. We went on 4 game drives. The top of our van pops up and you can stand while the driver drives you all over. We saw everything!
lions
a leopard!!
giraffes
elephants
antelope
impalas
monkeys
hippos
hyenas
and more and more!
All out in the wild, no fences, no cages, it was so freaking cool! We even came upon a whole pride of lions feasting on a water buffalo. Some were still eating, others were lying on their backs in the grass too full and satisfied to move!! They were just feet away from us! It was cool! We saw whole families of elephants, hippos swimming in a huge watering hole, jackals running in the road ahead of us. It was just the coolest thing ever.
The house on the Indian Ocean. My mom met somebody working for the US government, but living in Nairobi who offered us his beach house while we were visiting. We took one of the cottage D kids, John, and flew to a town called Kilifi. We surprised John with the trip, pulled him into the director of the orphanage's office, he thought he was in big trouble- and then we told him he was going on an airplane to the ocean that afternoon! He was shocked! He was very scared on the plane, told my mom there wasn't enough air to breathe. As soon as we took off, we gave him my mom's ipod and he relaxed and sang Baby Baluga (a Raffi song) at the top of his lungs!
We took a cab an hour to the house- again, the highway riddled with potholes, slow going. We pull up to a gate, the staff lets us in... the house is AMAZING! Not fancy pants super elegant, but open and airy, and comfortable, and absolutely amazing. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (no running hot water), an open veranda with chairs and a tall lounging bed, a beautiful swimming pool, a steep hill at the end that leads directly to the ocean!!! We walked down the hill and were about to climb the little sand dune when John turns to me and says, "Mum Elizabeth, this is called what?" I said, "It's called sand, John, you can walk in it, it's ok." He had never seen white sand like that before.
The ocean was beautiful. I can't believe I've seen the Indian Ocean. We spent the next 3 days reading, lounging, lying in the hammock, eating our meals next to the swimming pool, trying to enjoy having a staff of 3 looking after us (god was that weird!!!). We went into town and bought some souvenirs. We took walks on the beach. Played Uno and Yahtzee. It was just perfect.
We went into downtown Nairobi one afternoon. We didn't see another white person the whole time. A new experience. We walked through the city market- the meat area. I thought I would throw up, the smell, oh my god. And that's where people buy their meat and fish! Horrendous. We shopped some more, ate pizza (it was awesome!) and walked around.
Life is just so hard there. To go anywhere safely, you have to call a cab, or take a Citi Hoppa (a non scheduled bus system). We took a Matatu (a 14 passenger crammed full van that has certain stops) and 2 guys tried to scam us. When these guys got on, one sat next to me, the other next to my mom. All of a sudden they tell us there's a police check, so they're reaching over us trying to help us buckle our seat belts. I think that it seems odd... but I don't want to be the person who's suspicious of everyone. I notice my money pack thing that we've all been wearing is unvelcroed a little bit, I think that's weird and close it and move it over a bit. We get off the Matatu, and my mom realizes her cell phone is gone. She's incredibly mad, so upset she got conned and she's lived here since January. Nothing is missing from my stuff, I caught it just in time. Could have been my camera and passport. They were professionals obviously, they had a plan and we fell for it. I guess you have to be suspicious of everyone. Sad, but true. We got my mom a new phone, after about a million different stores- nothing is easy.
We were very glad to get home. Life is just so hard there. I see why my mom loves the kids, but I just don't think I could live there forever. It was an amazing trip, we'll never forget it. Jack was fine the whole time, he only cried when we called and they put us on speaker phone! He was sleeping when we got home, at then end of his nap. We woke him up- he cried a bit and then hugs and kisses all around. The next morning his grandma got him up (thank god she had the monitor all night, we didn't hear him once and he got up twice crying!) and he ran into our room and gave us this look like "oh, that's right! you're home!!!"
Pictures will be tomorrow's chore! And details about the job!
The trip was amazing- it was really hard to leave Jack (tears all around) but once we left, I didn't worry about him for a single second.
