The Kenya Diaries (vol. 11)June 23, 2006
I meant to publish this as my Seven Quick Takes, but due to technical difficulties, had no Internet access this weekend. So rather than reformat the whole post, here is my Kenya Diaries in seven distinct thoughts.
1. Since we have no oven, I cannot make anything that requires baking. That means that all the requests I have had from priests as well as the boys to conduct a class on "How to Make Pizza," will have to remain untaught. However, I received an e-mail yesterday containing a recipe for no-bake cookies. I practically ran to the store to acquire the ingredients. Then with the help of all my children, we created something extraordinary for everyone here at the school. Their exclamatory phrase for something this good is, "Too sweet!" I must have heard that phrase 100 times today!2. Ania has recovered from her boda-boda mishap from two days ago. She spent yesterday morning kicking the soccer ball around with the boys between classes. However, I had quite another scare in the afternoon. Mornings can be chilly here, and Ania started out the day in long pants and a flannel shirt. As the day heated up, she was too busy to come in and change. Afternoon classes were cancelled so the boys could clean up the school for parents' day tomorrow. So, they moved all the chairs out of the t.v. room and brought in a hose to wash the concrete floor. It quickly turned into a slip and slide all afternoon, with my children having the most fun.
Just before dinner Philip came bursting through our door frantically yelling, "Mama, come look at Ania!" I came to the door and Ania was as white as a ghost. Her lips didn't even have any hint of pink in them. She looked like she was about to faint. She was dripping wet from the slip and slide, but I'm sure she hadn't had a drop to drink all day. "Jesus, help me know what to do," I prayed. I am not a nurse, but Jesus answered my prayer. I got her heavy wet clothes off and put her in something cool and dry, and laid her down in bed. Then I brought her a glass of water and a plate of fresh mango. She ate and drank everything I brought her, and slowly the color came back in her face. She learned a valuable lesson in keeping the INSIDE of her hydrated, not just the outside.
3. Then, just when you think you are in the clear, Kevin complained of a stomach ache. Oh, Lord Jesus, help me! I told him to go to bed for a while, so he did. He must not have felt too bad, because as he laid there, he invented a new game called, "Feed the Birds." He used an empty margarine container, three toilet paper rolls, and Duck tape. You had to throw the dice and try to get them into the toilet paper rolls. I just love the clever things that Kevin comes up with. He even found a way to improve the game before nightfall by tossing beans instead of dice.
4. Today was Parents' Day at the school. The boys were very excited about introducing their families to us. In many cases there were no parents, rather aunts and uncles, since the mortality rate is so high. The families brought picnic lunches and spread out blankets in the courtyard. They were amazed to find an American family at the school with four children. "You are more African than American," many would say, believing that America had a two-child per family law. Or, "You must be millionaires," some would say believing that Americans could not afford to have more than two children. These comments amazed us.
5. I really enjoyed meeting Kelvin's parents and two young brothers. His mother's name is Lucy, and she has eight children. She was especially encouraged by our family. She told me that she observed us during Mass, and she couldn't believe we were Americans with four young children. When I told her that I come from a community where there are many large families, she was so happy to see that what she heard about America was not all true. She shared that even in Kenya, she gets remarks about being nothing more than an uneducated, baby-producing nobody. Now it was my turn to be amazed. I thought that it was the norm in Africa to have many children. We agreed that this attitude exists all over the world, but likewise God's blessings exist all over the world, wherever we choose to call home. I know I met a kindred spirit today.6. Kevin, Ania, Philip and Lucia had a lot of fun playing with all the younger brothers and sisters of the boys. They found out that even though none of these children could speak English, it didn't prevent them from becoming friends.
Thanks again, Janet.
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