Widen Your Tent Pegs: Getting Back to Normal

The Kenya Diaries (vol. 22)

July 10, 2006

Fr. Ted went back to Nairobi two days ago, and it has been quiet here without him. The kids have been playing a lot with the boys. They are really developing strong friendships with many of them. Andy has been teaching his chemistry class, and Kevin even sat in on one of his classes.

Today we went for a walk out to the soccer field, and some of the brothers were having a game. Andy, Ania and Philip stayed to join in, but Kevin, Lucia and I decided to keep walking. We found Rex, the sisters' dog, out chasing some sort of African rodent. He seemed happy to see us. We also came to a cluster of acacia trees that were very beautiful.

Everything is so lush and green now, unlike the dry, brown landscape when we first arrived. We've been getting a lot of rain lately, which has kept things quite cool and comfortable.

July 12, 2006

Lucia's Turn

Today we went to Nakuru in the seminary van. It was nicer than a matatu, and not so crowded. Fr. Callistus was our driver. We had to stop for gas on the way.

Mama said this: As we pulled up to the pump, we saw a pick up truck with three little white girls sitting in the back. I grabbed my camera and announced, "Look kids, white people!" The priest and brothers who were in the van with us started to laugh out loud. I thought about it for a moment and realized how silly I sounded. Hey, we have been in Kenya for six weeks and white people are very scarce! Even the girls' mother was tickled by my reaction.

Mama took me and Kevin and Ania to Ukwala to buy groceries, and Daddy took Philip to the cyber cafe to e-mail people. Mama bought us ice cream cones with nuts on top and chocolate syrup in the bottom. They were so yummy!

Then we went to Gilani's and I found a garlic smasher made of wood. I asked Mama to buy it. First she said "no," but then she did. It cost 75 shillings. I knew it was a garlic smasher because it had a handle just like the one I used at Fr. Zak's house in Amagoro.

Then we met Daddy and Philip at the Nakuru Sweet Shoppe and had cheeseburgers, fries and cokes. Daddy bought eight choc balls. We ate two there, and brought the rest home to be Ania's birthday cake tomorrow night. They were too sweet for me, so I didn't finish my piece.

At Gilani's we each picked a post card. Mine is a herd of elephants at a water hole. Ania's is two cheetahs, and Kevin and Philip's are of lions.

When we got home we spent the afternoon playing in the trees while the boys did their laundry. It was fun!