We took the bus to Chicago (awesome idea, nobody had to drive!!) and our flight left for Amsterdam at 4:30. How exciting to be sitting at a gate that says "Amsterdam" as the destination, and not somewhere totally boring!! We got into Amsterdam at 7:30 in the morning their time, we were feeling pretty good at that point. We didn't really sleep on the plane and it was only 11 or 12 at night for us anyway. Of course since we got there so early, our hotel room wasn't ready, so we walked all around Amsterdam and went through the Anne Frank house. First of all, Amsterdam is BEAUTIFUL!!! The architecture, the cobble stone/brick streets, the canals, the bikes, everything- just truly beautiful. The Anne Frank house was very interesting. Her dad chose to not have any furniture in the house- but the wallpaper and the pictures Anne put up on her wall were still there. It was such a surreal feeling to be standing in the actual place where her diary was written. At the end of the tour, you even get to see her real diary which I thought was really neat.
We walked around a little more and stopped for some breakfast. By this time we were feeling really tired and even a little dizzy. Our hotel room was finally ready, so we slept for 5 hours and then headed out for dinner. We spent the rest of our time in Amsterdam walking everywhere. We saw the Van Gogh museum, the Reijks (sooo not spelling that right!) museum, the Heineken museum (they give you lots of beer to drink!) and the floating flower markets. My favorite thing was probably the flower markets. They had varieties of tulips that were just amazing!
We did take several walks through the Red Light District. Talk about mind boggling! These young girls are just posing in the windows of these buildings wearing next to nothing, trying to entice you inside. Ick! It was very interesting to see though. We stopped in a coffee shop my dad knew about....
The flight to Nairobi wasn't bad. It's only an hour ahead of Amsterdam, so no jet lag at all. As soon as we got there it felt as if we really were in another world. The luggage took FOREVER to arrive and the line for customs took forever. My mom, sister, and our driver (a friend of my mom's from a safari company) were there to pick us up. We loaded into an old Toyota 9 passenger van and the adventure began! Imagine driving 50+ miles an hour down a street riddled with random pot holes, no street lights, no paint on the road marking the center line, and diesel fumes in the air. Holy crap we're not at home anymore!!!
The driver took us to Mum Anne's house. She's a mum from the orphanage my mom has gotten to know really well. She's practically family! To get to their house, you have to wait for them to come down this grassy/rocky road to unlock the gate. There is a lot of crime in Kenya, so everyone takes lots of precautions. They call their home the "compound". It's surrounded by a wall/fence, with another locked fence to pass through to actually get to their house. The house was pretty big, 5 bedrooms, one bathroom (no running hot water), a good size kitchen, and 2 living room areas. They were just the most gracious hosts I've ever known. So happy to have us there, and experience their lives. Mum Anne lives there with her 2 sisters, Carol and Grace. Also living there is Mum Anne's brother, Caleb, her niece Cynthia, and Carol's daughter- Gaia.
It's amazing how quickly you can adjust to different living conditions. I took a few bucket showers at their house. Basically you heat 2 big pots of water on the stove, pour them into a big bucket next to the tub. Add some cold water if it's too hot, then pour the water over yourself when you're done shampooing your hair, etc. Not quite the hot 15 minute shower I'm used to at home, but totally fine! You really can't drink the tap water there either, so we had bottled water to use when brushing our teeth and for drinking.
Our first visit to the orphanage my mom lives at was really cool. It was in a much more urban area than I thought it would be. Again, to get in you have to pass through a locked and guarded gate. The cottages where the kids live were great, cinder block homes, running water, electricity, small, but cozy. The kids have a great playground area in the middle which is fun. All of the kids in Cottage D (where my mom spends most of her time) were happy to see us- it was so fun to finally match the faces with the names I've been hearing about for so long! The kids were so full of energy, just so sad to think that they're living there because of being orphaned and HIV+
2 kids I met that I'll never forget. Ken. My mom has mentioned him on her blog many times. He's 12. Weighs less than Jack. When you pick him up and hold him on your hip (and I'm being completely truthful here) you can feel his thigh bones, his hip bones, his tailbone, all of his ribs, his vertebrae, etc. He is just so incredibly, impossibly, heartbreakingly thin. I wasn't quite prepared for how it would FEEL to hold him. He's 12 for god's sake! He should be playing soccer and wrestling the little kids. Not lying in bed most of the time probably in pain. Think how painful it must be to be that malnourished. He gets fed a million calories a day, but it takes forever for your body to recover from that.
The second kid I'll never forget. Anthony. He's 6 months old. He has the eyes of a 6 month old, bright, always checking things out, curious. His body however... and again, totally truthful, the body of a premature baby. I could run my thumb and forefinger (held together to make a ring) all the way up his leg and never touch him. He was that small. Can't sit up, can't roll over, can't hold a rattle. His hands were still in the fist position of a newborn. I held him and snuggled him and even got him to smile a few times. I told him I loved him. He needed to hear that, his mom abandoned him at the hospital 3 months ago.
