Nairobi

Nairobi is still really hot- riots intensified in town after the announcement of the reelection of President Kibaki. Today, my boss, his wife and I went out (not into Nairobi, by the way) to restock some basic food supplies- it’s the first time I’ve been out since Christmas. Good thing my mom and sister dragged me on all those Day After Thanksgiving shopping sessions! I was able to utilize all of those hard honed skills of getting through crowds, finding the important or limited items and finding my purchases quickly. The store looked like Florida with a hurricane coming- there were TONS of people and everything was gone. The check out line stretched through the entire store (this is a big market- kind of like a walmart)-it took 3 hours (literally) to get to the register. But I was able to get food- so I’m set for a while. My friends in town tell me things are still pretty crazy in there. So I’m staying put for a while longer. But I’m safe where I’m living-so don’t worry.

But pray for Kenya. Pray for peace. Pray for reunification. Pray for wisdom. Pray for some sort of conclusion for all of this.

A Winner Has Been Declared

I just found out that officially, Mwai Kibaki has been re-elected President of Kenya.

Day 4 of Election Confinment

We still don’t have an announcement of a winner in the elections here. There are 14 million registered voters here in Kenya and all the results are tallied by hand, but with all the accusations of fraud- people are getting very impatient and upset. We are hearing that the gap has narrowed to 38,000 votes separating the 2 main candidates, but even those numbers are being called into question- by both sides. I still can’t leave my house and I hear Nairobi is a mess. The church I attend canceled services today because you couldn’t get to the church because there were riots in the 3 communities surrounding it. But the biggest problem is that all of these divisions go so much deeper then just political affiliations.

I’m still fine- a little stir-crazy but fine.

So pray for Kenya. Pray for peace as this is settled, patience as we wait and for unity for the country when this is all over.

Day 3 of My Election Confinement

So the presidential elections were 2 days ago and there hasn’t been a conclusive outcome- votes are still being tallied and tempers are rising. There are allegations on both sides of corruption and fraud and people are getting pretty upset. I am sticking close to home, because all the reports I’m hearing from town don’t sound too great. Hopefully they will announce the outcome soon. But I’m sticking close to home until they make the announcement and everything cools down.

Good thing I have a lot of movies and books! But seriously, keep Kenya in your prayers. Everyone here is asking that we pray for peace.

Election Day

Today is Election Day in Kenya. Please pray for peaceful voting sites and conclusive outcomes. Already, there has been a huge voting turnout (which is wonderful) but tensions are high as this is being called the closest election in Kenyan history. And we are only halfway through the election day! A friend of mine got in line to vote at 6:30 am in the city I live near. At 1:00pm she was finally able to vote (that's how long all the lines are and I'm not even in Nairobi!).

Here is a link to the BBC articles (hey, this all made front page BBC news today!)
Kenyans Vote and Kenyan Rivals.

Christmas Beignets

Ok, this is for mom- I've managed to carry on the Christmas morning beinget tradition! They weren't as good as yours, but they weren't too bad. I was looking forward to the fact that I didn't have to share them with DJ or Gavin this year, but I ate enough that now I'm feeling a little sick. But they were still good!!

S0 here's the proof-

Frying the dough:

Look at those pretty beignets!

And the first batch that didn't turn out quite as well as the rest (I think I had the oil a LITTLE too hot- they turned golden brown the second I dropped them in- and then they burned after that!)
Hope you all have a very merry Christmas! I'm going over to a friend's house for the rest of the day to celebrate with their family!

PS: Mom, here is your Christmas present! I'm using it this year! My favorite part of the whole thing is that the donkey is twice as big as all of the people!

Christmas Baking

So part of the trick to celebrating holidays away from home is to take some of your old traditions and do those as well as creating your own new traditions (that way you still feel like you are connected to you family and what they are doing but you don't wallow in the fact that you aren't there too.)

So this year, I decided to try my hand at a little holiday baking (like we do at home) and then for my new tradition, sit down and listen to Stuart McLean read Vinyl Cafe Christmas Stories (Thanks Julia for letting me in on this Canadian tradition). If you have never heard Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe stories before, don't feel bad because I think it is a mostly Canadian thing but you have no idea what you are missing (seriously, you have to get your hands on "Dave Cooks the Turkey"- I have never laughed this hard in my entire life! Right now, it's on Stuart McLean's Itunes podcast so check it out) but back to baking.

