Empty House

This week the mzungu oasis feels quite empty due to several departures. Salome left back to school and everyone who lives in town returned there after the weekend. Our house mama, Salima, left also on her two week vacation to visit her family up country while Josh returned to Winnipeg for the summer. So, it’s just Beautiful and I for the next little while in Mlolongo.

Although we just celebrated Beautiful’s 19^th birthday, I am beginning to realize how much younger she seems to me. I feel protective, almost responsible to keep her safe these next couple of weeks. We share most of the responsibilities – cooking, cleaning, and wash. I’ve taken over the role of “mama” making sure I know where she is at all times, taking her to appointments, making sure she is feeling well. As a joke she has crowned me with the name “mama Lexi”. I don’t mind at all.
This weekend we went together to visit Mwende and Lynda, two of our VCT youth who have had babies recently. If you remember my past blog entry about Lynda’s baby Cedric and compare the picture below to the one taken a month ago, you will see how big has grown! Mwende had her baby a couple weeks ago- a girl named Brenda. Apart from all the visits and Beauty's birthday we also had a going away party for Josh at the centre. With “jungle juice” (it tastes like it sounds) and reggae blasting all the youth had a full-out dance competition. It was a great time but everyone was disappointed with the reality that Josh was leaving. The next couple of days at the centre will be busy – a community outreach today, and a mobile CT (counselling and testing) tomorrow.

Beauty at her birthday party we had for her at the pool.

Mwende's baby Brenda (11 days old here)

Cedric has grown big!

Brenda wrapped in a blanket my Oma made.

 

Quick Update

This past week I have experienced the “real” rainy season in Kenya. It has been raining on and off, but when it rains it pours. Traffic to and from town during rainy days is unbelievably slow. Last week it took me over three hours to complete the usual half hour commute into Nairobi. It has made this past week very boring, since here in Kenya, if it’s raining, the usual daily activities will not go on. The weather is starting to look up these past couple days though, and this morning the sun is shining. Last week we had the chance to celebrate Salome’s 18^th birthday here in Mlolongo before she returned to school. She attends a boarding school in Nairobi so we don’t get see her very much unless she is on holidays. At her all-girls school, academics are the sole focus and they don’t give the students very much freedom or free time. They sleep in one big dorm, a hall with single beds lining the walls. They get fed the same lunch and supper every day – ugali and cabbage. Being back at the house in Mlolongo is special for Salome since she gets some freedom to visit her friends and have fun. We tried to make her birthday special cooking up a feast – chapati with lentils, kuku “chicken”, and of course a birthday cake. Despite the endless rain we all managed to have a great time and celebrate Salome’s birthday.

chapati