Telephoto Tuesday 2-for-1 Day

It's Tuesday again, mulling over bigger thoughts that will eventually make it into another post, but here is the story today. As an added bonus, I am giving you tomorrow's story for free. No guarantees what will happen, though.

First, I want to give Ruby an award for going to sleep by herself and sleeping all night in her own bed. While our kids don't get kicked out of our bed, we have been trying to keep everyone under a mosquito net all night, and Ruby claimed her prize of five jelly beans this morning. She promptly gave them to Henry, which was very sweet as she really likes them.

Living with one truck here has been challenging at times but great overall. We are saving money, communicating better and it has brought us closer together as a family. Except when we both need the truck at the same time. Then it brings us closer to needing marriage counseling.

Most days, we provide Len's transportation to and from work. He works by the ocean about 2K away from our house and it's a good excuse to go to the beach once a week or so when we pick him up. Today we dropped him off and came right home because we were taking Zena, a lady who works in our house a few days a week, to a new employer. She and her husband were both employed by a family who just moved away, and I am really just making things up for her to do most of the time because I can't stand the thought of firing her when the $18 or so she makes here a week (and that is with us paying her far higher than average wages) is all her family is living on right now.

So, as new families have been moving in all summer, I've been telling them about Zena. She has worked for mzungu (white expat) families for over seven years and she and her husband Elvis have a sweet little toddler, Janet. Most of the time I've struck out, since people often pass their house family on to the new tenant. But I found someone who needed help in the kitchen a few days a week, and Zena is very good in the kitchen! In fact, one of the things I invented for Zena to do to pass the time at our house is to spend one day per week with a trained Tanzanian chef, learning how to cook for mzungu.

Driving down our road behind a very small truck with a very big load

Taking Zena to the new friend's house was like a new challenge level on the video game that driving in Tanzania is. Narrow, unmarked dirt roads are the norm here, and many of them seem to be going somewhere until they suddenly disappear completely. I'm sure the locals who saw me doubling back from dead end to dead end had quite a chuckle.

The kids had a friend coming over to play, and Henry wanted to wait for him outside our gate. This has been a new favorite place for Henry as he discovered a lot of dirt and rocks out there. I have to admit it is a nice change of scenery from our own walls, despite the gorgeous flowering plants.

Whoopin' it up in the guardhouse

After little guy arrived, the kids were self-contained for quite a while. We read some books, ate lunch, cleaned a little bit, and I washed diapers.

LOVE drying everything on the line!

We went outside to check on the tomato and cilantro plants:

Nice little crop this week

 Ruby took a moment to look online for Toy Story 3 toys (we saw it a couple of weeks ago here - in 3D!) We get movies about two months after they come out in the US. There are three mainstream screens I know of here, and one Bollywood screen.)

The rest of the day was delightful...boys taking naps, girls playing games and reading, and except for me leaving the parking brake on when I went to get Len (panicky sweating as I thought I had a flat tire!) it was a great day.

Wednesday was Ruby's last day at preschool.

She starts Kindergarten Monday!! We picked up her uniform shirts this week (and swimsuit and P.E. uniform and hat....) so she is physically ready, at least. Praying that God helps us both be emotionally ready!

A local friend is building some tables for our bare living room. Catherine is a furniture designer with an architect's eye, and is also amazingly kind.

After solving many of the world's problems with another friend over lunch, it was pick-up time at preschool, and I enjoyed chatting with the teachers while letting Ruby have a few last minutes playing there. Then home, dinner and SLEEP. Something about living here makes us very tired at the end of the day. But that's another post.

Telephoto Tuesday

Welcome to the first 'day in the life' post on here. It may happen each Tuesday, it may happen at random intervals. It may never happen again. But we're here, and today's the day.

Today should have been a completely boring day. Really, I was home all day with the kids, had no transportation, no agenda and no guests. But as a dear friend used to say, only boring people get bored.

And we, friends, are not boring.

It's the middle of winter here, and that means 80+ degrees and sunny almost every day. There have been nice breezes coming over our front wall most days lately, and we spend a lot of time playing outdoors.