Ok, for all of you who know me well, you know that baking is something I like to THINK I can do, I'm just not always able to pull it off. I mean I try hard and all that, but sometimes the things I bake just rebel. It may be due to the fact that I HATE to measure ingredients- I'd much rather just guess that there is enough. But this year, I really was wanting some good Christmas-y treats, so I am ATTEMPTING to bake (or maybe I'm cooking because I haven't used the oven at all yet). But the whole baking thing is even harder here- because it is all from scratch. I found this great recipe for chocolate fudge, looked yummy, sounded really yummy- but the only catch is that it requires marshmallow cream. That is just something you can't really find outside the US. But I found a recipe to make your own marshmallow cream. And me, being the adventurous sort of person that I am decided to give it a try. So here is a chronicle of my fudge-making attempts.

Making the marshmallow cream (from scratch):


Boiling milk and an obscene amount of sugar:

Melting in the chocolate:

The finished product:

Me licking the spoon! Yummy!!

I guess this baking attempt turned out pretty well!
Have a very merry Christmas Eve!
Love from blazing hot Kenya!

FREEDOM!!!!!!

I don’t think I’ve looked forward to a Christmas break this much in a long time!!! Today I took my last test of the year (I’m sure there will be plenty to come in the next year, but who wants to dwell on that?) This was my first oral test and I think I did pretty well. Written tests are definitely easier, but this wasn’t quite as bad as I had anticipated! We had been given a list of questions that would be on the test, but the teachers were free to go ‘off script’ at any time so we really weren’t sure what they were going to ask. They didn’t ask the really hard explanation questions that they asked us during the practice sessions (like ‘why do students in America use computers instead of writing everything by hand?’), so that was a blessing! Explanation questions are always hard because you know what they are asking and you know the answer- you just don’t have the vocabulary to answer, or you have to get really creative with the vocabulary you do have in order to answer. But I think I did pretty well.

Ok, quick topic change but aren’t these the coolest looking flowers? This is Bird of Paradise or Crane Flower– it’s beautiful and it even kind of looks like a bird!

Read more >> Options >>

Christmas Parties

So this was a month of Christmas Parties! Last Sunday, we had a Christmas party for some of our kids. Then on this Saturday, we had a Christmas Party for some of our other kids in another area of town- so much fun. We played games, made crafts, sang songs and we even did a skit in Kiswahili. Some how, I was nominated to be the Angel Gabriel- that's all great except my Swahili isn't good enough to keep up with the story. and they gave me the role that had to keep coming on and off stage! But we made due. We have only one more kids' party left to go!

So here is our Christmas play and me being a somewhat confused Arch Angel Gabriel:

Here are the Wisemen bringing gifts to the baby Jesus in (my favorite part of the whole picture) a Nakumatt bag! (Nakumatt is kind of like a Wal-Mart-ish store). These are some of our kids playing with the gifts they recieved:

Then today, we had a team Christmas party with my team and all of our volunteers. It was a blast! We went out to this outdoor restaurant and we proceeded to eat one whole goat and one whole chicken. YUMMY!!!!! Nyama Choma (literally roasted meat) is one of the national dishes of Kenya, and boy was it good! I usually don't eat much meat here, but I have sure made up for that this week! But we all had such a good time just hanging out together. Usually when we are all together, we are planning lessons, or other work stuff. It was great to just to sit back and enjoy each other!

And here is our team:

Have a great, snowy holiday!

Jamhuri Day

So Wednesday was Jamhuri Day! It’s a lot like our Independence Day. So my team and I took this opportunity to do some of the more touristy things around Nairobi that I hadn’t done yet.

We went to see part of the Great Rift Valley (which runs really near to my house). The Great Rift Valley runs from Mozambique to Israel.

Then we went to the Giraffe Center, where you can feed and pet the giraffes.

And no trip to the Giraffe Center is complete without getting a giraffe kiss- it’s sort of a Kenya Team initiation thing. NASTY!!!!!! Really, all they do is lick your chin, but still. NASTY!!!! I washed my face really well after that! So kids, don't give into peer pressure! Otherwise you will end up getting your face licked by a giraffe!

After Giraffe Center, we went to Carnivore for lunch. Now I think I have dreamed of some place like Carnivore all my life!!! It is all you can eat, unlimited meat. All sorts of meat. Beef, lamb, pork and chicken and a few exotic meats like crocodile and ostrich. So you sit there and waiters bring huge skewers of meat around and cut of pieces for you until you finally surrender and can’t eat another thing! Amazing lamb chops, great cuts of beef, yummy spare ribs! It’s a wonderful place! I think I may have finally made up for my year in India where I hardly ate any meat at all!