The daycare center. My mom volunteers there every week or so. Her friend Caroline started the daycare center in one of the slums of Nairobi so that maybe the mothers and fathers could find some work- and NOT LEAVE THEIR CHILDREN LOCKED IN THEIR SHACKS FOR 8 HOURS A DAY. Seriously. That's what the alternative is. You have to work, nobody can babysit, so leave your kids locked at home alone. At least they might be safe that way. Amazing. So Caroline starts this daycare, there are so many people who want to leave their kids with her, they leave them at the gate to the daycare and walk away. On the way to the daycare center, Caroline drives us through a part of the slum where her kids come from. Everything you have ever seen in pictures or on tv... in real life. Kids playing on piles of garbage. Runny noses, coughs, dirty clothes, no shoes, babies on their mother's backs, people just trying to survive. Oh the tears when I saw that for myself. And Jack has a whole ROOM full of toys. How is that possible?
We came upon this mother who had a 3 year old daughter and a baby on her back. The little girl looked really sick. Caroline told her to come to the daycare so my mom could examine the little girl.
We get to the daycare, the kids are all outside playing. With 6 tires. They are dressed in crazy mismatched outfits, some with shoes and socks, some barefoot. All completely overdressed for the weather (something my mom said everybody is). Runny noses, coughs, big curious eyes. One little kid takes one look at all of us Mizungus (white people) and starts crying hysterically! We eventually win them over and they push to sit on our laps, play with our hair (how strange!)and be held and cuddled. I had brought 2 huge suitcases filled with donated clothing, socks, blankets, jackets, shoes, toys, and books that some moms from my moms group donated. I also bought a johnson and johnson first aid kit from target and a digital thermometer. Caroline was so incredibly grateful for everything. Her first aid kit had been a role of gauze. That's it.
The mom with the sick little girl and baby on her back arrive, they had walked the entire way to the daycare. My mom thinks the little girl has pneumonia (even though she's just a nurse, over there, she can give out medicine). My mom gives her an antibiotic and Caroline explains to the mom how to give it to her. Then Caroline reaches into my suitcase and pulls out a pair of socks and a pair of pink and white tennis shoes. The little girl (about 3 or 4 years old) had been walking through the slum with no shoes or socks. Barefoot. All the time. I will never forget her face. I wonder if she's still alive.
The safari. We took a 3 day safari thanks to a discounted package my mom got from a safari company she knows of. We took another 9 passenger Toyota van to the Masai Mara. It took about 6 hours to drive there. Stopped by the Kenyan police on the highway. We had been speeding. No radar gun in sight, the driver slips the police officer 1,000 shillings. The Kenyan police are so corrupt. We continue on through the Great Rift Valley. Where life began thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago!!! Couldn't believe we were there!!!
The road. Oh my god, the road. Huge potholes, everywhere. Swerving to the side, the middle, the other side just to avoid them. It was like one of the 4 wheel drive trips you pay to go on in Colorado. It was that bad. The road to one of the biggest tourist attractions in Kenya looks like a construction site gone wrong. That's the government for you! We got to the lodge- it was amazing! Beautiful and serene. A nice change from the diesel and chaos of the city. Our rooms were so cool- glass doors (a sign on the wall, keep the door shut, monkeys are smart and will come in looking for food!!!!). Mosquito netting over the bed. We went on 4 game drives. The top of our van pops up and you can stand while the driver drives you all over. We saw everything!
lions
a leopard!!
giraffes
elephants
antelope
impalas
monkeys
hippos
hyenas
and more and more!
All out in the wild, no fences, no cages, it was so freaking cool! We even came upon a whole pride of lions feasting on a water buffalo. Some were still eating, others were lying on their backs in the grass too full and satisfied to move!! They were just feet away from us! It was cool! We saw whole families of elephants, hippos swimming in a huge watering hole, jackals running in the road ahead of us. It was just the coolest thing ever.
The house on the Indian Ocean. My mom met somebody working for the US government, but living in Nairobi who offered us his beach house while we were visiting. We took one of the cottage D kids, John, and flew to a town called Kilifi. We surprised John with the trip, pulled him into the director of the orphanage's office, he thought he was in big trouble- and then we told him he was going on an airplane to the ocean that afternoon! He was shocked! He was very scared on the plane, told my mom there wasn't enough air to breathe. As soon as we took off, we gave him my mom's ipod and he relaxed and sang Baby Baluga (a Raffi song) at the top of his lungs!
