I marvel at our boy every day. It seems he has a spurt of development now and again and in the last 4 days he has come along leaps and bounds. He now walks with confidence. He just decided one day last week that he was confident enough to take off without a ‘parachute’ (mummy or daddy’s arms) and spent an entire afternoon walking on his own between Pamela and the askari. It involved lots of encouragement of course and he even joined in the clapping! First time he has clapped himself!
So now he just gets up and walks at every opportunity, except when he’s tired of course, when only carrying him will do. He also copies everything. He picked up a water bottle the other day and swigged it determinedly (with the top on) and now will bring it to me to take the top off so he can have a drink, though he mostly spills it down himself as he clamps the top to his mouth and puffs his cheeks out. He also picks up the phone (or the mouse) and holds it to his ear, kind of backwards, and ‘talks’ into it. Hilarious! The other day I poked at his toy caterpillar with my foot and he spent 10 minutes trying to push it around with his foot.
He LOVES singing and dancing, joining in both with gusto, particularly if it is on TV. He ‘sings’ back to you when you sing him a song and jiggles when he perceives you are dancing (Pamela does a lot of both with him). He is very vocal, saying ‘da’ to mummy’s ‘ta’ and learning to take things in turn when I say ‘mummy do it’ or ‘Alfie do it’. He also gets very cross when things are taken off him or hidden; he KNOWS they should be there. He plays endless games which he invents himself, particularly liking emptying things (mummy’s basket) and putting things back – he took all the nappy bags out and carefully placed them back in, for example. He also loves cars; real as well as toys. He took a toy car from one of the neighbouring boys the other day and pushed it along the ground. I asked Simon if he had showed him to do that but he said no, he had done it all himself as soon as he gave him the car.
He is also very cuddly, clinging tight to mummy when strangers approach or when he is tired. He will also, at a push, give mummy a kiss when asked (opened mouthed of course).
He adores the sling and the car seat, playing for a long time with both, and will ‘read’ his books on his own when he feels like it. He still loves his baths but will stand up to be picked out when he is ready. He also adores toothbrushes though is not so keen on his upper teeth being brushed as the gums are still sore from his 5th and 6th teeth coming through.
Tonight he got terribly upset when Daddy shaved his beard off, he was inconsolable. Otherwise Daddy is a huge source of amusement, they spend hours making faces at each other and he beams whenever Daddy is in the room. They look more and more alike every day. ‘A duplicate’ as someone said.
All in all he is hours of entertainment every day and willing to try most things if mummy and daddy are doing it; in fact he can get quite cross if not allowed to drink out of every bottle and glass that they have. He is fantastically interested in anything mechanical; taps, locks, handles, keys, padlocks, windows, doors, belts, buckles, shoes etc. And still loves watching animals of all kinds.
Apart from a few wakeful nights (teeth, diahorrea) and early mornings he sleeps like a log and is equally happy at home as he is having days out. In fact he is such a delight to take out we have no qualms about taking him anywhere, knowing he enjoys people as well as places so much. He loves rough and tumble of any sort and when we put him on a trampoline recently he screamed with delight. In short, we spend all day marvelling at our boy and laughing along with him. Alfie is Ace!!!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Coming Home
So our flight is booked for Sunday 12th September. It’s a night flight with BA so we’ll be arriving home early Monday, the day before Alfie’s birthday.
I’m looking forward to it but I also have mixed feelings. Now it’s imminent, I’m actually sad our adventure here is coming to a close. I find it hard to imagine being back at no 19 where I can simply walk out the door and stroll around safely. Not have to make sure all the windows and doors are closed so that the monkeys can’t get in (to be fair, we don’t worry about monkeys in Nairobi, only when we are elsewhere but it quickly becomes a habit). Of course making sure everything is triple locked is a way of life here. I do wonder what would happen if there was a fire when there are grilles on all the windows and doors, the main ones of which are latched with a padlock for extra protection. Doesn’t bear thinking about. I shan’t miss the traffic. Or the random public holidays; on Friday they “promulgated the constitution” here and invited all of Africa’s great and good to come and take part. So of course they closed all the main roads in the city from Wednesday onwards for rehearsals. Eh? I mean can you imagine closing Trafalgar Square for 3 days with only a few hours notice? Random, as is so much else here in Kenya.
I will definitely miss Pamela as will Alfie, heaps and heaps. How to explain to a one year old when people simply appear and disappear out of his life? And the fact that we can eat out and eat well as often as we like. (Not sure I mentioned this but fillet steak is the cheapest cut here and even the most unassuming cafes make delicious bread and fantastic salads.)
I’m slightly dreading being back and having to keep house and look after Alfie without help. It does make such a difference being able to sit down and write this at leisure, for example. Though I feel I would have achieved a lot more if the bloody internet connection wasn’t so appalling. That drives me mad, as does the traffic. But the people are lovely, friendly, helpful and interested. And so fabulous with Alfie; he beams with delight when he sees the askari for example, who spends patient hours helping him to walk around the car park and even, oh treats of treats, lets him play with the padlocks and bolts on the gate now and again. (Another obsession of Alfie’s at the moment).
I think what I love about Kenya is the obvious mix of ‘primitive’ and ‘civilisation’. It’s everywhere you look and most poignantly displayed on the roads. Miles of pockmarked tarmac with gleaming 4x4’s and heaps of people patiently walking to work alongside it. Black tarmac, red, red soil and silver bright Pajero’s. Speeding muzungu (white person) or mehindi (Indians) and poor, disabled, blind, begging blacks. Or the stereotypical Kenyan out for a quick buck, selling anything from the paper to their grandmother. All available and visible on the streets every day, every hour.
And there is such an air of possibility here. I guess a little like a newly minted nation, which in some ways Kenya is. That indefinable something that gives you confidence that you can achieve what you want, because anything is possible. And they do say; if you can’t buy it you can have it made. Which is also true.