So that was my Jamhuri Day! Now it’s back to school for another week- then I am free for 2 weeks! I can’t wait!

Time To Play: Name That Animal!!!

ok. So what does this look like to you? A crack in the sidewalk?

A trail of ants?

Or a trail of SAFARI ANTS????

Here are safari ants- these ones are just outside my house. There actually not all that many in this group- usually there are a TON more! So safari ants are all over the place here. They aren't so bad if you can just step over them, but if you aren't paying attention while you're walking- yikes!!! They bite- HARD!! Thankfully, my only encounters with them have been from a little bit of a distance, but it seems everyone has their own 'when safari ants attack' story, so I'm sure my time will come! So below is a vide0 - check out the safari ants in action! It's a little blurry because they move REALLY fast!!

As long as you keep a bit of a distance, they are really fun to watch! The bigger ants form a perimeter for the smaller ones. The big ants, soldier ants, are used for stitches when people are cut in the bush, far from a hospital.

For more info about safari ants, check out this link in wikipedia!

Decorating the Trees!

On Saturday, I went over to my friends’ house and helped them decorate their tree. These are some of my classmates from language school.

Then I came home and started to decorate my tree on Sunday night. It isn’t taking days to decorate because of the massive size or anything! I’m just waiting for some of the ornaments to dry! But I like my Charlie Brown Christmas tree! Some of my kids stopped by tonight and helped me make more ornaments, so there will be plenty!

Happy Thanksgving or Happy Siku kuu ya kuku mkuu!!

That means happy "great day of the big chicken"! We learned another way to say "happy holiday of thankfulness" but this one was just way too much fun!!!

Since Thanksgiving is kind of the kick-off for the Christmas season, I started thinking this week that while I have a tiny Christmas tree, I don’t have any ornaments to put on said tree. Now who would have thought that all those years in Girl Scouts would come in handy? I had this bright idea, that it would be a good plan to MAKE my own ornaments. Now you all know me and my extreme lack of creativity, but these actually turned out pretty good if I do say so myself! I made some of that salt dough stuff I used to play with as a kid, and added some food coloring. I finished my Nativity set this evening and I tried a few experimental ornaments, but I'm still trying to figure out how to make little crowns for the kings- maybe tin foil, I don't know. But I’m taking the rest of my dough to my friend’s house on Saturday (we are going to decorate their tree) and her kids are going to help me make the rest of the ornaments. So Mom and Mrs. V, thanks for all those Girls Scout crafty things we had to do- it paid off!

My Kiswahili Report Card

I had my first Kiswahili test last week and I received a solid A on it!! So I am really excited. Classes are hard, but I’m holding my own. We started spending 1 hour each day after lunch working on our orals with our language helpers. This really will help with fluency and vocabulary- plus it’s a lot of fun to meet new people and actually utilize the concepts we are learning in class. Today, Irene (my language helper for the week) and I talked about different types of music and she taught me how to do a Luo dance. Nilijaribu ni kashidua (I can’t do it very well but, at least I tried!) Oh, and I’ve had Irene run time drills with me- because Swahili time is 6 hours off of English Time (so if it is 6am in Kenya, in Swahili it is 12am- I know it’s confusing!! But it actually makes sense- at 6 (when the sun comes up) is the 1^st hour of the day. At noon- the sun had been up for 6 hours, so it’s 6:00!) But it’s hard to remember when my watch says it’s 3:30pm, and the Little Hand on the clock is pointing to the 3, but I have to think it’s really 9:30 and then translate that into Swahili (which, by the way is “saa tisa na dakika thelathini”- just in case you wondered!)

So here are the things that I am studying for my next test:

Noun Classes and all their adjustments- all conveniently found on the Big Scary Yellow Chart!!


So that's pretty much all that's new with me! Hope you are doing well too!

Name That Vegetable -- TheAnswer!

So here is the answer to my quiz:

This Vegetable is.....


Bitter Melon (I know, that makes it sound like a fruit, but it's a veggie!) Apparently, it is know the world over for its notorious bitter taste and medicinal qualities. I still haven't had the guts to prepare it, but I will!

The Pics You Have All Been Waiting For!!

The Pics You Have All Been Waiting For!

Ok, so for all of you who keep pestering me for pictures, here they are!! My roommate went home for a few months, so her last few days here we got brave and broke out the camera a few times. Most of these were taken sneakily from a moving matatu, so the clarity leaves a bit to be desired; but you can at least get a feel for where I’m at!

A street-side shop (kiosk) in Nairobi

The Jakarange Trees- so amazing! They are blooming all over Nairobi right now!



