Hello! I’ve had a nice couple of days. Yesterday, I was quite proud of myself – I took a matatu and a taxi (instead of a motorcycle) because the taxi was going right by where I wanted to go to Shamba la Salama, so it was cheaper. That was the first time I’ve ventured in that direction on a matatu and especially all by myself.
I went there to give Caroline, Kenneth’s wife, swimming lessons in the pool. I also ended up teaching Evelyn, Abraham’s wife. Caroline has learned a little from Louis, but Evelyn has never been swimming. I’m so used to swimming my laps, that I had almost forgotten how to START swimming. I figured working on breathing and their arms was a good place to start. They both thought they were “too heavy” and would sink to the bottom of the pool. We worked our way up to a point where Caroline actually swam the width of the pool several times without help. Evelyn did it a couple of times. Granted, their style leaves something to be desired, but I thought we made good progress. I had at least given them something to work on until I go again.
The ride home was less than desirable. It had started raining while we were swimming, but that didn’t bother us. However, I was about 40 mins. from my house. I had considered calling a motorcycle to come get me for the dirt road part (matatus don’t go that far), and then get a matatu the rest of the way home. It would only have cost me about Ksh 130. Instead, I decided a tuktuk was the only way to go because it was raining quite hard by that point. It cost me Ksh400, but at least I had some cover from the storm. (I DID, however, spend the entire time trying to dry off the seat on both sides of me and the roof and wringing out the rag into the back of the tuktuk because dirty rain water kept pouring in on me despite a “window”on one side made of plastic. The holes in the roof were the biggest problem.) I had several dark brown mud spots on my white blouse by the time I got home. It didn’t bother me too much because I looked a mess from swimming anyway. At least I wasn’t on my way TO somewhere. That would have been a whole different story!
As I’ve mentioned to a few people that I was going swimming, they all seem to want me to teach THEM or their children how to swim. It still amazes me that so many people can live so close to an ocean and not know how to swim!
Today, Grace and I walked up to Ukunda. We stopped at a little grocery store, and I checked out what they had. They are a little cheaper than Nakumatt, so I may go there a little more often. It’s just that it’s several of our blocks away from my home, so I wouldn’t be able to carry much. It would be too heavy, and I’d be afraid anything that needs to go in the refrigerator (milk, etc.) would spoil even faster than it already does by being out in the heat the whole way home. My refrigerator doesn’t get very cold, so my food doesn’t last long, anyway.
We walked quite a way further and checked out all the little open shops that Samuel and I saw the other day. I ordered some jewelry to be made. We bought a few vegetables then walked back home. On the way, we stopped back at the Samrat store for a couple of things. By the time we left there, I was dripping wet from the heat! The couple of fans they have in the store were hardly adequate to cool anything off! When I got home, I ate a little lunch then took a nap. The heat just drained my energy!
I took some pictures of the “computer lab” and “library” at school the other day. The computer lab has only 7 donated, used old computers. The only thing the kids can learn on them is basically keyboarding skills. The kids go during their lunchtime one day a week to do computer and share one computer with 3 other children.
The library books are all donated, but they are in a deplorable state! I wish so badly that I could have found a way to get the 16 paper boxes full of my school books (novels, science, math, history, etc.) that I’ve bought over the years to the school. I ended up giving them to a friend who works in a low-income school, so I’m sure they are getting good use, but it still makes me sad. I actually had more books to donate than the whole library at Word of Life has! There is no librarian or system, that I could tell, to check out books.
Some kind of lizard resting on the rafters at school. He's about the size of a gila monster.
Latest observations: I have basically three sizes of ants in my house – the teeny ants (about the size of 2 pinheads) that are EVERYWHERE and who literally ate the coating off one of my medications in a sealed packet with a tiny hole in it; the middle-sized ants (about ½”) that enjoyed my shower with me; and the big loners (almost 1” long) that don’t care for friends or family. They have a mission to achieve, are VERY fast, and are always by themselves.
Too hard to see, but these are the "teeny ants" taking a drink at their current watering hole - my bathroom sink!
The mosquitoes here are fast, small, and quiet. I’ve only heard them two times that I can remember (buzzing in my ear when I was asleep), but they still manage to feast upon my body unbeknownst to me until it’s too late.
Geckos (small lizards) are really cute and very helpful. They eat mosquitoes and other bugs, but it’s beyond me how they can ever fill up on the mosquitoes around here – they’re way too fast! They do have their drawbacks, however. They always make me jump and let out a little scream when they are hiding somewhere (like in a cupboard or under a door latch) and they take me off-guard. The other thing is that I’ve decided I don’t like gecko poops – especially stuck to my walls or falling into my dishes!
I have to admit that I’m getting more than a little tired of everyone asking me for money, to sponsor them or their child, donate money to set up a school, food, etc. I don’t mind giving to people who truly have a need, but there are so many people here who spend their lives looking for the next mzungu (European or Caucasian) to plead their sob story to because they think if you are white you have lots of money (i.e. “I just fell out of a coconut tree and hurt my shoulder. Can you give me some money to go to the doctor? It’s so painful, Mamma.” Or, “I have 20 children coming over to my home today for my daughter’s birthday - I think he said. I’m not asking for any money, but could you please buy me some rice for the children, Mamma?” ) They always try the “for the children” card if nothing else works.
This is Conference weekend, and I’m so sad that I can’t listen to it. I may be able to get it on the internet later, but it will take up so much of my internet modem stick time, so I’ll have to listen to only a little bit. Tomorrow will be “church as usual” because they have no way to broadcast it and no satellite system.
Hope your weekend is a good one,
Kadi
(By the way, if you are one of my former students and would like to know a specific thing about the schools or people here, please feel free to add a comment at the end of my blog, and I’ll try to include that in one of my blogs.)
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