The Cracks are Showing

It's been a few weeks since we have had any rain here in Nairobi and the ground around our home is starting to show signs of drought. Nairobi was blessed with three heavy showers since Christmas so we are not as dry as some parts of Kenya. These pictures show how the land dries up and large cracks form. These cracks can get up to a few inches wide and 8 - 10 feet long. It's like the land is crying out in desperate need of moisture.

Most of the grass on campus has turned to straw and crunches when you walk on it. Once the longs rains begin everything will turn green again. One of my Kenyan friends, James, predicts the rains will start on March 18th.

Grass and plants cannot move about looking for sources of water, however, ants can. So we are now in battle with tiny ants (about 2 mm long) but lots of them. If we drop food crumbs on the floor these ants will find it and they like to check out the kitchen and bathroom sinks in search of water. They're not dangerous just a nuisance and once we find their trail we a little ant poison takes care of them.

We are looking forward to the long rains and pray that they will be enough to help all the farmers in Kenyan.

Happy Birthday Max!

This morning at sunrise we had 13 boys come to our home for a celebration! Today is Max’s 11th birthday and we planned a breakfast party. Because no one wants to travel after dark we thought it was a wise idea to start the day with a party.

The party actually started last night when Max’s friend, Isaac, stayed over night. Isaac lives an hour bus ride away so his parents could not make a special trip here so early in the morning.
The boys took part in a scavenger hunt that led them all over campus counting windows, studying the colours of flags, measuring basketball courts.

Then we ate a feast – orange smoothies, fruit salad, angel cake with strawberry sauce, egg and cheese pizza. It was marvelous and delicious.


A special note to all you bakers ...... making Angel food cake from scratch at 6000 feet above sea level requires real skill. I am not bragging but my friends were laughing behind my back when I shared my plans and then were wide-eyed impressed when it was more than one inch tall.

By 8:10 the crew had left for school and I was alone with crumbs all over the floor and an army of ants waiting to get in.

It was then that I received a text message from Cathy (our house helper). I was so glad that she was coming to help me clean up – only she wasn’t. Her text told me about a militia group of Kenyans that were disturbing the city today. It was not safe for her to travel to us. There were vehicles being burned and gangs walking the roads. There was a huge police presence on the streets to quell any mob groups. The matatus (public transportation) stopped running before 8:00am. And so most Kenyans are home today. Unable to get to work, they will wait until it seems to be safe.

This group of outlaws is called the mungiki and has been active in Kenya since 1980s. This week they are protesting a newly released report from the United Nations which calls for the removal of the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General (due to their involvement in killings following last year's post-election violence). While the mungiki's most famous trick is burning matatus, they are also known for scalping people.

I have been reassured that mzungu ("white men") are not targeted in this type of event but it is hard to know when you will be in the wrong place at the wrong time…… All after school activities have been canceled for today. The students at Rosslyn Academy will travel home after school under the cover of prayer.

There is no way to know how long this protest will continue. Maybe a day, maybe a week. But for tonight we will have a quiet evening at home looking at Max’s baby pictures.

Nyamuchoma

For the first months living here there were many things that we did not notice. Now that we are more familiar with the environment we are noticing new things that have been there all along…..

Several weeks ago I noticed, for the first time, that there was a small banana tree growing near our house. I was very excited about the prospect of growing my own sweet bananas. When I shared my excitement, however, I was told that the banana tree was not mine! It belonged to James (one of the campus gardeners) – even though it was closest to my house! The staff patiently explained that each person is responsible for planting and tending his or her own banana tree, regardless of whose yard it is planted in. Emily, Timothy, and Evans all proudly showed me their trees.

Last week I announced my plan to get a banana tree. James took pity on me and unceremoniously gave me HIS tree (which is closest to MY house). I accepted his gift.

This week I noticed the leaves on my banana tree were starting to turn brown. Then today, I walked out on my deck and discovered James, Timothy, and Evans had cut down my banana tree!!
When I questioned the three amigos, I discovered that there is also a mole living in my yard. Apparently the mole had eaten the roots off my banana tree – that’s why the leaves were dying. These moles sleep during the day and dig a series of tunnels at night in order to eat the roots off plants. The only sign of a mole in your yard is a new mound of dirt each morning.

The three men were putting their arms into the tunnels created by the mole – trying to catch him. James says the mole is a `nice-looking fellow`. He says that they make a good nyumachoma (Swahili for ``meat roast``). These moles (larger than a rat but smaller than a rabbit) are a favourite BBQ for some Kenyans….

Tooth Stories

First let me apologize to all of you who check our blog frequently. I have been unable to post a blog or even respond to emails for most of this week. For some reason the Internet has been completely unstable and very frustrating. It has been a busy week and I have several stories ready to tell you!
We have reached a new phase of “settling in” here in Nairobi. It was time to find a dentist. We located a husband and wife team of dentists who have a clinic at the local Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital which is less than 10 minutes drive from campus.

We have all had check ups. Lisa needed some work on a cracked tooth. Tim and Max got a cleaning and a lot of praise for having such BIG MOUTHS. Simon was fitted for and has received an “expander”. Simon has quit sucking his thumb (again) and is now wearing this colourful retainer – which looks something like a butterfly! We crank it open twice each week and it will change his bite and allow his teeth to come in straighter.
This week Max also lost one of his teeth (to make room for a new 10-year molar). He received 100 shillings from the Tooth Fairy. The African children have told us that there are many tooth traditions here. Some do put their tooth under the pillow and receive a few shillings from the Tooth fairy. Some throw the tooth over their shoulder for good luck. Some throw the tooth under their legs to bring blessing on their Grandparents. Some told us about a Luo tradition which says that if you put chicken poop on the empty spot in your mouth, then the tooth will grow back in quickly. Some throw their tooth on the roof – that’s the one Max chose!