Kleenex and Coca Cola

Some people have been asking about the products that are available to us here. You might be surprised to learn that many of the same products you purchase in Canada, we can purchase here. But we don’t, because they are too expensive!

We do buy KLEENEX tissues and toilet paper, although it is much rougher than the Kleenex brand you might use! We have been fortunate to find HEINZ ketchup – some things we do not sacrifice and it does taste just like home.

We can also buy CADBURY chocolate items, but these taste nothing like the Cadbury at home. Simon likes the hot chocolate and I have become fond of the Bournville bars.

The baking supplies are a bit of a challenge. There is “home baking flour” which is white, but there is also “Atta mark 1 flour” which is a combination of wheat flour, sooji, pollard, and fine bran. It is very nice in pizza dough, muffins, pancakes.

COCA COLA is available here – but no Pepsi! There are a few cans but everyone buys their pop in 300 mL glass bottles. The boys think this is a real treat! It costs 17 shillings per bottle which is 25 cents Canadian. However, the Coca Cola light (diet Coke) is 40 shillings (60 cents) per bottle.

WEETABIX has become a staple in our family as it is for most. I know it is expensive in Canada, too, but I paid 462 shillings this week (7 dollars)! It is very important to get a good amount of fibre on a daily basis in order to keep diarrhea under control. We were all sick for 10 days a few weeks after we arrived and the doctor prescribed Weetabix. It worked like a charm! Kelloggs CORN FLAKES is also available here – Tim paid $10.60 for this box!
The names that you may not be familiar with are BROOKSIDE milk, BIO yogurt, HAPPY COW cheese, PICK’N’PEEL juice, MUMMIAS sugar, HEAT spices. I purchase EGGS fromone of the school receptionists who has a little hobby farm. I pay 250 shillings for a flat of 30 brown eggs complete with feathers and other goo. The interesting thing is that the egg yolks are white not yellow (Cadbury Easter Cream Eggs wouldn’t make sense to Kenyans). Eggs are also stored at room temperature (even in the grocery stores) and have no expiry dates!

Swim Team !

Last week Max and Simon tried out for the school Swim Team. I have never seen them swim so fast or so well. There were 40 students that tried out in their age category and it was sad to see many that did not make the team. But Max and Simon are thrilled that both have made it!! This means that, starting today, they have 2 practices a week after school.

The coach of the swim team is Suzanne Mwaura. She is a former member and coach of the Kenyan National Swim Team and was recruited by Rosslyn Academy last January. She seems very nice and reports are that she is an excellent teacher. She also teaches swimming in the school Phys Ed classes. Tim has volunteered to help with the Swim Team because he is not involved in any other extra-curricular activity right now.

The pool is beautiful. It is 25 metre long with 6 lanes. There is a large change room and shower building and a kiddie wading pool for the toddlers on campus. The water is not chlorinated – it is salt water. There are several pool staff that work every day to keep it clean. On weekends the pool is open for families and staff to swim and play. Because the weather is cool, sometimes we are the only family in the pool! We have become friends with the lifeguard, George. We have learned that most Kenyans living in Nairobi do not know how to swim.

Our Backyard

As I write this I am sitting on our back deck looking out over the VALLEY behind our house. It is a magnificent backyard! The view is covered in lush vegetation and beautiful BANANA TREES capture my attention. Tim and the boys love to look across the valley at the “ROCKET PALM”. We have been told that things grow very quickly here in Kenya and even in the month since our arrival, we can see how the plants have grown and filled out. Because this is winter many of the trees do not have flowers yet. Gradually we are being surprised by the appearance of new colours. For example, it looks like our back hedge will be covered in tiny ORANGE BLOOMS. The famous flame trees are not yet in bloom but there are other large trees covered in RED, PURPLE, and WHITE BLOOMS.