Ok, so here is my favorite view in Kenya so far- and this picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice! You come around a huge bend in the road and all of a sudden this valley opens up and it is full of acacia trees! Beautiful!
Another acacia tree (with the pine tree air freshener from the matatu in the pic as well!)
Another view from the road
Here is part of the path up to my house

And another part of the trail to my house
My roommate and I at her surprise Going Away Party! And for Warren- the Nairobi Fire Station.

Time to Play "Name That Vegetable!!!"

Happy All Saints Day aka Reformation Day! If you don't go to a liturgical church, this is the day we celebrate Martin Luther, 95 Theses, and a something about the Diet of Worms (guess I should go back to for a remedial Conformation Class!)

Ok, now on to NAME THAT VEGETABLE!!!!

Ok, so any guesses as to the name of this Vegetable????

I found it at the market this week- it looked so interesting I had to buy it.

Still not quite sure how to prepare it, but I'm asking around.

Lions and Tigers and ... Donkeys???

Ok, so for all of you who are concerned about lions attacking me on my walk to school (and you know who you are!)- Fear not! I see a lot of punda (donkeys) and wajuzi (lizards) , a few ng’ombe and mbuzi (cows and goats) and the occasional kuku (chicken) but I have yet to see a lion. I’m fairly certain that there aren’t any lions my immediate vicinity- tea fields don’t seem to be their preferred domain. But fun trivia fact- the Kiswahili word for lion is simba- just like the main character in Disney’s The Lion King.

Sorry it’s been a while since I posted any updates!! I started Kiswahili school 2 weeks ago and it is taking up all my time!

Classes are going well- it’s a lot of work, but I really like it. My class is really small (there are 3 of us total) but that is nice because I have a lot of opportunities to practice with the teachers. Right now we are focusing on basic grammar and sentence structure. It is hard because an entire English sentence can sometimes be combined into one or two word in Kiswahili (because prefixes, infixes and suffixes are added to signify all the stuff that we would take a whole sentence to say). But there are plenty of long complicated sentences too! So I’m still working on getting the right words with all the right parts in the right places. But we took a field trip on Friday to practice our Swahili out in the community and I did well. Plus all my friends are really good about speaking to me in Kiswahili and they make me figure out what they are saying, so I get a lot of practice!

My newly revised Top 10 List

Ok, so apparently Lyssa didn’t think that my list was exhaustive enough- so I’ve expanded it to my Top 10!

1. Homemade Peanut butter courtesy of Mama Justine (Jiff’s got nothing on her!)

2. Amazing people- I love that you talk to literally everyone you see, at least a greeting ; good friends

3. Food so good that it can get even me to eat my veggies

4. Mama Christine’s skuma wiki (this technically should be in the veggie category, but it gets a spot all to itself- it’s that good!)

5. My watoto- the kids that live around me that come over for chai and help me practice my Swahili every night.

6. Two words: Java House

7. The big curve on Limuru Road- I think this may be the most gorgeous view I have ever seen- I’ll have to get a picture of it one of these days.

8. Beautiful scenery- you haven’t seen anything until you see the tea fields

9. No daylight savings- the sun always rises at 6:00 and sets at 6:00

10. Maasai Market- so fun, so many adventures to be had there!

Canadian Turkey Day!!

So yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving. My roommate and I thought it would be great to make a real Thanksgiving dinner for some of our friends. Now keep in mind that we have never actually attempted to make a real Thanksgiving meal by ourselves before, but we figured it was worth a shot. So originally, we had planned to just make the meal for ourselves, but then some of our friends found out and wanted to come and then the guest list kept growing and growing! And of course, cooking in Kenya isn’t like the States, you don’t just grab a frozen bird go to town- we did find some frozen chicken, but we had to make a trip to the veggie market (about 20 minutes away- and a whole other story!) on the day of to get our veggies. We had to kind of revamp some of the traditional dishes because of time, availability of ingredients and the fact that our oven is about 1 cubic foot! So we ended up making Julia’s Mom’s baked chicken, my grandma’s stuffing, roasted potatoes, lots of veggies, salad and apple crisp. Not too bad for 2 girls who can’t really cook!! But it was a fun evening- we had great friends, good food and we even watched the Thanksgiving Episode of the Cosby Show!

Here is a picture of some of my neighbors- I have about 30 kids who live around me and they have been teaching me some Swahili basics before I start classes on Thursday! It’s a blast! And these three- Stanley, Job and Peter are great teachers!