We took a cab an hour to the house- again, the highway riddled with potholes, slow going. We pull up to a gate, the staff lets us in... the house is AMAZING! Not fancy pants super elegant, but open and airy, and comfortable, and absolutely amazing. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (no running hot water), an open veranda with chairs and a tall lounging bed, a beautiful swimming pool, a steep hill at the end that leads directly to the ocean!!! We walked down the hill and were about to climb the little sand dune when John turns to me and says, "Mum Elizabeth, this is called what?" I said, "It's called sand, John, you can walk in it, it's ok." He had never seen white sand like that before.
The ocean was beautiful. I can't believe I've seen the Indian Ocean. We spent the next 3 days reading, lounging, lying in the hammock, eating our meals next to the swimming pool, trying to enjoy having a staff of 3 looking after us (god was that weird!!!). We went into town and bought some souvenirs. We took walks on the beach. Played Uno and Yahtzee. It was just perfect.
We went into downtown Nairobi one afternoon. We didn't see another white person the whole time. A new experience. We walked through the city market- the meat area. I thought I would throw up, the smell, oh my god. And that's where people buy their meat and fish! Horrendous. We shopped some more, ate pizza (it was awesome!) and walked around.
Life is just so hard there. To go anywhere safely, you have to call a cab, or take a Citi Hoppa (a non scheduled bus system). We took a Matatu (a 14 passenger crammed full van that has certain stops) and 2 guys tried to scam us. When these guys got on, one sat next to me, the other next to my mom. All of a sudden they tell us there's a police check, so they're reaching over us trying to help us buckle our seat belts. I think that it seems odd... but I don't want to be the person who's suspicious of everyone. I notice my money pack thing that we've all been wearing is unvelcroed a little bit, I think that's weird and close it and move it over a bit. We get off the Matatu, and my mom realizes her cell phone is gone. She's incredibly mad, so upset she got conned and she's lived here since January. Nothing is missing from my stuff, I caught it just in time. Could have been my camera and passport. They were professionals obviously, they had a plan and we fell for it. I guess you have to be suspicious of everyone. Sad, but true. We got my mom a new phone, after about a million different stores- nothing is easy.
We were very glad to get home. Life is just so hard there. I see why my mom loves the kids, but I just don't think I could live there forever. It was an amazing trip, we'll never forget it. Jack was fine the whole time, he only cried when we called and they put us on speaker phone! He was sleeping when we got home, at then end of his nap. We woke him up- he cried a bit and then hugs and kisses all around. The next morning his grandma got him up (thank god she had the monitor all night, we didn't hear him once and he got up twice crying!) and he ran into our room and gave us this look like "oh, that's right! you're home!!!"
Pictures will be tomorrow's chore! And details about the job!
Underweight???!!!!!!
18 Month check up yesterday....
36 inches tall
31 pounds
Underweight for his height!!! Can you even believe that???!!!!!
2 shots- he was REALLY MAD about both of them, but recovered quickly. Next appt. at 2 years!
Mama has been SUPER DUPER EXTREMELY BUSY. So very sorry I've neglected just about everybody I usually email. But I've been busy for a very good reason....
MAMA GOT A JOB!!!!!!
2nd grade--a fantastically awesome school--great money!!!!
I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More details later... and pics of Kenya. I haven't forgotten that I've shared them with nobody!!!
36 inches tall
31 pounds
Underweight for his height!!! Can you even believe that???!!!!!
2 shots- he was REALLY MAD about both of them, but recovered quickly. Next appt. at 2 years!
Mama has been SUPER DUPER EXTREMELY BUSY. So very sorry I've neglected just about everybody I usually email. But I've been busy for a very good reason....
MAMA GOT A JOB!!!!!!
2nd grade--a fantastically awesome school--great money!!!!
I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More details later... and pics of Kenya. I haven't forgotten that I've shared them with nobody!!!
Monday, July 16, 2007
18 Months
A year and a half. Already.
The time has flown. You've changed so much.
No longer our little baby, but forever our precious baby boy.
Do you know how much we love you? More than all the stars in the sky.
Happy 18 month birthday Jack-a-roo
Love,
Mama and Daddy-O
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