Insights from Africa

You know when you don't write for a while, and then it seems like there is so much to say that the sheer enormity of it drives you away?  Okay, enough excuse making...

We have now lived in Kenya, East Africa for just over a year, and I thought I'd make a non-exhaustive list of insights that we have observed along the way...

Backwards things:

• Turning the shower water down when you want it hotter

• Driver's seat on the right side of the car (We call it an "American moment"  when you walk to the front left door to drive....or turn on the windshield wipers when trying to turn on the blinker.)

• I don't run to the hospital as fast as humanly possible when there is a baby crashing, because I won't be able to breathe myself when I get there (Our house is downhill from the hospital, and Kijabe is at 7200 ft elevation.)

• Seasons - we are just emerging from winter

• Giving up what you cannot keep to gain what you cannot lose - Jim Elliot

Funny things:

• I can tell if whomever picks up the phone in our house is speaking to a Westerner or to a Kenyan, by the accent they use!  (Okay, I can also tell if Rick is talking to his brother on the phone, too, because he picks up an even-more-Southern accent than usual!)

• There are termites emerging from every wooden crevice of our house, and it is a rueful observation when a new tract is discovered - not a frantic call to the pest control service.  (Our house may fall down around us....)

• We can often tell when a chicken is laying an egg from inside the house (maybe not impressive to you folks familiar with farms, but a big step for us)

• All hands on deck to run get the laundry off the line during the rain

 
 New Lingo: (Not necessarily new, but definitely distinctive here.)

• To confirm - to make sure   "Let me confirm about the meeting."

• To pass by - to stop in   "Pass by the nursery and see if the baby is getting its transfusion."  or  "I'll pass by tomorrow and feed your dog."

• Contact info - usually cell phone number, but may be email also

• To pick - to pick up.   "I need to pick some groceries in Nairobi."

• Sawa - okay   "I'll see you tomorrow."  "Sawa"

• Sawa sawa - really okay   "The car will be ready to pick tomorrow."  "Sawa sawa"

• Pole - sorry   "I broke my hand."  "Pole!"

• Pole pole - slowly  "The repairs are happening pole pole."

• Piki piki - motorcycle 

• Cafo - school cafeteria

• Vac - school break

• Chips - french fries

"Only in Africa..."

•  4 people to a piki piki

• Goat being transported on a piki piki

• Soaking disposable CT contrast syringes in bleach solution to reuse

• Waiting 18 hours for a bilirubin level on a baby

• Tapping on the ventilator dial to make it register

• Kids noticing and commenting "This is a smooth road!" (Especially when it is not compared to US roads - it just is relative to other roads here.)

• American food days in the cafeteria (hamburger and chips...see above)

• Vac takes students home to twenty-something countries

• Creative ways to procure Crystal Light, Bacon Bits, and children's clothes!

• The electricity goes off and no one seems to notice

• Goat roasts 

• A pediatrician running a radiology department

Things we miss from home in the States:

• Family and friends - always the most important!

• Convenience - you name it, and it applies.  Having apples or grapes in the house is not a foregone conclusion - you can't just stop by Food Lion on the way home.  If you run out of something, you make-do until the next trip to Nairobi...or someone can bring from the States.

• Smooth roads/quality infrastructure

• Public library

• Local restaurants - I can't wait to hear "Welcome to Moe's!"

• Swimming, and warm weather to go with it

• Ice cream

• Potable tap water

• Dishwashers

Things we appreciate about living here:

• The kids' freedom to come and go in Kijabe 

• Walking to school (Okay, the kids may disagree, but I think it's great!)

• Walking to work

• Only driving rarely

• Much less bureaucracy in the medical world (I had to look that up in 2 dictionaries!)

• Appreciating things more, perhaps, after realizing that so many of the things we have are not rights but privileges

• No tv (Yes, you read that right!)

• Flowers blooming all year long

• The stunning beauty of God's creation on safari

• The view of the Great Rift Valley from my bedroom window

• The emphasis placed on relationships above tasks and schedules (can also be maddening at times....) 

Now that we have lived here for a year, we are starting things again that were new to us last year.  We understand our roles better; the kids are not the new ones at school this year; we know the people/hospital/school/community; we know how to shop in Nairobi, where to get your hair cut, and how to navigate life in general.  In short, life here is not as difficult and overwhelming as it was a year ago, because we have learned the ropes.  Don't get me wrong - life here is difficult compared to the States, but it has blessings in the difficulties and can be refreshing in its beauty and simplicity.  I pray that God is using these difficulties to stretch us and grow us into the people He wants us to be.

Thank you for joining with us during this past year!  We look forward to walking together with you again during this coming year, Mungu akipenda (God willing).  [This is a photo-deficient blog, but the next one will be full of cool animals. :)]

Lots of love,
Sarah

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” –Mark 8.35