And I do feel that 2 months is a funny time to be away. Too long for an extended holiday yet not long enough to invest in people, places and things. Kind of in limbo. But it’s given me a good insight into what life could be like living abroad and I must say I like it. I don’t think it would suit everyone but I’m a ‘joiner’; happy to join groups doing anything from childcare to adult learning, dancing to gossip and determined to make myself useful. My voluntary work has opened my eyes to all sorts of insights for example, more of which in another blog entry.
So every day I find something to miss, and something to be glad to be rid of! I can’t wait to come home and tell you all about it in person and only hope I can remember it all. Best of all, Alfie seems to have had a ball and has met such a variety of people and had such adventures; we’ve really come together as a family and he is developing at a rapid pace. Of course this would have happened at home as well, but it does feel special being able to introduce him to animals that, for example, we sing about and play with and watch on TV every day. (Has anyone else noticed how many elephants and giraffe and lions are part of children’s rhymes and stories?)
So our adventure is coming to an end for now. But at least we know we can do it and despite an initial settling in period (inevitably) the opportunity to live in another country is fantastically exciting and full of excitement and fun. What’s not to like?
I’m looking forward to it but I also have mixed feelings. Now it’s imminent, I’m actually sad our adventure here is coming to a close. I find it hard to imagine being back at no 19 where I can simply walk out the door and stroll around safely. Not have to make sure all the windows and doors are closed so that the monkeys can’t get in (to be fair, we don’t worry about monkeys in Nairobi, only when we are elsewhere but it quickly becomes a habit). Of course making sure everything is triple locked is a way of life here. I do wonder what would happen if there was a fire when there are grilles on all the windows and doors, the main ones of which are latched with a padlock for extra protection. Doesn’t bear thinking about. I shan’t miss the traffic. Or the random public holidays; on Friday they “promulgated the constitution” here and invited all of Africa’s great and good to come and take part. So of course they closed all the main roads in the city from Wednesday onwards for rehearsals. Eh? I mean can you imagine closing Trafalgar Square for 3 days with only a few hours notice? Random, as is so much else here in Kenya.
I will definitely miss Pamela as will Alfie, heaps and heaps. How to explain to a one year old when people simply appear and disappear out of his life? And the fact that we can eat out and eat well as often as we like. (Not sure I mentioned this but fillet steak is the cheapest cut here and even the most unassuming cafes make delicious bread and fantastic salads.)
I’m slightly dreading being back and having to keep house and look after Alfie without help. It does make such a difference being able to sit down and write this at leisure, for example. Though I feel I would have achieved a lot more if the bloody internet connection wasn’t so appalling. That drives me mad, as does the traffic. But the people are lovely, friendly, helpful and interested. And so fabulous with Alfie; he beams with delight when he sees the askari for example, who spends patient hours helping him to walk around the car park and even, oh treats of treats, lets him play with the padlocks and bolts on the gate now and again. (Another obsession of Alfie’s at the moment).
I think what I love about Kenya is the obvious mix of ‘primitive’ and ‘civilisation’. It’s everywhere you look and most poignantly displayed on the roads. Miles of pockmarked tarmac with gleaming 4x4’s and heaps of people patiently walking to work alongside it. Black tarmac, red, red soil and silver bright Pajero’s. Speeding muzungu (white person) or mehindi (Indians) and poor, disabled, blind, begging blacks. Or the stereotypical Kenyan out for a quick buck, selling anything from the paper to their grandmother. All available and visible on the streets every day, every hour.
And there is such an air of possibility here. I guess a little like a newly minted nation, which in some ways Kenya is. That indefinable something that gives you confidence that you can achieve what you want, because anything is possible. And they do say; if you can’t buy it you can have it made. Which is also true.
And I do feel that 2 months is a funny time to be away. Too long for an extended holiday yet not long enough to invest in people, places and things. Kind of in limbo. But it’s given me a good insight into what life could be like living abroad and I must say I like it. I don’t think it would suit everyone but I’m a ‘joiner’; happy to join groups doing anything from childcare to adult learning, dancing to gossip and determined to make myself useful. My voluntary work has opened my eyes to all sorts of insights for example, more of which in another blog entry.
So every day I find something to miss, and something to be glad to be rid of! I can’t wait to come home and tell you all about it in person and only hope I can remember it all. Best of all, Alfie seems to have had a ball and has met such a variety of people and had such adventures; we’ve really come together as a family and he is developing at a rapid pace. Of course this would have happened at home as well, but it does feel special being able to introduce him to animals that, for example, we sing about and play with and watch on TV every day. (Has anyone else noticed how many elephants and giraffe and lions are part of children’s rhymes and stories?)
So our adventure is coming to an end for now. But at least we know we can do it and despite an initial settling in period (inevitably) the opportunity to live in another country is fantastically exciting and full of excitement and fun. What’s not to like?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
A couple of weekends ago we spent the night at Kitingela Glass and what a place! Back in the 60’s, Nani and her husband Eric came from Germany to start an artists commune about an hour outside Nairobi and wonderful and mad it is too. It has grown organically over the years so that the accommodation blends with the countryside – it sits on the edge of a beautiful gorge on the edge of Nairobi National Park – and workshops, hobbit-like dwellings, stables, shops and even a hot furnace have sprung up as if from the ground itself. And everywhere, but everywhere is inlaid with the most beautiful broken tiles and mosaics, including the dragon that sails majestically across the infinity pool. Being glass people, they are not restricted like us mortals to square windows oh no. The guesthouse, much like anywhere else, is a mushroom of concrete very reminiscent of the Barbapappa house, if you recall that children’s programme? With stained glass windows and inlaid floors, lovely glass shades and glass bead curtains; they make everything from vases, mobiles, lamps and sculptures to mosaics, mirrors, furniture and beads. The khazi sits in a bubble looking out over the gorge with a lovely round window so you could sit there and look out all day if you wanted. In fact we took our G&T’s on the (inlaid) terrace, marvelling at the tree hyraxes which surrounded us. They’re like massive guinea pig/rats that live in trees and are normally hard to see as they are very shy. They also make most incredible, horrible noise at night, even worse than our urban foxes. We also saw some giraffe across the way and a family of baboons crossing the gorge. Plus a majestic male ostrich which turned out to be part of the menagerie.