The first thing I did this morning was decide to give Henry a potty training boot camp. This may have been because I didn't want to wash diapers today. Never mind that. He is over three years old and needs to use the toilet eventually. Might as well practice.

He was sure I was trying to ruin his life. Without pants most of the day, we had several puddles. Yet another great reason to go outside. Don't have to clean up puddles in the grass.

While I have spared you those photos, we will include a few that feature Henry in his big boy underwear he got to wear on the bike.

Circus animal performing

Henry has just started riding his bike in the last week. He enjoys going 'fasterest'.

Today the bicycles were horses, and Ruby and Henry were circus ringmasters. Or performers. Everything and everyone became their subjects, including me. Lizards became fierce crocodiles. The lines in the brick pavers in the drive were tightropes, and the seeds and flowers in the crevices were tiny people and animals down below.

As the day progressed, Ruby and Henry moved to taming snakes made of long flowers from a plant in our yard. This takes a lot of concentration, by the intensity displayed above.

Ruby's snake then morphed into the Tickle Monster, a frequent guest at our playdates. Here it is coming to get me. Every Tickle Monster sighting has the same result - I turn into the Tickle Monster.

Fortunately, bicycles make for a quick getaway.

Beaches

Ruby and friends enjoying our South Beach getaway

Another South Beach moment. It's free and close...who wouldn't visit the beach?

Well, we've had several people comment that it looks like we're living on permanent vacation here. And it's true that we live in a tropical paradise setting. With the beach less than a mile from our house, and no Children's Museum, Chik-Fil-A, Connor Prairie, park or playground anywhere nearby, the beach does get at least one visit per week from our family.

We weren't really beach-goers before moving here. I guess lake beaches count, but we didn't live within walking distance of one of those, and the most recent visits to what I would consider real beaches were in Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Michigan, and in February it was a little chilly to really enjoy it. However, we are quickly learning to love the beach. The ocean and all its mystery - life, death, infinity - has always been magical to me. Being close and fun and free makes it an obvious choice for playdates, fellowship and family excursions here.

In fact, we're coming to appreciate the unique features of each beach here. Kunduchi, site of today's playdate, features a nice sandbar at low tide that allows you to walk over a quarter-mile out into the ocean. The beach is clean with fine, white sand (the clean ones are painstakingly kept nice by the hotels) and is also free on weekdays. The Kunduchi Beach Hotel is a majestic place with expansive beaches and was recently on some list of the 100 best beaches in the world. It is a gorgeous place, with great planning and a variety of ways to enjoy it - from outdoor restaurants to shaded lounges to the naked beach that is kept free of debris all day long.

And if Kunduchi is one of the best beaches in the world, South Beach, where we took a getaway weekend recently, is a few notches above it. Unbelievable. Every imaginable water feature from waterfalls to waves crashing on exposed reef at low tide to tidal pools that made our personal marine observation windows and soaking pools was present in our deserted stretch of beach. We saw maybe a dozen other humans on the beach the entire weekend, most of them locals fishing with just line. The tidal pools in the reef at low tide were akin to snorkeling without need for equipment...everything was just right there for the looking.

Of course, our dear Mbezi Beach is the closest place to see God's amazing hydrocreation. Depending on where you have beach access here, the beach varies from clean white sandy beach to kind of a brownish tan sand with seaweed and sea debris on shore. On the peninsula, there is the Yacht Club, which we only have access to through the invitations of members. But the beach is pretty swanky and clean, with good amenities and seating.

The kids absolutely love going to the beach, and it's a good thing. It's what we have. Sand castles, sand cities, looking for sea life and shells, and playing in the surf are all good ways to unwind from challenges we find here. And it's impossible for me to sit by the sea and not marvel at God's greatness and creativity.

Death is literally on my doorstep

July 4, 2010



Happy We Get To Live In The Greatest Country Ever Day, American friends. :) Now go read a copy of the Constitution and remember why!



Our neighbor died last night. We didn't know him; he had been ill for some time. Apparently, most of Dar es Salaam did know him though. Large trucks carrying tents, tables and chairs woke us up throughout the night, unloading and building a small grandstand between our wall and theirs (they live across the street from us).



