life

I haven't blogged in a while. I guess that, compared to a trip in Kenya, life is pretty boring. Some changes are coming up in my life, though. Things could become more interesting.

First of all, my lease at this apartment ends August 31. At that point, I will house-sit for some people I work with, who will be out of the country for most of September. Then I will live with some other people for October. I'm looking forward to house-sitting. I've done it before. It's fun to have someone else's entire house all to myself. It's also nice to have MY entire place to myself, but that's coming a little later on.

At the end of October, my commitment with Wycliffe will be fulfilled. I intend to get a job and a place of my own. The area I'm looking at is Temple, TX. My Rodgers will be going to UMHB, to turn his Associate Degree in Psychology into a BS, starting in August. (Today, he is still in Kenya, but will be back in 2 weeks.) So I am hoping to live near where he'll be and work in that area, too. It will be very different to live so close to each other. The goal is to get married eventually.

I actually bought a wedding dress already. I thought it was crazy to buy a dress before even being engaged. But I thought it would be ok since Rodgers already invited a ton of people to our wedding before being engaged. Plus, it was an $850 dress on ebay, and I won the bid for $35. The shipping was $40, but that's still an outrageously good deal. (I have a secret photo album with pictures of the dress, if you want to see it, just ask.)

I have found an apartment I quite like, as it is presented online. I haven't seen it in person yet. I will do that sometime when I'm down in that area. I'm sure I'll go down there for something... It's one of the largest one bedroom apartments I've seen in my price range. And I really like that the bedroom is a loft.

Since I'll kind of be a gypsy in September and October, most of my stuff is going into storage. I'll keep my clothes and computer with me, though - just the necessities. So I'm looking for a nice cheap storage unit in Arlington. I have found movers who will take my stuff there for a reasonable price. Since it's a short move and only a partial apartment of stuff, it is affordable. When I go to Temple, I will have to rent a trailer and get someone I know to tow it for me (I think I have a few options there). I could just rent a whole U-Haul truck, but I really don't think I need that much space. Maybe a small truck. But still, I think I'd want someone else to drive it. It's not really my thing...

my journal from Kenya

My whole journal is now online. For those who can't get enough of Kenya (most of them are named Angela) and want to know every detail. I didn't write all my stories down, but I did write a lot of stuff. There's an entry for all 13 days.

I figured out how to manipulate the date/time of the posts so that they are now in the correct order instead of backwards order. Yay!

safari ya kenya :: Day 1 :: in transit and Mombasa

Thursday, June 12

At ~ 4:20 a.m. Eastern Africa Time, on Thursday, June 12, 2008, I crossed the equator for the first time.

We arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly thereafter, where I promptly got lost. Not exactly lost, but I didn't know where to go or what to do. Eventually I discovered that the men standing in front of the directions were blocking the information that told me KQ Transfers were to the left. They were not blocking the part that said Transfers were to the right. Fortunately there were more signs with no men standing in front of them and I got myself turned around.

I stood in one line only to find that it wasn't the right place for me. But due to that, I was given some specific directions instead of trying to find the right place for me to be in the smallest airport I had been in at that time. I didn't have to wait in line for my visa. I got it with no problem at all, and still got to baggage claim ages before my 2 checked bags.

In Houston, on Tuesday, they had told me that I wouldn't have to pick up my bags until Mombasa. But visa guy told me I would have to collect them, take them to domestic departures, and recheck them.

I was a little concerned that I didn't get my bags until about 5:40, but it turned out to be plenty of time. At 6:15 I boarded a tiny airplane, but it was bigger than the one in the next space. It had 13 steps to climb from the tarmac. The next plane had only 6. So that was better.

We arrived on time in Mombasa, which has only 1 terminal and 4 gates, and is now the smallest airport I have ever been to. And my bags did make it on and off the plane with me. Rodgers was waiting for me with a taxi.

I got to see Mombasa Baptist High School, Rod's library, and meet some of his co-workers there. I got to see the Indian Ocean and Fort Jesus, which is an old Portuguese fort from some conflict with Arabs. I rode in a tuk-tuk and a matatu. And I walked a lot.