And what a menagerie! Nani has geese, duck, rabbit and many, many dogs wandering around freely. Then there’s a donkey, the aforementioned ostrich and a few black pigs. Plus the most amazing aviary. I mean, it really was astonishing, hundreds upon hundreds of birds living in these carved iron cages/sculptures above the main living quarters. We had a fantastic lunch with the family and all those birds, including parrots, lovebirds, bee-eaters, starlings and a very rare and very sharp Egyptian Vulture. I kept well away from his beak I can tell you. But most animals that wandered, fluttered or flew up got something from the table. Lovely and mad.
Naturally we spent the morning wending our way through the workshops and ‘factory’, watching artisans at work making and mending and creating. Nani’s son Anselm built a furnace and is the author of the ‘hot glass’ range which includes most domestic items such as glassware, jugs and bowls, which you may have seen a very small sample of at our house and which can be seen in every single restaurant in Kenya I think. It’s all 100% recycled, including the engine oil which fires the furnace (which never goes out). And all, as I say, growing out of the side of this gorge, filled with hibiscus and bougainvillea, huddling under trees and joined up with a snaking path of inlaid bits of broken glass. Very romantic and arty and surreal. Alfie loved it!
http://www.kitengela-glass.com/
Eventually we had to say our goodbyes and made our way on to the road marked ‘very bad’ on the map, thinking that without rain it couldn’t be that bad. And it wasn’t (sorry to spoil the story) but it did take us a pretty while to reach the Acacia Lodge on the Athi River where we were spending Saturday night. It’s set in a small private game reserve with no natural predators (no lions and such) so plenty of herd beasts of all varieties and especially birds. Alfie and I took our sundowners in the garden and were keenly followed by a flock of splendid starlings (which are sooooo splendid, especially their bright blue backs) who seemed rather partial to bits of mini Baby Bel cheese.
We had an awesome dinner there, which frankly didn’t augur well at first as I thought it was a bit of a boring Sunday dinner coming up (the manager is an English lady). But the roast pork and crackling was the best I have ever tasted and the roast beef so sublime I am still thinking about it. We found out later that the butcher marinates it in pawpaw to get it so tender. Yum! And the evening ended sitting around a camp fire discussing what we might see the next day. Which were the usual suspects; gazelles, lots of giraffe, some zebra and wildebeest. With the lack of predators we were able to get out of the car and wander around, though the place is infested with a particular type of tick which looked like a spider and was a bit unpleasant; miraculously Alfie managed to get away without a single bite. And he LOVES going in the sling, even though he’s just about grown out of it, because being up as high as Daddy and going on adventures such as rope bridges, is clearly oodles of fun.
So that was our lovely weekend away. Our next adventure is the Mara for four days in our last week, at the Kechwa Tembo lodge. If we’re really lucky we may see the stragglers from the great migration though July and August are optimal for this in the Mara. It doesn’t look like we’ll make Mombasa this time which is such a shame as I’m told it’s an absolute must. Ah well, we’ll just have to come back!
And what a menagerie! Nani has geese, duck, rabbit and many, many dogs wandering around freely. Then there’s a donkey, the aforementioned ostrich and a few black pigs. Plus the most amazing aviary. I mean, it really was astonishing, hundreds upon hundreds of birds living in these carved iron cages/sculptures above the main living quarters. We had a fantastic lunch with the family and all those birds, including parrots, lovebirds, bee-eaters, starlings and a very rare and very sharp Egyptian Vulture. I kept well away from his beak I can tell you. But most animals that wandered, fluttered or flew up got something from the table. Lovely and mad.
Naturally we spent the morning wending our way through the workshops and ‘factory’, watching artisans at work making and mending and creating. Nani’s son Anselm built a furnace and is the author of the ‘hot glass’ range which includes most domestic items such as glassware, jugs and bowls, which you may have seen a very small sample of at our house and which can be seen in every single restaurant in Kenya I think. It’s all 100% recycled, including the engine oil which fires the furnace (which never goes out). And all, as I say, growing out of the side of this gorge, filled with hibiscus and bougainvillea, huddling under trees and joined up with a snaking path of inlaid bits of broken glass. Very romantic and arty and surreal. Alfie loved it!
http://www.kitengela-glass.com/
Eventually we had to say our goodbyes and made our way on to the road marked ‘very bad’ on the map, thinking that without rain it couldn’t be that bad. And it wasn’t (sorry to spoil the story) but it did take us a pretty while to reach the Acacia Lodge on the Athi River where we were spending Saturday night. It’s set in a small private game reserve with no natural predators (no lions and such) so plenty of herd beasts of all varieties and especially birds. Alfie and I took our sundowners in the garden and were keenly followed by a flock of splendid starlings (which are sooooo splendid, especially their bright blue backs) who seemed rather partial to bits of mini Baby Bel cheese.
We had an awesome dinner there, which frankly didn’t augur well at first as I thought it was a bit of a boring Sunday dinner coming up (the manager is an English lady). But the roast pork and crackling was the best I have ever tasted and the roast beef so sublime I am still thinking about it. We found out later that the butcher marinates it in pawpaw to get it so tender. Yum! And the evening ended sitting around a camp fire discussing what we might see the next day. Which were the usual suspects; gazelles, lots of giraffe, some zebra and wildebeest. With the lack of predators we were able to get out of the car and wander around, though the place is infested with a particular type of tick which looked like a spider and was a bit unpleasant; miraculously Alfie managed to get away without a single bite. And he LOVES going in the sling, even though he’s just about grown out of it, because being up as high as Daddy and going on adventures such as rope bridges, is clearly oodles of fun.