There is a small CREEK (called Karura Creek) that runs behind our house and borders the edge of the Rosslyn campus. We can’t see the water from our deck but have been assured that any variety of creepy crawlies can be found there (snakes, for example). We also saw what we believe to be a MONGOOSE, near the edge of the creek (it really looked like a 3 foot rat with a 3 foot tail).

On Saturday morning while we ate breakfast we were delighted to watch three MONKEYS in the trees behind our house. Apparently there are lots of them near our house but we had never seen them before – probably because we didn’t know where or how to look. They swing in the trees and then make a dash for the MAIZE (corn) that is planted near our hedge. They are very frightened of people so we have to be very quiet while we are watching -- sometimes hard to do when they are swinging so wildly!

We also have many BIRDS flying around our heads. Just now I see four IBIS sitting in the tree. They are a cross between a crow and a vulture. Really. And there are many of them making noise all over the place. There are also tiny little birds called WEAVERS. They hang upside down and the male builds the nest (woven of course) to attract a female. If the female likes the nest then she will stay; if not, then she knocks it out of the tree. We see many of these nests lying on the ground. There are also pretty birds which our gardener, Timothy, calls QUIET PEOPLE fluttering around the yard. They are black and white, very clean and silent. They especially enjoyed being near while Timothy was working in our garden because they got some nice worms. Timothy works for us two days a week.
Here is a picture of our garden before and after TIMOTHY, THE GARDENER. He and I are looking forward to planting some new things. He transplanted the roses and made a beautiful rose garden for me. The only part of our backyard that I am not fond of is the SLUGS. Each morning there are a few crawling near the plants. They are at least 6 inches long. Really. Yuck. Timothy enjoys throwing them down into the valley and I enjoy watching him do it.

Back to School!

Today was the first day of the 2008-09 school year at Rosslyn Academy. Max, Simon and Tim all had a great first day.

Rosslyn Academy is a private international Christian school. Its mission is “to inspire and equip each student to develop God-given gifts for Christ-like service in the world community through a quality academic program, a caring committed Christian faculty, and a diverse cross-cultural environment”.

The school began 60 years ago with one teacher and 4 students. Today there are 515 students in grades K-12 and 120 teachers and support staff. The 40 acre campus proudly displays flags from each country represented by the students here. This year there are 37 flags. Max is the only Canadian in his class. Simon sits between a boy from Belgium and a Japanese boy.

Max is in grade 5 and his teacher is Mr. Kranik. Simon is in grade 3 and his teacher is Miss Winter. It looks like they are both going to enjoy the year, although the expectation for homework has everyone (especially mom) a little worried. Simon is nearly as tall as his teacher!

Yesterday we all attended an orientation for new students – the auditorium was full! As parents, we were asked to sign a “Statement of Support” indicating a commitment to the mission, policies, and practices of the school. We learned about the hot lunch program, music lessons, band and choir, intramurals, Spiritual Emphasis Week, weekly Chapel classes, and the upcoming Parent-Teacher Fellowship picnic and Open House. We are all excited about the expertise available to the students; they have special teachers for Art, Science, Bible class, Swahili, and Phys Ed. Classes start at 8:30 each morning. The boys have a 15 minute snack/ recess in the morning, 45 minutes for lunch, and a 15 minute recess in the afternoon. The day finishes at 3:30 except for intramurals on Mondays.
Tim is enjoying his new role as Middle School Principal. He will be teaching a grade 7 class of Christian Religious Education. He has a great Leadership Team and seems to be having quite a bit of fun! Today he learned how to turn on the generator on lower campus – right up his alley! Stephanie Weeks is the Elementary School Principal and this is her first day of school too.

This morning there was a school-wide worship time and assembly. One of the chaplains prayed a blessing over the students and teachers.

Family Night

On Friday night we went bowling at Village Market with the MacGavran family. This was a new experience and there were several differences from the candlepin bowling that we are used to. It was 10 pin but using very large bowling balls with holes for your fingers. You bowl only two balls for each frame. It was a busy night and everyone in the whole place had the same funky shoes! We had a great time. Lisa was on fire with one string total 133. Simon scored 101, Max’s high score was 93, and Tim scored 129.

