So I haven't blogged for so long, not really having anything matching the excitement of an eye to eye with a leopard but then today I thought, well Kenya is still an interesting place to live and I should write about that!
Today I went for the first time to a side of the street stall for my veggies. I usually get them from the grocery store where the veggies all look as though they have been there a while and aren't enjoying the visit.
Today's stall is on the same street as Em's school, it is a wood hut with a couple of corrugated iron roofs that make a little porch. On the porch are the veggies. I wondered under the porch and the two ladies shelling peas looked at me suspiciously. Thankfully a man came out of the hut to help me. We had a little tussle over the largest passion fruit I have ever seen as he tried to choose them for me, but I like to choose my own fruit and with a shrug that clearly said "ok Mzungu" he made space.
The best part of the stall are the 8 or so baskets of dried beans. Beans I have never seen before and when I asked, never even heard of. I couldn't resist the pitch black beans that have a white stripe. No idea what I will do with them. Put them in a chili I suppose. The man weighed all my veggies on a scale with actual weights and I paid him what seemed a paltry amount for some really lovely veg. I also feel quite proud of myself for finally feeling comfortable enough here to get out of the car!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Living in Nanyuki
Living in Nanyuki is still an adventure, even if there are no ravening beasts. (The little barkers in the landlord's garden don't count until they actually draw blood.)
When it rains, which has been often recently, the power goes out. When it threatens to rain, which it does on the days it doesn't actually rain, the power goes out. The other day, from 9 til 5 the power went out on the hour for half an hour and then came back on for the second half of the hour. This led to me almost showering, losing power, getting distracted, getting naked for the shower, then losing power and getting distracted... it took me about three hours before I actually figured out there was a pattern. And then there are Thursdays. As a load shedding exercise we are supposed to lose power from 6 til 9 each Thursday night. This translates to the power going out anywhere between 4 and 6 and not coming back til, well anytime really, and sometimes not coming back at all. This makes dinner, bath and tea an entertaining dance. Whenever someone switches on a light Emma exclaims; "Yay! Power's back!"
When it rains, which has been often recently, the power goes out. When it threatens to rain, which it does on the days it doesn't actually rain, the power goes out. The other day, from 9 til 5 the power went out on the hour for half an hour and then came back on for the second half of the hour. This led to me almost showering, losing power, getting distracted, getting naked for the shower, then losing power and getting distracted... it took me about three hours before I actually figured out there was a pattern. And then there are Thursdays. As a load shedding exercise we are supposed to lose power from 6 til 9 each Thursday night. This translates to the power going out anywhere between 4 and 6 and not coming back til, well anytime really, and sometimes not coming back at all. This makes dinner, bath and tea an entertaining dance. Whenever someone switches on a light Emma exclaims; "Yay! Power's back!"
Emma Update
Oh the fun we have had this month!
I asked her if she was my sweet girl and she said; "No! Spicy girl!"
She is continuing her potty training and her bear, froggy, bee and assorted other animals must take their turns on the potty too.
K is trying to teach her to use an f at the beginning of words as well as at the end. She can say "off" just fine but food comes out "dude". The other day she came inside from just such a lesson and said: "Mommy, fffff ffff ffff, DUDE!"
Each toothbrushing session is a game where her toothbrush is "naughty" and apparently leaps out of her mouth. (This happens when she jerks her head) The poor toothbrush gets told sternly how he is not doing the job and put back in the cupboard. This game does lead to some yellow teeth until Mommy comes in and has a "talk" with the toothbrush.
Some of the habits she has brought home from school and as a nearly two year old has latched onto as something to be experimented with are a little challenging. We now must deal with eternal "NO!" as well as "Go away Mommy!" The former I enjoy playing around with and when she says "No" I say "Up!" then she can't figure out whether she should say yes or down? Quite often she just goes for No again. Sigh. When she tells me to go away, I do. It's quite funny how quickly that changes her mind.
Just as much fun as the conversations and games we have with Emma are the conversations that happen between the two parents. How many of you know of Dr. Suess' Yink who drinks ink? Well I was reading the nursery rhyme to Em that goes:
If all the world were apple pie, and all the sea were ink
and all the trees were bread and cheese, what would we have to drink?
K said from the front seat; "We'd all have to be Yinks"
My response; "But it would have to be pink ink wouldn't it... can Yinks drink anything other than pink ink?" and the conversation went from there for quite a long time. This is not the first time we have had such a conversation.
I asked her if she was my sweet girl and she said; "No! Spicy girl!"
She is continuing her potty training and her bear, froggy, bee and assorted other animals must take their turns on the potty too.
K is trying to teach her to use an f at the beginning of words as well as at the end. She can say "off" just fine but food comes out "dude". The other day she came inside from just such a lesson and said: "Mommy, fffff ffff ffff, DUDE!"
Each toothbrushing session is a game where her toothbrush is "naughty" and apparently leaps out of her mouth. (This happens when she jerks her head) The poor toothbrush gets told sternly how he is not doing the job and put back in the cupboard. This game does lead to some yellow teeth until Mommy comes in and has a "talk" with the toothbrush.
Some of the habits she has brought home from school and as a nearly two year old has latched onto as something to be experimented with are a little challenging. We now must deal with eternal "NO!" as well as "Go away Mommy!" The former I enjoy playing around with and when she says "No" I say "Up!" then she can't figure out whether she should say yes or down? Quite often she just goes for No again. Sigh. When she tells me to go away, I do. It's quite funny how quickly that changes her mind.
Just as much fun as the conversations and games we have with Emma are the conversations that happen between the two parents. How many of you know of Dr. Suess' Yink who drinks ink? Well I was reading the nursery rhyme to Em that goes:
If all the world were apple pie, and all the sea were ink
and all the trees were bread and cheese, what would we have to drink?
K said from the front seat; "We'd all have to be Yinks"
My response; "But it would have to be pink ink wouldn't it... can Yinks drink anything other than pink ink?" and the conversation went from there for quite a long time. This is not the first time we have had such a conversation.
Natural Blue Light Shows
At the beach this year I went swimming at night. It was about 9 O'clock and the water was so black except for the edge of foam where the waves lapped against the shore. We went swimming because the phosphorescence was in the water. These are tiny algae that glow when you move in the water.
I floated there in the black with one of the cousins, looking up at the far lights of the stars, and the nearer lights of the welcoming houses on the beach. It was an experience that brought me into an acute awareness of my body as well as a wish to use every part of it. With each swish under the water my skin was alight with a ghostly blue shimmer. My legs kicked and the colour flowed down my leg and off my toes. My fingers twinkled like I was making magic.
Just a few weeks later Emma and I were in Windhoek. The air there was very dry. Each night at about 3am the air chilled. When I moved a blanket over Emma her crib lit up with eerie blue sparks jumping off the blanket and rebounding around her.
I floated there in the black with one of the cousins, looking up at the far lights of the stars, and the nearer lights of the welcoming houses on the beach. It was an experience that brought me into an acute awareness of my body as well as a wish to use every part of it. With each swish under the water my skin was alight with a ghostly blue shimmer. My legs kicked and the colour flowed down my leg and off my toes. My fingers twinkled like I was making magic.
Just a few weeks later Emma and I were in Windhoek. The air there was very dry. Each night at about 3am the air chilled. When I moved a blanket over Emma her crib lit up with eerie blue sparks jumping off the blanket and rebounding around her.
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