So that was our lovely weekend away. Our next adventure is the Mara for four days in our last week, at the Kechwa Tembo lodge. If we’re really lucky we may see the stragglers from the great migration though July and August are optimal for this in the Mara. It doesn’t look like we’ll make Mombasa this time which is such a shame as I’m told it’s an absolute must. Ah well, we’ll just have to come back!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Me and the Catholics
So yesterday I found myself doing something I have only done a very few times in my life, and not just once either but twice in one day! What was it? Saying grace before a meal, in this case both lunch and dinner.
Religion is very important in Kenya and there are many faiths and denominations vying for business, so to speak. On the plus side it’s a great way to organise people and gives them a sense of belonging and community. It also provides some fantastic music and some of the singing I have heard on my travels is beautiful. On the downside there is all the usual stuff; abuse of power, children, vulnerable people and corruption. Bit like a government, eh?
Anyway anyway, the voluntary work I am doing is supported by the Catholic Church and even if it wasn’t I dare say the children would be taken to church on a Sunday anyway. So housemother asked one of them to say grace before lunch yesterday and I duly mumbled an ‘Amen’ along with the kids. I mean, I’m not religious per se, but I AM grateful for the food provided so at least that bit is true. Then in the evening we had invited our friend Jo to see the elephants being put to bed and as she was staying with her friend Doug, he invited us to dinner afterwards, at his guesthouse. At his Catholic Guesthouse. Where priests passing through Nairobi can come and get a bed and a meal. Not fancy but not shabby neither, it’s on the same road as the Vatican Embassy so fairly private. And they also have some sort of educational institution and not one but two chapels (greedy!). Anyway anyway, there were 5 or 6 old men (Catholic priests) who were in for dinner, all American and all delighted to meet Alfie of course. The meal was great and very tasty despite its boarding school appearance, and alcohol was served, though sparingly. The boarding school appearance was helped by the meal whizzing along, to such an extent I was still helping myself to salad while the old gent next to me was tucking into his chocolate cake. Ah well, they have a lot of reading and praying to do before bed, don’t they?
So that was lovely and my second grace of the day; in fact they did one after the meal too but I was busy with Alfie on the other side of the room by that time (and I’m fairly sure everyone had finished by then…) so I didn’t hear what they said that time either.
And I got to thinking. It strikes me that there is something slightly out of kilter with all these religious organisations out here, ‘doing good’ for the people. Many and varied as they are (lots of Americans) and not forgetting the great missionary traditions of the African continent, of course they do do a lot of good and help a lot of very needy people. But isn’t the Catholic Church, for example, one of the richest organisations in the world? I mean, couldn’t they just sell even a quarter of the Vatican treasures and REALLY make a difference, once and for all? Isn’t it a bit odd that these rich and prosperous organisations are happy to pepper the land with their do-gooding flock but are not so quick to put their hands in their pockets? Their considerably well-lined and, in many cases, well-pilfered-in-the-first-place pockets.
I don’t know. Just a thought.
Religion is very important in Kenya and there are many faiths and denominations vying for business, so to speak. On the plus side it’s a great way to organise people and gives them a sense of belonging and community. It also provides some fantastic music and some of the singing I have heard on my travels is beautiful. On the downside there is all the usual stuff; abuse of power, children, vulnerable people and corruption. Bit like a government, eh?
Anyway anyway, the voluntary work I am doing is supported by the Catholic Church and even if it wasn’t I dare say the children would be taken to church on a Sunday anyway. So housemother asked one of them to say grace before lunch yesterday and I duly mumbled an ‘Amen’ along with the kids. I mean, I’m not religious per se, but I AM grateful for the food provided so at least that bit is true. Then in the evening we had invited our friend Jo to see the elephants being put to bed and as she was staying with her friend Doug, he invited us to dinner afterwards, at his guesthouse. At his Catholic Guesthouse. Where priests passing through Nairobi can come and get a bed and a meal. Not fancy but not shabby neither, it’s on the same road as the Vatican Embassy so fairly private. And they also have some sort of educational institution and not one but two chapels (greedy!). Anyway anyway, there were 5 or 6 old men (Catholic priests) who were in for dinner, all American and all delighted to meet Alfie of course. The meal was great and very tasty despite its boarding school appearance, and alcohol was served, though sparingly. The boarding school appearance was helped by the meal whizzing along, to such an extent I was still helping myself to salad while the old gent next to me was tucking into his chocolate cake. Ah well, they have a lot of reading and praying to do before bed, don’t they?
So that was lovely and my second grace of the day; in fact they did one after the meal too but I was busy with Alfie on the other side of the room by that time (and I’m fairly sure everyone had finished by then…) so I didn’t hear what they said that time either.
And I got to thinking. It strikes me that there is something slightly out of kilter with all these religious organisations out here, ‘doing good’ for the people. Many and varied as they are (lots of Americans) and not forgetting the great missionary traditions of the African continent, of course they do do a lot of good and help a lot of very needy people. But isn’t the Catholic Church, for example, one of the richest organisations in the world? I mean, couldn’t they just sell even a quarter of the Vatican treasures and REALLY make a difference, once and for all? Isn’t it a bit odd that these rich and prosperous organisations are happy to pepper the land with their do-gooding flock but are not so quick to put their hands in their pockets? Their considerably well-lined and, in many cases, well-pilfered-in-the-first-place pockets.