We live about a half mile down a dirt road, at a T-intersection with a smaller dirt road. One side of the T is now jammed with chairs, tents for shade, and cars. In fact, throughout the day, cars jammed almost every road in our neighborhood. We were fortunate to get out for church before the bigger crowd showed up; we tried to get home three times in the day but had to park far away and walk in the gate to put a purchased chicken in the refrigerator. They had laid the casket out right in front of our gate, with rows and rows of chairs backed right up to the gate...I had to ask people to get up just to access the pedestrian gate. Felt really bad about that. It would have been nice if they had asked before they blocked us out, but hey, they were having a much worse day than us.



I was so, so sad for this family who lost someone so obviously important in their lives. Even through the cultural fog, that is obvious. A parade of people dressed in fine clothes brought gifts for days. I put on a long skirt and sleeved shirt and carried a card over. I hope they received it in the spirit it was given. Barnabas helped me with the wording...he advised me not to go in their gate, or I would be exposing myself to many strangers asking for money or favors. I trusted him on this one. Even at the local church one Sunday, two people asked me for a job during worship...not cool, but a reminder of how desperately people here need work.



So, this man's body lay at our door for the entire Independence Day, and we finally got in the gate well after dark when they moved him in a hearse. Another sign he was someone of high standing: hearses are very uncommon here; it is the first one I have seen.



Thank God for friends we could spend the day with. We ordered pizza and felt very American for one insulated day at another friend's house.

Zanzibar!

Amanda, our guest, thought it would be fun to go to Zanzibar, so I did what any adoring hostess would do...I booked a trip. We had Ruby and Henry in tow, so decided to keep it to one night with two days on the big island. The ferry was recommended by several friends, so we took the fast ferry. Ninety minutes rather than up to 4 hours on the slow ferries.

After barely making it to the port on time due to traffic, we pushed our way through a throng of porters and fake porters (called fleas here) to the boat. I had expected to be on one of the larger ferries, with two or three stories of cabins and decks, but instead we were in a smaller speedboat, like the ones you can ride in Chicago or other port cities. Seating about 30-40, it was a nice if sometimes choppy ride northeast to Zanzibar. Once past Mbudja Island off of Mbezi Beach, the water got pretty big at times, but was always deep sapphire blue, with bright aqua (the exact color of most pool bottoms in the US) reef areas around the little islands dotting the coast of Tanzania.

On the ferry ride, I sat next to a nice Muslim couple from Madagascar. The wife was removing her long covering as we sat down, revealing stylish capris and a slim-fitting t-shirt underneath. They explained that she only has to wear the traditional garmets when with her family, whom they had been visiting in Dar. It was kind of funny to see them using the pieces of her dark gown as sunshades and pillows on the ferry ride. Within the first 30 minutes, Henry and my new neighbors were sleeping, and the final hour of the trip went quickly.

We approached Zanzibar from the south, passing by the fingerlike southern peninsula and Prison Island, and finally saw Stone Town for the first time. By the time we came into port, we were definitely ready to be on land. Little did we know how luxurious that boat ride would seem later!

Once on the dock, we collected our bags and went through 'customs', then walked out to the dozens of taxis all trying to convince us they were there for us. However, none of them knew our name or contact, so we waited several minutes until a small van pulled up, with a man who knew our names.

The short ride through Stone Town to our hotel just north of there was interesting. Zanzibar seemed more vibrant, maybe because almost every view is set against the glittering Indian Ocean. One big difference we noticed is that the hand carts present everywhere in Tanzania were usually pulled by donkeys or cows on Zanzibar; they are always pulled by men in Dar. Nobody could give me a reason why.

Another slight difference between Dar and the island is that the island is over 90% Muslim. Almost all women wear full burkas or at least the full covering (head to feet, but not faces), often in black. One of our guides told us the black is only for women traveling out of their village. We did see one woman in a brightly tie-dyed garmet, and I felt she was a kindred spirit.

Imani Villa Hotel sits in the middle of a fishing village, next to a school of the Koran. A lovely spot with a small beach, tree house bar and restaurant, I loved it immediately. Simon and Kristen, the owners, do a great job making the few rooms lovely and comfortable. Each is unique and filled with useful, gorgeous antiques from eclectic Zanzibar. The food there was exceptional (I had barracuda with coconut sauce that I am still thinking about today) and the atmosphere sets it apart from more tourist-y places.

