12/11/00: What
a Christmas Gift!!
I am now officially a Babu (Grand father) and have a Mjuku Wakika (Grand
daughter). Her name is Elizabeth
Ann and
she was born on Saturday, December 9th at 11:14 AM. Her weight was
6 lbs. 14 oz. (For my African friends that's a little over 3 kilos).
Thanks to John and Nancy Hussar, her other Grand parents, I have these
nice photos to post here. All three are doing well, except for being very
tired I am told. I am looking forward to seeing them all in a couple of
weeks when we get home.
You
did good Heather!! (You too, Bob) And thankfully I don't end up
having to "eat goat" for predicting incorrectly! (see 12/1
update below). This is one of the best Christmas gifts a man could
ask for. To have a beautiful little "Mjuku Wakika" with
two wonderful parents. I couldn't ask for more!
The
other day, I saw my first "African Santa" at Ya Ya Centre (the
local shopping mall). Quite a site
with his bright white beard and hair contrasting his dark African Skin!
There are lots of Christmas Trees around with their flashing lights and
lots of holiday decorations. It's definitely "beginning to look a lot
like Christmas"- however, not exactly a North American Christmas. The
only snow is on top of Mt, Kenya (look closely at the photo above and
you'll see some). Actually, there is much here which makes it closer to
the First Christmas. You see palm trees, bare feet, poverty, flocks of
goats and sheep with shepherds tending them, etc. It is easier here to
picture a little baby born in poverty, next to the animals outside, rather
than in a home- and whose parents have basically only the clothes on their
backs. Many of the people here seem to focus on the "Reason for the
Season", rather than being caught up in the commercial fiasco it is
becoming in the Industrialized world.
12/1/00: I
am very happy to announce that within just a few days, I will be a Grandfather!
My African friends all call me Babu, which means Grandfather in Swahili. My
daughter Heather is due on December 4th. I am going out on a "cyber
limb" right now and am predicting a beautiful little Grand daughter! Stay
tuned and check back here later to see if I am right or not. Although rather
rare, I sometimes am wrong. I really wish I was back in the States to see her?,
but will have to wait until I get home just before Christmas. I hope to get a
picture which I will "proudly" post here!
12/1/00:
We had a very nice Thanksgiving Dinner with a total of 27 Ex-pats who are
living here in Nairobi. It was a very interesting and diverse group, and
we had a great time. Many people from home have asked us if we were going to
have roasted giraffe or leg of zebra for dinner. We actually had a very
traditional dinner with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing,
assorted side dishes, and even pumpkin pie for dessert! There was no TV
with the Macy's Day parade and football games, however. We have many
things to be thankful for- family, friends, good health; but what we are
very thankful for is that we FINALLY HAVE RUNNING WATER! We have
had several warm (long) showers now, and it looks like the water problem
is now solved. We really are learning not to take so many things for
granted. (We are also smelling a lot better now too!)
11/17/00: Still
no running water, but as I write this I am hearing thunder and we have had
several good rain showers. Things are starting to "green up" a bit around
Nairobi. And they are installing pumps for the 2,300 Liter tanks in the back.
Last weekend, we went to Sangare Ranch to get away from the Matatu smoke
and see some animals. I had my first shower in three and one half weeks.
It really was GREAT!
11/3/00: After
two and one half weeks here, we are fairly well settled in. It becomes
more apparent every day how the drought is affecting all of Kenya. Many
rural communities have completely run out of water, and there are severe
shortages in Nairobi itself.
You see herds of cattle right in the city as the Maasai go searching for water
and places for their cattle to graze.
Many areas are still experiencing
power rationing. Fortunately we have power in our flat, Julie's lab, and
at CMA and World Concern where I am working. We have to "pick"
water at least every other day now and fill the containers in our kitchen.
Still no running water and therefore no shower since we've been here.
They are installing a 2,300 Liter
tank and pump in our back yard which will (hopefully) pump from the city
water supply to fill the tank, and then from the tank to the holding tank
in our attic.
When it is finished, we are supposed to have running water. We have
been promised that we would have running water from the day we arrived.
The work goes "poli, poli" (slowly, slowly)! Although quite
inconvenient, we are reminded how much we have in America compared to
people living in the third world. They have so little, but the people
don't complain and they are generally quite happy and content.
10/23/00:
We had an uneventful flight, except for a really bumpy landing in Nairobi.
The biggest obstacle we face is the lack of water in our flat. Kenya is
experiencing a major drought. The main sources of water for the
country, are slowly drying up, resulting in increased water and
electricity rationing. This rationing is having a crippling effect on
the economy and the locals. Many industries are laying off workers or
shutting down.
Many
people, like us now, have to travel to a water source and fill containers
to transport home for our water needs. You don't really appreciate how
heavy water is and how much of it you need, until you have to go and
"pick it"- as the Kenyans like to say.
We are
getting better each day with the "bucket bath" techniques. We
hope to have running water soon, and our first warm shower will be much
appreciated!
Shortly
after we arrived, we took a
trip to the Sheldrick Trust in Nairobi where orphaned elephants and rhinos are
raised. This is a short drive from our flat and it's free- a nice diversion from
dealing with water and other issues. This is a great place to visit shortly
after arriving in Nairobi, while you are still dealing with
jetlag.
We saw five baby elephants, each with their Keepers, having a great time
playing in the mud. These baby Ndovu's were between 6 and 10 months old. Elephants are a lot like humans in their development. They
can live to be 75 years old, when they are teenagers- they can act like
typical teenagers, and when they are toddlers-
they
just love to run around and play like these little ones were doing. Their
"Mothers" feed them milk from huge baby
bottles and protect them from the hot sun with large umbrellas. They spend all
day with their babies and even eat and sleep with them. It's really interesting
to see the little elephants follow their "Mothers" around- just like a
real mother. When they are around two years old, they will be taken out in the wild
and gradually introduced to fending for themselves, with their
"Mothers" assisting