I don’t know. Just a thought.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sister Mary
Or the Mother of Mukomo as she is also known. Mukomo is a slum of about 400 000 people out towards the airport and Sister Mary Killeen has been working there since 1976. I spent this morning with her and she kindly took some time to drive me around and show me the main 3 projects she is working on at the moment. The first was a rehabilitation centre for streetchildren, which takes in up to 70 boys from the age of 9 to 17. (It’s boys only because there was a girls only facility but that has since closed down). They stay only a year, during which they have lessons, activities and counselling, with the hope that they will return to their families and schools after that. They cannot take orphans at the moment, that throws up a new and different set of problems in itself. But the kids have somewhere safe to sleep, catch up on their education including maths, english, swahili and art - the art and design teacher showed me around and his classroom was lovely, with some fantastic work on the wall. They also have a carpentry workshop and volunteers who come in to play music and sports with them. They do a phenomenal job with very little resources. In case you have conjured up a brightly lit, well ventilated and painted facility such as we may have back in the UK, let me adjust that picture for you. It's concrete bunkers with corrugated iron roofing, sagging bunk beds four to a space (no rooms as such, no doors and no other furniture, not even drawers or tables and certainly no carpets or rugs) and although they have had some computers donated, they don't yet have electricity in that building. The yard outside is a football pitch of dust on which not only the streetkids play but also 1300 or so primary school kids which adjoin the compound.
Then we went to a home for temporarily parentless children; somewhere they can stay while their mother, usually, goes into hospital for example. If the children are left on their own in the slums they will be raped and abused and it’s not always possible to find relatives to care for them, especially if there is 4 or more kids to look after. So they can come to Justynes house; she’s the sister who set it up having worked with Sister Mary for a few years. She’s no longer as sister though, as she left the convent and promptly met and married a Kenyan and is currently on maternity leave having had her baby in July. She’s rented a 3 bed property on the edge of the slum and has 13 children there at the moment, ranging from 3 years old to around 14 I think. The three year old was severely malnourished when he arrived with his 3 siblings and in just 2 weeks they have all filled out and are thriving. He could barely walk and was more like a 18month old but has improved immeasurably in the time he has been there. In fact I thought he was just a little older than Alfie when I met him. And there he was, happily playing with a pencil. They have not a single toy in the house and only 2 children’s books as far as I could see. But they were all very well behaved, doing their lessons round a big table in the living room. And they do have a little yard outside to play in, which is more than most.
And finally we visited a temporary site where older girls from the region are catching up on their studies, with help from volunteers. Sister Mary gave one of them a grilling, asking sternly if she was ‘getting into the habit of going around’ meaning hanging out with men and not turning up for her study periods. I turned out she was behaving and had been coming regularly, according to Glory, the supervisor. Phew!
Sister Mary is fantastic and not just because of the work she does or because she took an entire morning to show me around when she is incredibly busy and I can only be of help for a few weeks. But also because in the best Irish tradition she is a great talker. She not only told some hair-raising stories but we discussed child abuse at length; the fact that it is so endemic and accepted plus her own personal theory that women are just as involved as men. She has even studied the history of sexual abuse! A really fascinating woman.
So I’m going to be working at Justyne’s place for the next few weeks, helping out in the mornings with lessons and playing. I can’t wait to meet the kids properly and I will, naturally, tell you all about it!
Then we went to a home for temporarily parentless children; somewhere they can stay while their mother, usually, goes into hospital for example. If the children are left on their own in the slums they will be raped and abused and it’s not always possible to find relatives to care for them, especially if there is 4 or more kids to look after. So they can come to Justynes house; she’s the sister who set it up having worked with Sister Mary for a few years. She’s no longer as sister though, as she left the convent and promptly met and married a Kenyan and is currently on maternity leave having had her baby in July. She’s rented a 3 bed property on the edge of the slum and has 13 children there at the moment, ranging from 3 years old to around 14 I think. The three year old was severely malnourished when he arrived with his 3 siblings and in just 2 weeks they have all filled out and are thriving. He could barely walk and was more like a 18month old but has improved immeasurably in the time he has been there. In fact I thought he was just a little older than Alfie when I met him. And there he was, happily playing with a pencil. They have not a single toy in the house and only 2 children’s books as far as I could see. But they were all very well behaved, doing their lessons round a big table in the living room. And they do have a little yard outside to play in, which is more than most.
And finally we visited a temporary site where older girls from the region are catching up on their studies, with help from volunteers. Sister Mary gave one of them a grilling, asking sternly if she was ‘getting into the habit of going around’ meaning hanging out with men and not turning up for her study periods. I turned out she was behaving and had been coming regularly, according to Glory, the supervisor. Phew!
Sister Mary is fantastic and not just because of the work she does or because she took an entire morning to show me around when she is incredibly busy and I can only be of help for a few weeks. But also because in the best Irish tradition she is a great talker. She not only told some hair-raising stories but we discussed child abuse at length; the fact that it is so endemic and accepted plus her own personal theory that women are just as involved as men. She has even studied the history of sexual abuse! A really fascinating woman.
So I’m going to be working at Justyne’s place for the next few weeks, helping out in the mornings with lessons and playing. I can’t wait to meet the kids properly and I will, naturally, tell you all about it!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Alfie Update - First Steps!
Alfie took his first steps yesterday!!!!! At 11 months almost exactly. Just casually strolled over to Daddy, taking 3 steady steps without fanfare. Mummy and Daddy (the only witnesses, but the ones that count) got so excited and whooped and cheered and clapped so loudly he burst into tears. Which may not be exactly the right sort of encouragement he needed.... Still, we are VERY proud. He's been standing confidently for about a week now, often with something in each hand; toothbrushes, toys, bread and cheese for example.
He also has his first curl! I was so emotional I nearly cried. Then I thought about cutting it off. Then I came to my senses. He is pretty much still bald with a faint covering of (strawberry in some lights) blonde but with some extra at the back, where the curl is. His 2 top teeth are ENORMOUS with a huge gap inbetween too. I am sure it will even out as they grow. Though gappy front choppers run on my side of the family; mine were carefully joined up with years of hideous orthodontistry. (I felt a twinge of teenage regret when I saw Madonna's.) Anyway, as I say I'm sure it will grow out. He likes to grind his top and bottom teeth together which is er, gross and endearing at the same time. His appetite fluctuates and is becoming more like a toddler's. He LOVES Mini Baby Bel cheeses to the point that I have to ration them daily. They were originally a ruse to get him round the supermarket but I fear I have created a (cheese) monster. Bread is also a winner and pretty much everything else is a bit hit and miss; sometimes sausages are favourite, sometimes yoghurt. He's also tasted cake, biscuits, chocolate, juice, crisps and popcorn in the last month. I blame the mother and baby group I go to on Monday mornings; the kids are mostly 2 year olds and if I try to keep Alfie distracted from the goodies he simply hoovers the crumbs off the floor, poor mite.