We toured Stone Town, went in several shops, didn't take as many pictures as I hoped due to managing two tired children, and returned to the villa for some food and rest. The sunset over the ocean was a real treat, something we don't get living on Tanzania's eastern seaboard.

Tuesday morning our goal was to see some of the wild monkeys living at the forest in the southern part of Zanzibar. The guide picked us up and drove about an hour through villages and past some swanky estates that he said were wealthy government officals' homes. Reaching the forest ranger station, we paid a small fee, read some literature about wildlife there, and went with our guide down a path toward the main forest.

After less than a half mile we saw several monkeys playing with a group of tourists. Apparently, these simians are quite used to humans and were a little too friendly at times when we followed our guide into the forest to see more. One adolescent kept trying to climb up my long skirt, reaching my back at one point. We left with good photos and a little creeped out.

After a few more hours on the hotel beach relaxing, we returned to the dock and breezed through paperwork and on to the bigger ferry. Deceptively comforted that this ride would be somehow better than the last one (which wasn't bad at all), we settled into our seats on the outside of the top deck.

Soon, the deck was filling up. Apparently they sold many more tickets than they had seats for, which I didn't think was supposed to happen on the first-class deck. However, people kept pouring in, and we held tight to our seats. There were dozens of people standing in aisles, sitting on every inch of deck, and as we left the dock, more came out of the air conditioned cabin to photograph Stone Town. I wanted these photos too, but knew that the second I stood up, two people would take my seat.

Sick bags were immediately distributed by a deck officer, and Amanda and I looked at each other gloomily. A child sitting in front of us on the floor vomited immediately into a clear plastic bag, and several people tried to get her father to put the clear bag into one of the opaque black sick bags...the sight of the vomit was making others feel ill. The girl and her father didn't speak swahili or english, but they finally got the message.

The ride proved as rough as the the bags had suggested. Throughout the first hour, more people than I can count threw up around us. Thankfully, everyone was very tidy about it. Amanda's greenness told me she was having as rough a time as I was. Choppy, big waves and wind gusts kept the boat rocking and bouncing the entire time, and finally, as I spotted the mainland, I joined the crowd of the seasick. That night, when Ruby talked with Len on the phone, she said, "Mommy threw up four times in her little black bag. Henry said, 'Hey!' (which he did, since I had to lean over him to hit the bag) and then we sang songs."

Indeed, we did sing a couple of Rich Mullins songs before and after my seasickness, and I'm glad Ruby remembered that part. And I did feel much better afterward. We left our little bag with its top firmly knotted shut among the dozens of other neat bags on deck when we left, collected our bags, and found our taxi driver to take us home (the 45 minute ride took over THREE hours with traffic!).

Another highlight of the trip was that I discovered that Zanzibar, aka Spice Islands, is home to many of the fresh spices I have been unable to find here on the mainland. How silly of me to not know that!

One last note...we are not on some huge vacation here. :) We just happen to live on the coast of an amazing country, where the free beach is one of the only places to take preschoolers! The photo above is the sunset over the Indian Ocean from Zanzibar...something we don't get to see living on the mainland.

Africa Traffic

Saturday morning grocery shopping has turned into my favorite weekend 'mom' time. Leaving home by 8 AM means arriving at the store just after it opens at 8:30 (this is the bigger, modern-ish grocery south of us) and, even with a quick stop at the Royal Oven Bakery for a roll, getting there and back by 9:30 or so.

This Saturday, however, the French School on the peninsula was having a boot sale (rummage sale) and I decided to go and see if I could score some baking sheets. They are between $10-20 new here for little cheap-o sheets, and I scored three antique, but usable, baking sheets for just under $1 each at the sale. I took some friends along, and decided to grocery shop that evening. Len had worked all day and it was good to be in the car alone as the sun set behind me.

Humming 'The Freaks Come Out At Night' as I cruised down to Shoppers, I realized that I have only been driving one month here. Yes, I was chicken for an entire month after we moved here and only went out if Len drove.

