Arrival at Tenwek

Our trip to Kenya was great. Just like last time, the kids did beautifully on the plane because of the individual TV screens for each seat. The only way we could get Nathan to sleep, eat, or use the restroom was to turn it off momentarily. Every now and then I had to hit pause just so he wouldn’t drool from lack of remembering to swallow. I am quite certain that Nathan could have undergone a major surgical procedure without noticing.

After 24 hours of travel, we finally arrived in Nairobi. I realize that everyone THINKS they pick the slow line, but we indeed DID pick the wrong line to get our visas. After over an hour of waiting, we were the only ones left in the previously crowded room. Our kids were grumpy, but not as grumpy as their dad. The good news was that once we finally made it through, it was easy to find our luggage since they were pretty much the only ones on the luggage carousel.

We were picked up by a van driver who thankfully didn’t give up hope on us. Sometimes they scrounge up a car seat or two for the kids, but not that night. As a matter of fact we could not even find seat belts. As we raced down the road, I had to wonder why our driver insisted on driving 15 feet behind the car in front of him. Perhaps it was because he couldn’t see them since many of the cars had no tail lights! Needless to say, I wasn’t feeling very safe . . . but we’ll get used to it.

We stayed with our friend in Nairobi for a day to recoup and get some groceries before heading to Tenwek. The 3 hour van ride to Tenwek was fantastic. We have never seen the Kenyan roads nearly so smooth. Apparently the quality of the roads is improving in Kenya, although for the last 25 years there has been almost no road expansion in spite of a ballooning population.

On the way to Tenwek the kids were happy to see baboons, gazelle, and a couple giraffe alongside the road.

Once we got to Tenwek we were completely humbled by how warmly we were welcomed. The door had welcome pictures from some 5 year olds anxious to meet Nathan and Julia and our house had cards, gifts, flowers, and lots of food treats. We were greeted by many old friends as well as from many newer people that we did not know but soon will.

Our apartment is bigger than last time which is nice since Jodi will be homeschooling the kids in kindergarten. The apartment is very simple, but all we need.

We are tempted to complain about some small things, but soon catch ourselves. We were a little down that rainy season just started here. That means it will rain every day, making it harder for the kids to play outside and making it very muddy. But it also means that we will have more electricity, which has been off a lot lately because we get our power from a hydro-electric dam on the compound. (Not to mention the more important fact that farmers can grow food after a long dry season.) We were a little down that every time we flush our toilet, a half quart of water runs over the bathroom floor. But then again, how can we complain about running water (albeit “running” across our floor).

The kids are enjoying their first days of summer. There is a nice mix of American and Kenyan kids everywhere. So Julia and Nathan have been playing outside pretty much nonstop with not more than one ball and one Frisbee (but lots of trees, sticks, and critters). We took our first hike, our favorite Tenwek pastime, and got drenched 200 yards from our home. When it rains, it rains hard.

So far, so good. Work starts tomorrow.