I'm also amazed at his understanding and reasoning. He knows what to do when I talk about brushing our teeth (goes to get the toothbrushes) and going out (goes to get his shoes) and helps to put his car seat belts on. He will also give me his drinking cup so that I can fold the spout out for him and will bring me a toy he wants me to play with - the bubble blower is a winner every time, and it only cost me 50p! We also take things in turn, saying 'Mummy do it' and 'Alfie do it', with his music toys in particular. He LOVES drumming! We bought him a little wooden drum as well as the plastic one and he likes to have both drums in front of him, banging one with each hand, entirely his own invention. He's suddenly much bolder, happily going into the bedrooms we don't use and playing in the showers - that we don't use. He'll also look for Pamela and can do a superfast crawl if he thinks she's in the utility room beyond the kitchen. Conversely, he's also quite mumsy, not so happy to go to just anyone anymore and keeps his eyes locked on mummy when picked up by others. He will beam at random people depending on how the mood takes him however, and gets very excited when spotting someone familiar, such as our askari (who is brilliant with him, like many men of all ages over here).
He makes the funniest faces now. The other day he was doing this weird blinking thing, like he was trying out new ways to blink, scrunching his eyes up and then looking very reflective as if to say, hmm, that's what that feels like. His vocab changes all the time, mammamamamam is definitely for mummy, often used if he's fallen over or feeling tired and cuddly. He will also do a dadadadadad for daddy. Yesterday it was all about the tongue, he seemed to be trying out what sounds he could make with his tongue out and sometimes you would swear he says a proper word like 'Pamela' or something. He'll also attempt to join in singing which is so adorable.
Today we had a busy day; we swam for almost an hour and he was happy as anything, particularly when Daddy threw him high up in the air and splashed down. Going underwater doesn't faze him in the slightest, still waiting for that protest to kick in as I'm in no doubt it will eventually. We then had a long lunch with a family friend of Pete's and he was so happy sitting in his highchair at the end of the table, eating 'bitings' (appetisers like bread, cheese and ham) and singing away. When he got fed up with sitting he crawled around on the floor keeping himself occupied for ages by climbing up a large plant pot and saying hello to the next table (he's still champion at staring). And after that we went to see a couple of more friends at a local shopping centre and though he was pretty hanging by this time was still in a super mood, laughing and insisting on drinking out of a glass or a bottle like Daddy, even eating a slice of lime - he loves anything sharp and tart, crazy baby.
Tomorrow we're off to Lake Naivasha for lunch and a spot of hippo spotting by boat. It is so much fun taking him places as he just loves going on adventures with Mummy and Daddy. We've had some sleepless evenings recently, due to another couple of teeth just coming through, but for the last two nights he has slept through to 7am, hurrah!
He also has his first curl! I was so emotional I nearly cried. Then I thought about cutting it off. Then I came to my senses. He is pretty much still bald with a faint covering of (strawberry in some lights) blonde but with some extra at the back, where the curl is. His 2 top teeth are ENORMOUS with a huge gap inbetween too. I am sure it will even out as they grow. Though gappy front choppers run on my side of the family; mine were carefully joined up with years of hideous orthodontistry. (I felt a twinge of teenage regret when I saw Madonna's.) Anyway, as I say I'm sure it will grow out. He likes to grind his top and bottom teeth together which is er, gross and endearing at the same time. His appetite fluctuates and is becoming more like a toddler's. He LOVES Mini Baby Bel cheeses to the point that I have to ration them daily. They were originally a ruse to get him round the supermarket but I fear I have created a (cheese) monster. Bread is also a winner and pretty much everything else is a bit hit and miss; sometimes sausages are favourite, sometimes yoghurt. He's also tasted cake, biscuits, chocolate, juice, crisps and popcorn in the last month. I blame the mother and baby group I go to on Monday mornings; the kids are mostly 2 year olds and if I try to keep Alfie distracted from the goodies he simply hoovers the crumbs off the floor, poor mite.
I'm also amazed at his understanding and reasoning. He knows what to do when I talk about brushing our teeth (goes to get the toothbrushes) and going out (goes to get his shoes) and helps to put his car seat belts on. He will also give me his drinking cup so that I can fold the spout out for him and will bring me a toy he wants me to play with - the bubble blower is a winner every time, and it only cost me 50p! We also take things in turn, saying 'Mummy do it' and 'Alfie do it', with his music toys in particular. He LOVES drumming! We bought him a little wooden drum as well as the plastic one and he likes to have both drums in front of him, banging one with each hand, entirely his own invention. He's suddenly much bolder, happily going into the bedrooms we don't use and playing in the showers - that we don't use. He'll also look for Pamela and can do a superfast crawl if he thinks she's in the utility room beyond the kitchen. Conversely, he's also quite mumsy, not so happy to go to just anyone anymore and keeps his eyes locked on mummy when picked up by others. He will beam at random people depending on how the mood takes him however, and gets very excited when spotting someone familiar, such as our askari (who is brilliant with him, like many men of all ages over here).
He makes the funniest faces now. The other day he was doing this weird blinking thing, like he was trying out new ways to blink, scrunching his eyes up and then looking very reflective as if to say, hmm, that's what that feels like. His vocab changes all the time, mammamamamam is definitely for mummy, often used if he's fallen over or feeling tired and cuddly. He will also do a dadadadadad for daddy. Yesterday it was all about the tongue, he seemed to be trying out what sounds he could make with his tongue out and sometimes you would swear he says a proper word like 'Pamela' or something. He'll also attempt to join in singing which is so adorable.