It reminded me of the movie Traffic, with Catherine Zeta Jones and her drug-trafficking husband. When he is arrested, she is shocked and surprised that he is involved in illicit dealings, but quickly realizes that her comfortable lifestyle is about to end and picks up the business where he left off. She quickly turns from a sweet mom and housewife to a savvy, cutthroat drug lord. It is unsettling how seamlessly she moves from one life to another.

Now understand that nobody here is involved in anything illegal, and Len has not been arrested. But my transformation from timid rulemonger to fullblown agressive driver has been no less shocking than Zeta Jones' Jekyll and Hyde.

So Saturday night, as I flew down to the grocery store, windows down and passing whomever I could however I could (if there are laws regarding this, someone please inform me), it occured to me - I've come a long way in the last month. From being afraid to being downright aggressive. If you are just an assertive driver here, you will be passed on the road or while waiting to turn into traffic and the drivers will shake their heads and roll their eyes. I am trying to get over letting this hurt my feelings as I find a balance between pulling into moving traffic like everyone else going around me is, and waiting for a reasonable opening (which the car behind me just zipped around me and took!!!)

Some fun things I've seen in traffic lately include two large cows in the back of a tiny white pick-up truck (wish I had my camera for that one!), numerous trucks full of men all standing up in the bed of the truck, racing down the road and getting some pretty long air time over speed bumps, people going the wrong way around roundabouts because they are too lazy to go the 3/4 distance correct route. There are a lot of driving school vehicles here, too. A sign of the growth?

There have been some fun times, too, like driving through water so deep that it was sloshing in through the bottom of our truck's door. And the taxi ride I took with the kids in a sedan; we drove through water halfway up the door that was coming in the floorboards and soaked our bottoms through the cloth seats. But we made it through both situations with no trouble.

Beware the Benevolent Mosquito

They don't exist. That mosquito that was just flying near your arm but jumped away when you swatted at it? It didn't leave. In fact, it is probably on your ankle right now, having a nightcap.

Mosquitoes are rather out of control here. As I've mentioned before, our house isn't particularly 'buggy', but in the mornings and evenings, especially around this nice, warm computer and my CO2 output, there is always a steady feed, only one at a time (perhaps they have a labor agreement? Contract?) and they are sneaky smart. Most of them don't buzz, they can jump in almost any direction, and the good ones instinctively know defensive maneuvers that could help any military training system.

Mosquito nets are of use once you study the mozzies. Our first week here, we would carefully check the inside of each net for the tiny torpedos, killing them after ungraceful acrobatics as we lurched and smashed our hands wildly against anything hard. However, a few nights of waking covered with bites led us to inspect under the beds as well (a fitting dark place for dark creatures of the night) and then I realized that they were actually riding into the bed/net ON our clothing and in our hair as well. I want to call them a bad word right now but won't.

The racquet of death is new to our pro-blood conservation movement; it looks like a cheap plastic tennis racquet, but in the double-layer plastic 'net' is a thin wire mesh that produces an electric current when activated. POP! POP POP POP! The smell of frying blood was never so satisfying. (for those of you who don't know me well, I have never to my knowledge actually smelled frying blood before this experience.) It makes me feel like I'm doing something to deal with the problem of bug bites on myself and my children.

I think there is a fine line to be walked between DEET-ing or DDT-ing entire households and neighborhoods, even countrysides, and poisoning children and animals, and being conscious of what is around you. Education also goes a long way in helping us determine how to best address the pro-blood conservation issues for our family. Malaria, while a concern, is only carried by one of over 3,000 types of mosquito. And that mosquito has to be within range to bite someone who has malaria and you in a short amount of time in order for you to get it. There are very reliable blood tests available over the counter here that tell you within minutes if you have malaria, and treatment is available here. In fact, Len and I have had the pleasure of stabbing each other's fingers with needles to take the test. Negative on both counts, thankfully.

Still, mozzies carry all kinds of other nasty parasites and disease; they are NOT our friends. And the one I just swatted away from my face (although I am getting quite good at smashing them one-handed in the air) is getting ready to burn in racquet hell. As soon as I find it....