Me at Fort Jesus

I was supposed to stay with Agie, but some concerns developed regarding burglaries. They thought having a mzungu staying there would be inviting trouble. Other people I was to stay with had some other things come up.

In the end, Rod decided to put me up in a hotel.

Jundan Hotel is brand new. When I checked in, there were pieces of masking tape with the room numbers stuck to the doors. The keys had the room numbers attached on pieces of cardboard. By late afternoon, they had installed the real room numbers on the doors and attached plastic ones to the keys. It is quite nice, with a guard posted outside in the evenings. It is right next door to a mosque, so I hear the call to prayer quite clearly.

My hotel room


Out my hotel window

All three meals today Rod took me to different little restaurants. Breakfast was eggs, toast, and samosas (fried dumplings) with chai. Lunch was githeri (beans, corn, beef, and kale), which Rod said was his favorite. For dinner we had Kenyan chicken and chips with chai. Rod has always said that American chicken is different and not as good as Kenyan. It was different. It had more flavor and tasted a little wild. Not wild as in weird, wild as in wild bird as in not domestic.

safari ya kenya :: Day 2 :: in Mombasa

Friday, June 13

The morning started with the mosque's call to prayer before 5 a.m. I tried to sleep again afterwards, but gave up around 7 and took a shower.

Breakfast was sausages, mahamri (a type of roll), and of course chai.

Then we went to a place that highlights some of the big tribes in Kenya. The man representing the Mijikenda (which includes Rod's tribe, Giriama) renamed me Furaha, the Swahili word for joy. It was very interesting seeing the way different tribes do life - their housing and providing for their families. We also got to meet a witch doctor. He said the spirits told him that we're all well. That's good.

After that we went to Haller Park, where we saw several Kenyan animals. The giraffes and one crocodile were very close. Took some good pictures I think.

Giant Tortoise


Giraffe


Crocodile

Then - the beach and the Indian Ocean. It's the windy time of the year now. Plus it's not very hot. So I was freezing. But it was fun playing in the water together. I got a ridiculous sunburn. Like someone splashed red dye on me at random.

Then we went to Agie's house and had chapati and beans in coconut milk for dinner. I didn't eat a lot because I got too much sun, but it was good. It's one of Rod's favorite dinners. Good chai, too. Agie seems wonderful. Her daughter Emmy is fun too. She's a very smart 3 year old. At first she kept calling me Mzungu. But after Agie's and Rod's insistence she tried to learn my name. Sometimes I was Uncle Rachel (because she knows it's Uncle Rodgers). But in the end she settled on Auntie. That's the aunt that doesn't rhyme with ant. And the emphasis is on the "ie".

Rod and Agie making chapati

Me shredding a coconut

safari ya kenya :: Day 3 :: in Mombasa

Saturday, June 14

We took it easy this morning. We checked emails and had a late breakfast. Then we looked at some dresses to give our moms, but we didn't like any of them. We went to a bank for me to exchange currency, for which they charged a $5 commission. I thought that was a bit excessive. We had to wait in line for about 12 days. Rod knows a place that doesn't charge for exchange, but they don't take anything under $100 bills. I had 20s, so that was out.

Around noon we took naps and then had lunch at about 2. Fish and chips.

Then we went to Aliston's and Angeline's for dinner. Fried chicken, fish, ugali, rice, coconut stew, and bananas. Not sure if the water was safe to drink, but I drank it anyway. We'll see. I may get a parasite.

The 2 daughters, Esther and Mercy, are learning English in school, so they practiced on me. That was fun.

Oh! Before we got to the house for dinner, we stopped at Beatrice's shop (I later learned that Angeline also works there). She's a dressmaker and is going to make dresses for our moms. We just have to get their measurements.

Before we left, they gave us some traditional Kenyan clothes, in purple.

Angeline, Rod, and me wearing purple lesos

It rained a lot today. The way to the house was all muddy. So we got covered in mud - I did at least, from the knees down.