Today we had a busy day; we swam for almost an hour and he was happy as anything, particularly when Daddy threw him high up in the air and splashed down. Going underwater doesn't faze him in the slightest, still waiting for that protest to kick in as I'm in no doubt it will eventually. We then had a long lunch with a family friend of Pete's and he was so happy sitting in his highchair at the end of the table, eating 'bitings' (appetisers like bread, cheese and ham) and singing away. When he got fed up with sitting he crawled around on the floor keeping himself occupied for ages by climbing up a large plant pot and saying hello to the next table (he's still champion at staring). And after that we went to see a couple of more friends at a local shopping centre and though he was pretty hanging by this time was still in a super mood, laughing and insisting on drinking out of a glass or a bottle like Daddy, even eating a slice of lime - he loves anything sharp and tart, crazy baby.
Tomorrow we're off to Lake Naivasha for lunch and a spot of hippo spotting by boat. It is so much fun taking him places as he just loves going on adventures with Mummy and Daddy. We've had some sleepless evenings recently, due to another couple of teeth just coming through, but for the last two nights he has slept through to 7am, hurrah!
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Car in Front Really is a Toyota
Which is their current advertising slogan. Except over here it is 100% true. I have never seen such a prevalence of one make of car. There must be some shenanigans going on here, no-one can sell that many cars to that many people when there is a globally competitive market. But with a few exceptions (Nissan, Mercedes, Land Rover) the car in front really is a Toyota. Every time.
Technology is slowing the world down...
as my mate Conal always says. And for me at the moment it's certainly true. Having spent an entire day trying to upload some photos and a video to one of my blog posts, I decided that next time I would simply put it all on Flickr and add the relevant link. Except... my photos were too big and my vids were in the wrong format. All perfectly fixable of course, but when you're dealing with a sporadic connection, never mind a random speed (despite paying for an upgrade we rarely get the promised 1mb) plus environmental factors such as a demanding soon-to-be-toddler (Pamela is indeed a miracle but needs to be allowed to clean now and again too) and the fact that everything just seems to take twice as long over here, including a basic supermarket shop, I have now decided to forego pics and vids with this blog for the time being. I will upload stuff to Flickr and I will let you have the link. One day I may even come back and add in all the photos I thought of but hey, in the meanwhile just the writing will have to do.
Karibo!
Karibo!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Referendum
They are voting in a referendum here tomorrow and it has been declared a public holiday (no Pamela, how will we manage?)
There are some quite fundamental changes proposed, including land reforms and women's right to abortion so it's a big deal. The president is, naturally, behind the 'Yes' campaign and they have been working vigorously. A usual trick is to book up all possible venues for rallies in the run up to the vote so that the opposition can't gather. Neat! We passed one of their rallies in the local Uhuru Park on Sunday in fact; lots and lots of mostly men and a cavalcade of vehicles all flying their flags and tooting their horns. The pres has also declared that if the 'Yes' vote wins (and of course it will, it can't not!) Thursday will also be a public holiday. And the word on the street, well, Pete's office anyway, is that the rest of the week will in fact be a public holiday in order to keep people off the street and hopefully discourage any violence of the sort they had last election.
Anyway, you can find out more about it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/16/kenya-terrorism-referendum
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10849982
PS Mum don't worry, we'll likely be staying in as everything will be closed in any case!
There are some quite fundamental changes proposed, including land reforms and women's right to abortion so it's a big deal. The president is, naturally, behind the 'Yes' campaign and they have been working vigorously. A usual trick is to book up all possible venues for rallies in the run up to the vote so that the opposition can't gather. Neat! We passed one of their rallies in the local Uhuru Park on Sunday in fact; lots and lots of mostly men and a cavalcade of vehicles all flying their flags and tooting their horns. The pres has also declared that if the 'Yes' vote wins (and of course it will, it can't not!) Thursday will also be a public holiday. And the word on the street, well, Pete's office anyway, is that the rest of the week will in fact be a public holiday in order to keep people off the street and hopefully discourage any violence of the sort they had last election.
Anyway, you can find out more about it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/16/kenya-terrorism-referendum
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10849982
PS Mum don't worry, we'll likely be staying in as everything will be closed in any case!
Toto Safari
So last weekend we went to Amboseli National Park and stayed at the Serena Lodge for the first safari of our stay. Amboseli is south of Nairobi and fairly accessible in that it only takes a few hours to get there and you don't necessarily need a 4x4.
The drive there was hilarious; what passes for highways round here are pretty laughable, or they would be if they weren't so scary. The joke goes that some president or other managed to get money for a 3 lane motorway but only 1 lane ended up in Nairobi and the other 2 are in a Swiss bank account. Again, laughable AND scary.
So yours truly got the delightful task of driving first and it took us TWO HOURS to get out of town and travel 50km! Traffic really is worse than London. And the roads have no markings or signs pretty much, sometimes they're 2-way and sometimes 1-way, full of trucks and 4x4's all overtaking madly and then there's the potholes and police checkpoints and roadside market stalls selling nothing but onions and oranges for miles, it seems. Very colourful and exotic all round.
Which is nothing compared to Amboseli. We made it eventually (it really was a hairy journey, not least because we had to get to the gates before dark and made it by a whisker) and whilst Pete sorted out our passes Alfie and I got accosted by some Maasai ladies who were selling their finery, which of course was like passing silver in front of a magpie. Alfie immediately came alive, beaming at the toothy ladies and grabbing their necklaces much to their delight. Thankfully we managed to get away with only a small beaded bracelet for him which he loved for all of a minute before pulling it off. Driving from the gate to the lodge took about an hour and much of it dark but we managed to see a lovely family of giraffe, several wildebeest, an oryx, some zebra and gazelles on the way. Not a bad start!
