Homestay, Part II

Wow - where does the time go?  I want to finish telling you about some things we saw and did during our homestay in December.  :)

Our new friends' neighbors own a farm about 45 minutes up into the hills from where we stayed.  One day we went to visit the farm - it was beautiful up there!  We were welcomed with open arms by this family.  They have 5 children - the oldest of which is in medical school in Nairobi.  We have learned along the way that Kenyan kids work very, very hard to have the opportunity to get to the universities or professional schools of their choice.  The four years of high school are referred to as Form 1, 2, 3, and 4.  Most kids go to boarding schools for high school (if they can afford the school fees).  They are often IN CLASS by 5 in the morning every day!!!  Tell that to your teenager in the US!  Ted was pretty amazed at that.  Their grades and scores on the exit exams will determine their opportunities.  For instance, if you score well enough to make it into a certain level of the class rankings, you will be accepted to the government medical school, or engineering school, etc that corresponds to that level of ranking.  If you are accepted this way, the government pays the vast majority or all of your tuition.  If you don't score well enough, you can still consider going to a private university for your desired field of study, but the fees are significant.  One of the clinical officers at the hospital (similar to physician assistants in the US) didn't make the government cutoff for medical school, applied and was accepted to a private medical school, but has had to defer due to the cost and isn't sure she can manage it.  The cost is the equivalent of $2000 per term - 3 terms a year for 6 years.....$36,000!!!  As a mom with a son rapidly approaching college, I can tell you that I would love for college and medical school combined to come with that price tag but, in Kenya, that is a dream killer.  But, I digress....

This is the porch leading into their house on the property.

They had a large covered strawberry field.  Strawberries grow year-round here!  That makes up for no blueberries, sort of.

The road was 2 lanes, but the bridge was not!

On another day, we drove over to Lake Naivasha, which is a large fresh water lake with much wildlife.  It has traditionally been a popular watering spot for Maasai herdsmen.  It was also used between 1937 and 1950 as a landing spot for the Imperial Airways' flying boats (seaplanes) in their flights between London and South Africa.  Many of the usual places to view the lake were flooded due to some recent rains, but we enjoyed seeing many new places and people.  Everything is an experience here, so you just keep your eyes open!

Women walking on the road carrying water - that is probably about 15 pounds of water on their heads!

There is YMCA in Kenya - Rotary, too, but that photo was terrible.

This was a very creative lamp post at the entrance to a park by the lake.  The head is the lamp, and the clothes are actually metal - making it look like a Maasai herdsman.

All of the kids.

I love this photo of a boat down by the lake.  It makes me think of God looking down from heaven at Jesus on Peter's boat.

This shows the degree of flooding of the lake.  This building is normally on dry land and can be rented for various functions.

On one of the last nights of our stay, it was a very important holiday called Jamhuri Day.  It is the day that Kenyans celebrate their country becoming a republic in 1964, and it is traditional for them to roast a goat or sheep.  Roasting a goat or sheep is also something they would do for an important guest.  It was a privilege to be included in such an important event for their family, and we were honored to be a part of it.  Let me walk you through the preparations, in case you would like to try it at home.

Here is the goat prior to preparation.  This one was delivered from the butchery, not the backyard.

First, a machete is used to hack the goat in half lengthwise.

Then, the machete is used to make smaller pieces that can fit more easily on the fire.

These smaller pieces are put onto the fire in the fireplace.  Our friends do have an oven, but cooking it over the wood fire produces the right flavor and is also cheaper than running an electric oven for that long.

After the cooking is completed, the meat is sliced from the bone...

and served with carrots and ugali.

Here is everyone at the end of our stay (Rick took this photo, so he is not in it).  They are a delightful family, and we look forward to seeing them again, since we live so close.  We plan to visit the cafe they were building in front of their house, once it is up and running. :)  I will let you know!

Homestay 2012

Lots of love,
Sarah

Mark 1:16-20 
As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”  Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.  Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

What a way to welcome the New Year!!

We didn't really do anything terribly exciting on New Year's Eve - okay, like nothing.  Do we blame it on age, new culture, or fuddy-duddy status?  I'll leave that up to you...

BUT, on the morning of New Year's Day, we got a very fun phone call to welcome in the bright, shiny new year.  Rick answered the phone, and it went something like this:

"Hi Rick, this is Pete.  [one of the surgeons]  I was passing through theater and saw some commotion - 30 week QUADRUPLETS were just born.  Can one or both of you come help?"

So, Rick and I threw on clothes and ran up to the hospital (and it is actually UP).  Before I left the house, I went to tell the kids (who were still in bed) where we would be.  Anna asked why we were both going, and I told her we both needed to go because 4 premature babies were just born.  She sat straight up in bed and said, "From the same woman?!"  Pretty funny and not an unreasonable question.

Here are the babies on the one resuscitation warmer in the theater/OR:

So cute!!

 Once they got to the nursery, they could spread out to two babies per warmer. :)  They did beautifully and are still doing great!

Here they are in their own corner of the nursery - they will be here a while.  Their names are Victoria, Precious, Angel, and Joy! :)  Please pray for an uneventful period in the nursery, so that they may be discharged home as healthy babies, and that the parents can afford the massive bill that will come at discharge. :(  For now, we will focus on the joy of the event and praise God that they are doing so well so far!!