Butter Pecan Balls

Forget that these have neither butter nor pecans in them. They leave you with the feeling that you've just had the finest buttered pecans known to man. Although I don't know anyone who has eaten buttered pecans. They just have that rich taste and aftertaste that tummies everywhere long for - a digestive warm fuzzy if there ever was one. I had to test several of these before naming exactly what the joy in my belly was.

For the gluten-free, casein-free crowd, the recipe below is fine. For those of you not constrained by dietary issues, you may substitute butter and regular Rice Krispies, which will cut down on cost, and I suspect the gluten in the cereal might also help hold them together.

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 C gfcf margarine or pure ghee

1/2 lb dates, finely cut (for the gf crowd, Ener-g has a packaged, pre-chopped version that is nice)

1 1/2 C crisp rice cereal; I used Koala Krisp, a gfcf item I brought to Africa)

1/2 C nuts, finely chopped (think powder for maximum holding power and kid-friendliness); I used cashews

1 t. vanilla

2 C finely shredded coconut (called coconut powder here), unsulphured

Combine eggs, margarine and dates in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Bring to boil and boil for two minutes.

Remove from heat and add cereal, nuts and vanilla. Stir until well mixed.

Allow to cool and shape into little balls about 1" in diameter (depending on ingredients, this might take a bit of squishing) and roll in coconut.

These are high in protein and are a great no-sugar-added lunchbox staple or candy. Enjoy!

Who DOESN'T Want Tropical Heat and Humidity?

Really, that's the question...here are several excellent reasons for embracing it. I should add that we are going into the 'cool' season now, where highs are only in the 80s or so. Still, plenty of wet heat for me!

Heat and humidity are my friends because:

• Steaming tortillas is a thing of the past. Take one out of the freezer, set it on the counter, and within five minutes, you're ready to go. Those of you who know my addiction to bean burritos, celebrate with me!
• Age lines have turned back 10 years. Who needs a peel or lift? Let your cells be plumped from the inside and outside by good old H2O. Everyone here looks 10 years younger than they should.
• Forgot to bring lotion? No worries! The same moisture that erases age lines is drenching your entire body. Sweat, lotion, what's the difference, really? It's all shiny on your skin.
• Shortly after the sun rises, it is too hot even for mosquitoes to come out and play. Enjoy bite-free days here in sub-Saharan Africa!
• Get rid of that silly tanning studio membership. Slather on the 70 SPF and watch yourself toast in the heat of the day. Why pay for something you can get for free?
• Home schooling? For a fun biology project, simply leave any food item on the counter for more than 6 hours, and observe the life of fungus. Bonus: on really hot days, you can even watch food decompose in the refrigerator - while it's running!

I could list many more benefits to tropical heat, and certainly have many more to learn. Updates as necessary. :)

Mother's Day Meditation

A prayer born this Mother's Day, 2010:

Holy Spirit, cultivate in my heart infinite desire for holiness;
search my heart, straighten me to you.

Spirit of Christ, teach me.
ABBA, Father, discipline and comfort.

Let my lips speak only truth,
sharpen my discernment in your fire.
Let me hunger and thirst for your Word forever.

Rain your Spirit on my soul:
Fire that refines,
Wind giving life and breath,
Oil of anointing, preparing and maintaining, sustaining, restoring.
Dove of peace, of fulfilled promises,
bring courage and boldness and joy
like wine poured in celebration.

Seal my heart
that I may live with you always.

The Leakey Collection

This is a little out of order, but the most exciting thing shaking my brain tonight so I want to share it with you.

On my trip to Nairobi this week, one day was spent driving almost 5 hours into the bush country, around the Rift Vally in Kenya, over a one-lane road on a lake, and up a mountain to what to me was paradise.

Katy and Philip Leakey live on top of a mountain in well-appointed tents, their amenities powered by the sun. Gracious and wise, they practice what they preach: conservaton. Water is carried daily from a stream and purified. Their environment shapes their routines.

What they are doing in this setting, however, is even more beautiful than the wildflowers dotting the slope outside the dining tent or the dozens of wildly varying butterfly species inhabiting the range.

Using recycled materials from the local area, such as dry grass even too tough for animals to eat and fallen wood, they develop beautiful jewelry, serving pieces and other elegant items and train workers from the local Maasai tribe (this is a tribe National Geographic loves for their bright clothing and extravagant beaded neck collars and enormously stretched and decorated earlobes) to produce the items from start to finish.