The following morning we were up at 5.45am and even had to wake Alfie, who thought this was all a great adventure. After grabbing coffee for the adults and a bottle for him we set off in the rapidly emerging light. Amboseli is lovely, quite flat with wide expanses of savannah and few trees, which means it's easier to spot the wildlife. Also a fair number of swamps which means the animals will eventually come to drink at some point during the day. So I saw my first hippo! And cried, of course. I always cry when I see a new species, so that's nothing to worry about. As I was training my bins on the lovely big hippo Pete counted another 5 next to it in the water; though you could only see their eyes and ears, so cute! While we might refer to 'the tip of the iceberg', in Africa one refers to 'the tip of the hippo'. Think I may steal that one!
But that wasn't all that magical morning, for around the corner we spotted another vehicle on a small bridge and wondered what it may be looking at. As we got nearer we saw him; a beautiful young male lion right by the front tyres. He was looking expectactly into the swamp below and as we waited with baited breath, we saw a female emerge. Yep, they were engaging in that age old ritual of courting, though the female was avoiding his attentions at all costs, hence hiding in the swamp. It was just amazing. The male passed by us close enough to touch and circled the car a couple of times. When he was a little farther away Alfie leant out of the open window and gurgled with delight. (As he got closer I made Pete close the window even though the lion could not have taken less notice of us). At one point the other vehicle left and it was just us and the lions. Truly magical. Eventually the female loped off , still in the swamp which must have been really uncomfortable for her, and the male ran up and down on the road, not wanting to jump in and get his paws wet. Wuss!
The drive there was hilarious; what passes for highways round here are pretty laughable, or they would be if they weren't so scary. The joke goes that some president or other managed to get money for a 3 lane motorway but only 1 lane ended up in Nairobi and the other 2 are in a Swiss bank account. Again, laughable AND scary.
So yours truly got the delightful task of driving first and it took us TWO HOURS to get out of town and travel 50km! Traffic really is worse than London. And the roads have no markings or signs pretty much, sometimes they're 2-way and sometimes 1-way, full of trucks and 4x4's all overtaking madly and then there's the potholes and police checkpoints and roadside market stalls selling nothing but onions and oranges for miles, it seems. Very colourful and exotic all round.
Which is nothing compared to Amboseli. We made it eventually (it really was a hairy journey, not least because we had to get to the gates before dark and made it by a whisker) and whilst Pete sorted out our passes Alfie and I got accosted by some Maasai ladies who were selling their finery, which of course was like passing silver in front of a magpie. Alfie immediately came alive, beaming at the toothy ladies and grabbing their necklaces much to their delight. Thankfully we managed to get away with only a small beaded bracelet for him which he loved for all of a minute before pulling it off. Driving from the gate to the lodge took about an hour and much of it dark but we managed to see a lovely family of giraffe, several wildebeest, an oryx, some zebra and gazelles on the way. Not a bad start!
The following morning we were up at 5.45am and even had to wake Alfie, who thought this was all a great adventure. After grabbing coffee for the adults and a bottle for him we set off in the rapidly emerging light. Amboseli is lovely, quite flat with wide expanses of savannah and few trees, which means it's easier to spot the wildlife. Also a fair number of swamps which means the animals will eventually come to drink at some point during the day. So I saw my first hippo! And cried, of course. I always cry when I see a new species, so that's nothing to worry about. As I was training my bins on the lovely big hippo Pete counted another 5 next to it in the water; though you could only see their eyes and ears, so cute! While we might refer to 'the tip of the iceberg', in Africa one refers to 'the tip of the hippo'. Think I may steal that one!
But that wasn't all that magical morning, for around the corner we spotted another vehicle on a small bridge and wondered what it may be looking at. As we got nearer we saw him; a beautiful young male lion right by the front tyres. He was looking expectactly into the swamp below and as we waited with baited breath, we saw a female emerge. Yep, they were engaging in that age old ritual of courting, though the female was avoiding his attentions at all costs, hence hiding in the swamp. It was just amazing. The male passed by us close enough to touch and circled the car a couple of times. When he was a little farther away Alfie leant out of the open window and gurgled with delight. (As he got closer I made Pete close the window even though the lion could not have taken less notice of us). At one point the other vehicle left and it was just us and the lions. Truly magical. Eventually the female loped off , still in the swamp which must have been really uncomfortable for her, and the male ran up and down on the road, not wanting to jump in and get his paws wet. Wuss!
Then back to the lodge for a mega brekkie, including a glass of sparkling wine, why not? Alfie loved his pile of eggs, sausages and croissants (current fave food) and then we let him loose on the terrace surrounding the lodge and overlooking the bush, while we finished our coffees. He had such fun chasing leaves and eating ants (not really Nannie, honest) and climbing steps and charming the Maasai warriors that we called it his Toto (baby) Safari. Probably as much fun as watching the miaow's and the neigh's out in the bush! The staff thought it hilarious and from then on, whenever they saw us, they pointed and said 'Toto Safari' in a very loud voice.
That afternoon we went on another lovely drive and I got VERY excited when we happened upon a family of elephants by the side of the road; mummy, 2 juveniles and a little baby having a mudbath. How amazing? But that was only an appetiser, because half an hour later we landed in the middle of a MASSIVE herd; at least 80 elephants all around us!!!!!! So magic again.
We did see other animals, of course, a sedate family of giraffe; a bachelor herd of impala and plenty of birds; egrets, ibis, spoonbills, eagle (1), bee-eaters, ducks, flamingoes and pelicans. But it was all about the lions and the elephants that day.
We were so exhausted that we fell into our beds after out traditional African 'nyama choma' (grilled meat) and were up once again at dawn the next day for another drive. This time not quite so spectactular, we'd probably used up most of our credits on the first day, but lovely nonetheless. Alfie was fabulous throughout, even though we spent a lot of time in the car. Although within the park he climbed all over us of course, there being no restrictions except a max of 40kph. And he LOVED helping mummy and daddy to drive, something to do with his obsession with the car keys I think... All in all he did very well in coping with it all, and had some spectacular naps which is always a good sign. Though in fairness, he may well have been equally fascinated by a herd of donkeys or the flock of pigeons in Walthamstow town square. Ah well, we all had a superfabulous time and can't wait to do it again!
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