Our big move to Kenya took place in July. So, what have the past two months been like???? Perhaps the best way to sum it all up would be learning to live life in new ways. For instance…
• Learning how to shop for furniture on the side of the road and make due with a plastic table and blanket until our table, chairs, and couches were ready. We were so excited to finally have furniture near the end of August!
• Learning how to wash and sterilize things with water that we can’t drink. We’ve got a system down now, but it took a while to get into the swing of things.
• Learning what to do when the power goes out every other day (or so) and being creative when we lost water for over a week. The great news with power is that most of the time when our main power goes out, we have a back-up generator that powers a few lights and 2 outlets. Yes, we have a HUGE extension cord to plug in the fridge or washing machine when this happens.
• Learning how to drive in a CRAZY driving culture. People have compared Kenyan driving to Super Mario Kart on steroids, but bumper cars would be another great comparison. It’s not unusual to find ourselves completely boxed in by cars from all directions because someone was trying to go the wrong way down a road. Side note: Benjamin has started playing with his toy cars in the same way – apparently he’s been taking notes from his car seat.
• Learning that everything just takes longer. Whether it’s checking out at the grocery store, to a 12 minute drive that becomes 45 minutes, or just a simple errand that becomes an “adventure,” everything just takes longer. Tim’s decided that it’s best to have only one goal per day to accomplish.
• Learning about the incredibly friendly Kenyan culture. After years of living in East Asia, we’re not used to striking up conversations with strangers that we pass. We’re also not used to making eye contact and inquiring all about a stranger’s family as we talk. However, here, taking the time to really talk to people and making eye contact while you do it is important. Kenyan people LOVE to talk to the boys though. While this was a huge shock at first (especially for Benjamin), we’re all settling in and Benjamin is waving hi and shaking hands with people more and more each day.
• Learning how to pay bills in totally different ways. A lot of bills are paid through cell phones here because they are more consistent throughout the country than banks. While this is not a difficult process, it’s just different. We also often have to call to find out how much we owe because our actual bills never arrive.
• Appreciating seeing GREEN everywhere, hearing BIRDS chirp throughout the day, and admiring God’s creation with the many animals we see here and there – especially around the school. We even got to enjoy feeding giraffes at a nearby giraffe sanctuary in July.
• Appreciating the diversity of cultures present in Nairobi and the presence of English everywhere. This is the first time we’ve lived in an English-speaking country (other than visiting the states) in 11 years and really appreciate being able to read packages, understand directions, and talk with people when we have questions without using a dictionary or guessing at words we don’t know.
• Learning how to let our boys play without the wonderful parks we were so blessed with in Japan. We’ve found a shopping center with a small playground that Tim takes the boys to once a week (or so), and Benjamin has started going to the 3 & 4 year-old preschool class two mornings a week for an hour. We’ve also been blessed with an apartment much larger than what we had in Japan, which really helps on those days that we’re inside all day.
• Learning how to give back to the community by hiring someone one day a week to clean, play with the boys, and teach Tim about the culture. Enoch is the brother of another staff member’s house help and doesn’t have a job other than the one day a week he cleans for us. With the unemployment rate in Kenya over 50%, this is unfortunately the story of many.
• Learning to adjust to new roles as Tim is home with the boys and Erin is back in the classroom teaching. Tim is really enjoying all the time he’s getting to spend with Benjamin & Michael, and Erin is enjoying teaching juniors and seniors again. Tim has decided that changing diapers is definitely better than lesson plans and grading essays! Meanwhile, Erin is very appreciative of the West Nairobi School (WNS) campus. Above you see the basketball court & football pitch (soccer field), the “bandas” or outdoor eating area, and the building with Erin’s classroom (2nd floor).
• Loving seeing our two boys become friends! More and more they play together, “talk” to one another, and shower each other with hugs and slobbery kisses. Memories are certainly being made on a daily basis around here! We’re also hearing a whole new version of English become normal for Benjamin as he picks up British English and some Swahili. Lorries (trucks), biscuits (cookies), chips (fries), crisps (chips), nappies (diapers), trousers (pants), moja- mbili-tatu (one-two-three), simba (lion)… just to name a few.
• Learning to cook all over again – how to cook when the power goes out, how to cook with our new oven that seems to burn everything, how to cook and eat fruits and veggies before they go bad. On the plus side, we’re AMAZED at how much produce we can get from a local market for under $5!!!
• Learning to live with VERY inconsistent internet. It’s amazing how much that can affect a person, but we really enjoyed having dependable, speedy internet in Japan.
Lots of changes, but many blessings as well. We’re enjoying settling in to the new “normal” in Kenya, and seeing Benjamin & Michael adapt to yet another culture. Excited to see what adventures await next…
nehrely there 