Market Day

>Today I went to a large market in the city. It has many vendors selling fruit and vegetables. The items are cheaper than going to the grocery store and it helps to support local farmers. Tuesday is the day that fresh produce is delivered from the farmers to the market. Therefore, it is very busy because everyone wants to get the freshest food.

This cart is bringing in a load of bananas and other items. It is carried (through the busy streets of Nairobi) on this cart pushed and pulled by 3 men. I’ll tell you about the other obstacles on the road in another blog…..

At the market it is expected that you will barter for a price. Bartering is not one of my favourite things. Thankfully, I went with a friend named Jane who has already established friendships with some of the vendors. She introduced me and another teacher’s wife to her usual vendors, so they gave us their “best price” without bartering. For Kenyans, bartering is all about forming a relationship. They enjoy the chatting that goes with the bartering and hope that you will come back to them because you have formed a relationship. It is very interesting – Kenyans are incredibly warm and social people.

I bought mangoes, apples, tangerines – our usual fruit. I also bought tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, green beans, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, lemons, potatoes, chili peppers, celery, cilantro, green peppers. When I got home with my heavy bags of produce I had to wash everything in a solution of potassium permanganate crystals (a strong oxidizing agent and disinfectant). This is necessary to kill all the germs that may be on the food through handling or fertilizing methods.

Cooking and baking is a bit different at this altitude (water boils at a lower temperature, food takes longer to cook, need more flour for baking). And because the ingredients are a bit different, things just don’t taste the same. I have had success with tea biscuits, cornmeal muffins, chili, oatmeal cookies, pancakes…. But not so much success with spaghetti, cheese sauce, banana muffins. This afternoon I made a beautiful apple crisp and fresh tomato soup. I have recently received a copy of the famous Baptist cookbook “The Newcomer’s Guide to Cooking in Africa”. Tomorrow I am going to tackle salsa and tortillas. Cooking from scratch has taken on new meaning for me here. I have been ever-so-thankful to those families that have invited us for a meal in the last 3 weeks.

Kazuri and Kamili

On the last day of orientation for new staff we went to two local artisans.

KAZURI BEADS is a factory which started in 1975 for the purpose of teaching two single moms a skill that would bring an income. Today the factory employs 340 disadvantaged women and markets its beautiful beads all over the world. The Swahili word Kazuri means “small and beautiful”.

We toured the factory to see the process of making the beads and had an opportunity to speak with some of the women working there. The clay comes from Mount Kenya and is “refined” by adding water to get the rocks out, then pressing the water out. The women then take the clay balls and form them by hand into tiny beads.

Our tour guide indicated that the system could be automated to form the beads and require only a few workers; but the purpose of Kazuri is employment and income for struggling families so it remains a labour intensive process by choice. Kazuri also makes pottery (plates, mugs, vases, bowls, etc).

After the pieces have been formed and dried, they are hand painted by another group of women, each with a “pattern” of colours. Some of the beads are incredibly small and the women need excellent dexterity to hold and paint each tiny piece.

The beads are then baked in an oven overnight to give them a shine. Because this part of the process is run by electricity it is sometimes interrupted by the rationing of power. That is, at least once a week the city turns off power to different parts of the city of Nairobi in order to conserve energy. People can be without power for 12 hours. When this happens the beads just get fired the next day.

When the beads are ready, another group of women arrange the beads (according to shape and colour) to form necklaces, earrings, chokers, bracelets.

We also went to a fabric manufacturing operation called KAMILI DESIGNS. It is a cottage industry down a narrow muddy road (similar to our cabin road!). They make wall hangings, pillow covers, oven mitts, aprons, curtains, bedspreads. Again, all of the work is done by hand, including the painting on each piece!