Just to make sure you got that: they take trash and make treasure out of it, giving credit to local tribesmen and women and providing for them a way to pay for medical, education and living expenses.

The various projects employ hundreds of Maasai men and women, and are sustainable to the point that the Maasai could carry the projects on alone if they had to. But the Leakeys are brilliant creators of fine items and also of systems that make each part of business work, and have gained a sincere mutual appreciation from the local tribes. They are passionate about helping the environment and helping the Maasai thrive after devastating drought several years ago that wiped out much of the Maasai economic cycle when great numbers of cattle died or had to be moved hundreds of miles away. All of their products are environmentally friendly and fairly traded.

Anyway, don't take my word for it, look at their website and buy some of their beautiful items at http://www.leakeycollection.com/. Their Zulubead necklace strands are also available at http://www.karamagifts.com/ along with many other fair-trade items from Eastern Africa.

Real Life Sets In

But if you're looking for a sad story, this isn't it. :) Len's boss here graciously gave us the month of April to get settled, attend to the business of getting a driver's license, bank account, and other legal matters, and just get oriented. It was a great gift, and the timing has been perfect as Len has been easing into projects, and also because it takes many weeks and multiple visits to the bank to open an account here, and there is also the bonus random closings of businesses that we have yet to figure out.

The good news is that we were able to maximize our time being productive and also spending time as a family. Those of you who know me well know that I was pretty anxious about the latter since Len and I didn't really spend a lot of time together in the states. As it turns out, we really do enjoy living together!

Preschool was not on our radar as there wasn't one near us when I looked into it several months ago, but one has just opened very close to our home and Ruby and Henry are there two mornings a week, enjoying it very much. There is a tortoise and several other animals outside that they interact with, as well as working on colors, letters, etc. and most importantly, playing with new friends!! We are very thankful for this surprise blessing.

House family (employees who work within our walls) are also falling into place very nicely, with Barnabas being our key hire, who cleans, does laundry, organizes everything, and keeps the plants from dying. He has been infinitely valuable to us as he is proficient in English and fluent in Swahili, and has kept me from crying many times when I needed to interact with someone who only spoke Swahili. Language lessons are also informally administered; he will write down a list of Swahili words and their English equivalents, and after there are five or six on the list, he'll say something like, "That's plenty for today." Sadly, those few words are often too much for me to master in one day.

We have also hired a woman, Zena, to work two days a week washing and prepping produce (everything must be washed and many things must be peeled here before consuming) and helping with the kids as there is a never-ending parade of workers in and out to connect internet, check broken things, etc.

Having things fixed is tricky because you never really know when someone is coming. Yesterday, the electrician was supposed to visit at 10 AM to look at a few items, but never showed up. However, he did arrive today (on a holiday) but we weren't able to have him check everything as we had to leave and Barnabas has the holiday off. Kind of random and similar to the businesses closing at random. Also in this vein, we had been referred to a good butchery but it has not been open any times we stopped by. I am told to go to the butchery first thing in the morning to get the meat fresh, before it has hung in the hot window all day. Probably will take that advice.

We try to buy locally, which includes eggs from some squatters living near us in an unfinished house. We get 30 fresh (as in, less than 24 hours old) eggs for 6,000 shillings, which is just under $5.00. Not bad. The yolks are firm and yellow, and we wash them before putting them in the fridge. There are several dukas within walking distance that sell various fruits and vegetables, and they might have something one day but not the next. Menu planning is a little tricky because of this but we're learning to adapt recipes and be flexible. Len is currently out meeting with a man to look at a generator for our house, and he is also searching for ground beef as we cannot find any today. There is a supermarket about 20-90 minutes away depending on traffic, which may be the only place that has it today. But since we don't have time to get there and back, sloppy joes might have to wait until another day.

Intentionally living with one vehicle, we are learning to plan better than before and again to be flexible. Since Len works just a couple of miles away from our house (and right across the road from the ocean!) it has been pretty easy to manage.

More about recent road and air trips soon...trying to catch up a lot of life in one post here. :)