Love,
Sarah

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!  2 Corinthians 9:15

Christmas in Kenya

I think I will interrupt the Homestay "report" to share with you about Christmas in Kenya, before 2012 runs out!  :)  (News flash:  2012 ran out here while I was working on this, and the internet went down...so Happy New Year!)


I was really surprised by the lack of outward reminders that Christmas was approaching.  First of all, it is very warm here.  Ok, that wasn't surprising, but it was surprising how it influenced our feeling about the time of year.  On Christmas Eve and Christmas afternoon, it rained and the kids played outside barefooted with friends - much more summerish than winterish.  So, we've had to adjust to the "backwards" seasons. 

Emily took these photos on Christmas Eve - a double rainbow!

Flowers blooming in our yard

Summer squash growing like crazy in our garden (shamba).  They grow a lot of zucchini here, but not summer squash - my parents sent these seeds from the States. :)

Then, there were just so few decorations!  Even in church, there was no advent wreath, no tree, no garland, etc.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with this - it is just so DIFFERENT.  That is true of many things here - not wrong, just different.  In our home, we borrowed a fake Christmas tree from someone on home assignment and decorated it with a few ornaments that we brought from home as well as ornaments sent by our Sunday school class back home. :)  Also, we brought our Advent wreath from home.  I often forget to buy purple tapers in October or early November (you would think that I would get it together after so many years!!), so I usually scramble around trying to find them right before Thanksgiving.....after everyone else has already bought them.  Ironically (because almost everything is harder to find here) this year I had no trouble finding purple candles in Nakumatt (the big supermarket chain).  We also decorated our windows with winter and Christmas window clings that a friend had sent to us - kind of funny, considering the weather, but it made us feel closer to home, and that was good.

Our tree, decorated

Christmas cookies - we brought sprinkles from home!

The girls decorating cookies!

A tree in a section of the pediatric ward - even with functioning lights! ;)

We did make a family trip to the Masai market early in December - a chance for everyone to finish up their Christmas shopping.  The Masai market is a huge open air market for Kenyans to sell their handicrafts.  It moves between different locations in Nairobi, but it is the same vendors.  It was definitely a cultural experience for the kids!  They are not used to the aggressive tactics that are commonplace here.  "May I help you?" in Hallmark or Belk's, and "No, thank you, I am just looking." is not even in the same galaxy as this!!  However, the people are friendly and talkative, if you can manage not to be intimidated.  They are always complimentary of Kijabe Hospital, and many of them have some first-hand experience in the hospital.  I don't go to the market much, but I hope to be able to greet the same people again when I go.  It is always nice to recognize people in a new place after you move. :)

The weekend before Christmas, the kids and I (Rick rounded that morning) went up to RVA to help pack the "Christmas hampers"  for 60 of the neediest families around Kijabe.  Evidently, this is a tradition, and the families (many elderly, widows, and grandmothers looking after grandchildren) are known by some members of the AIC Kijabe Church or the staff at the hospital, RVA, or Moffat Bible College.

Packing boxes of rice, sugar, wheat flour, maize flour, cooking fat, salt, tea

Anna and Ted :)

On Sunday evening, we went to a service at RVA and sang Christmas carols.  That was really nice - sadly, we brought very little Chrsitmas music with us.  At home, we have a CD of traditional Christmas carols that is introduced by a man talking - the kids were always so annoyed by him talking, but they miss it terribly here!  So funny and totally unpredictable what is missed, but I think it is really the familiar that is missed.

On Christmas Eve morning, we went to deliver the hampers to the families in the area.  At some of the homes, we asked them how we could pray for them.  Many had individual requests, but they ALL asked that we pray for their children to have jobs.  The unemployment rate in Kenya is 40% (yes, forty percent!!), and it weighs very heavily on those affected.

One woman's house was insulated very neatly with cookie wrappers

This was her stove - notice the dirt floor

This grandmother is raising her grandchildren

This house is plastered with mud on the inside and outside

This was one of the neatest yards we saw, their clothes were clean but tattered, and this grandmother radiated joy!

The man standing in the doorway was a widower who lives alone in this complex of homes.  A very proud man with so little resources - he walks with a cane and is stick thin.

On Christmas Eve evening, we went to sing carols in hospital.  We visited the pediatric ward, not surprisingly, and the kids gave out candy and silly bands that a friend had sent with us to Kenya.  The children and the parents loved them (although the silly bands were definitely new to them!) and very appreciative of our visit.  Rick and I were thankful for our kids to see the children on the pediatric ward and to interact with them as kids - they wanted to go to all the areas that kids (not babies) are admitted to.  :)  There was a service in the hospital chapel after the caroling and visiting - not our usual candlelight service that breaks all sorts of fire-codes for occupancy, but poignant nonetheless.  I hope to be able to go with the kids to the hospital and give out treats again - we don't have to wait for Christmas! :)

On Christmas Day, our kids slept later than any previous year - don't know whether to chalk that up to adolescence or the very different feel of Christmas here - and we opened presents, rounded in the hospital, and had another family over for Christmas Dinner.  They had just returned from several weeks in the States the night before!  It was a wonderful time to share Christmas together, although punctuated episodes of running to the hospital during which two children died.  So difficult here to separate life and death into neat little packages - you realize the reality of "the slender thread of life,"as my microbiology professor used to say in medical school.  It makes the truth of the Christmas Story and the need to share Christ's love with others feel even more urgent...although it is no more urgent here than in the US or anywhere else in the world.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2013!

Lots of love,
Sarah

1 Thessalonians 5:2
For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.