Matatus, Monkeys, and Guacomole

In the last 2 days I have been to Nairobi twice and both times got stuck in horrible traffic.
On Thursday, Alex and I had to go to the outskirts of Nairobi for a meeting. The meeting ended early so we went into town to pick up a few supplies we needed that day. We started looking for a matatu to return to Kijabe while it was still broad daylight. However, by the time we found one it was dark and raining. I have rarely seen so much pushing and shoving for a matatu seat in my life. Thanks to my co-worker, Alex, I was able to get a seat but my bread got smashed. Then, it took us 3.5 hours to get to Kijabe because of traffic instead of the usual 1.5 hours. We didn't get back to the CURE Compound until around 10pm.

Then the next day, Friday, I needed to go to Nairobi to purchase supplies for the LIMBS knee evaluation. This time I went in a CURE vehicle with Alex and Peter (someone from the spiritual department). We were supposed to leave in the morning, but it was after noon before we left. Due to traffic and delays during the day, none of us got everything we needed. We started back towards Kijabe at around 5pm. However, since Nairobi University had its graduation yesterday, we didn't get out of Nairobi until after 9pm. The major highway was like a parking lot all the way through the city. By the time we reached Kijabe, it was after 11pm. It was a VERY long day!

So it seems it doesn't matter what type of transportation you use, when traffic arrives everyone waits in it!

Today, I had my househelp, Rose, with me and it was finally sunny most of the day. Because the sun was out, the baboons also came out to play and exercise. The troop around my house was made up of a nursing mother with infant (the boss) and several "teenagers".  At first, they were racing around my and my neighbors houses and yards enjoying the sun. They finally settled down in the yard next to the side of my house. Rose and I decided to see what they would do with the skin of an avocado. They loved it. We ended up feeding them most of my fruit and vegetable rubbish (rotten tomato and half an avocado, mango skins, carrot peelings, etc). They seemed to enjoy them. (And yes, they did grab a bag of rubbish in my trash can when I stepped into my house to grab something.) =)   Rose and I cleaned up the remaining trash after they had finished and left. The following pictures were taken literally right outside my house. Who needs to go on a safari when live in Kijabe?! What entertainment!!!

On approach

Mother gets first picks

The rest fall in

What a meal! (Notice the one in the upper left corner who took
his pick and then left the group to eat without competition)

And there go my good intentions of putting down a plastic
sheet to ease clean up!
They just pulled it out and tossed it aside.

I made guacamole (minus the onions) for the first time today. Avocados are in season right now and the ones I bought were about to go bad. I could only find small limes at the produce market and was disappointed at their lack of juice. Therefore, I replaced the called for lime juice with lime plump. The sour cream here in Kenya is different than that sold in the US so I used 1.5 times the sour cream called for in the recipe. It turned out really well!! I splurged and bought tortilla chips to dip in the guacamole. (These chips are basically a knock off of Cool Ranch Doritos) The guac and chips made a really good lunch along with mango and a slice of avocado.

Guacamole on the left. Chips on the right.

So much has happened and I wanted to update all of you!! =)

God is Faithful!

So much has happened during the last 2 weeks! There was thanksgiving, a wedding, travel, rain, and more.

I have finished all the documents needed to run the evaluation/testing of the LIMBS low-cost M1 Polycentric Prosthetic Knee. 5 locations have been selected to participate in the trial. Now, I just have to GET it running at these locations. Overseeing and ensuring the success and completion of this evaluation is one of the reasons I am here.

But on to more interesting things!

God has blessed me so much. The week of Thanksgiving (last week) was very busy. The internet being very unreliable as usual, Alex (the Head of the Orthopedic department at CURE-Kenya) and I decided to purchased an unlimited week of internet.   He needed to make a Skype call on Tuesday and I needed to use Skype Wednesday (or so I thought) and Thursday evenings, so getting unlimited data for the week made sense. As it turned out the meeting I thought I needed Skype for on Wednesday was cancelled because of Thanksgiving. (Duh, I know, but the thought that it was the day before Thanksgiving never even crossed my mind!) Instead, I got to talk to a friend of mine in Korea.

Since Thanksgiving is an American Holiday, it is not celebrated in Kenya. This means business as usual. However, for me, it was not business as usual. I had the opportunity to join the CURE team for my first mobile clinic experience. We had to leave by 6am to get to the clinic site in Nakuru, about 2 hours away. I overslept, but everyone was gracious and picked me up on the way out. (They pass my road on the way to the Highway) This was not just an experience trip for me though, I had business to conduct with the head Orthopedic Technologist at the hospital in Nakuru. This hospital is going to be one of the testing centers of the LIMBS knee and I needed to discuss the details with him. Meeting with the head of a department (HOD) can be a challenge, especially during a clinic day, so I helped my co-worker (a Orthopedic Technologist) from CURE in the clinic. Mostly by handing him wet Plaster of Paris bandages and recording patient details. During mobile clinics, the rehab department and the orthopedic department work together. The rehab department mostly removes and reapplies casts and the Ortho department fits orthoses and measure patients for new ones. However, when there are an overwhelming number of patients waiting for measurement, the rehab department steps in to help. It was really encouraging to see everyone works together so well!

Anyway, back to my meeting with the HOD. The meeting went well and I am hoping to get the evaluation/testing started soon. Praise the Lord!

We (the CURE team and I ) got back late (8 pm-ish) from Nakuru. Overall, it was a good trip!

Then I got to get on Skype and SEE my family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was the highlight of my day/night! For those of you who don't know, Skype has a video feature that enables the caller and recipient to see each other. Therefore I got to "attend" Thanksgiving lunch with my Mom's side of the family (10pm my time)and "visit" after Thanksgiving Supper with my Dad's side of the family (5am my time). =)  I slept between visits. It was wonderful to actually see all my extended relatives even if i wasn't able to be there in person. My great-uncle even tried to offer me so food through the computer!

AND SINCE I WAS ALREADY AWAKE, I went Black Friday shopping online! hehe! I have never been Black Friday shopping before, but being up while normal Americans are asleep has its advantages. Amazon.com had some really great deals if you could catch them. What fun! So what if I was exhausted when I got to work, at least until I drank some coffee. (Yeah, you heard right, I drank some instant coffee diluted with chai for milk. I was wired after that!)

I took half a day off on Friday to celebrate Thanksgiving with some other American ex-pats. We had turkey, potato gunk (cubed scalloped potatoes), green beans, rolls, cornbread (made with maizemeal), and pickled mango (a substitution for cranberry sauce). Yumm!

For dessert there was cheesecake topped with Mangoes and Mango-Rhubarb crisp! Both were absolutely delicious!!

 This past Saturday I got to attend a Kenyan Catholic Wedding. It was bittersweet. On the one hand, it was an interesting experience and the bride was gorgeous! On the other hand, my friend joined the Catholic church. This saddened me because there is so much in the Catholic church that I disagree with and I thought she believed the same way. =(  Its in God's hands now!

The ceremony was long and beautiful. Most of the service was in Swahili, so I understood only a little of what was said. The preacher gave a charge to the bride, the groom, the groom's parents, and the bride's parents. The whole service was about three hours. I was one of 5 white people at the wedding. My friend, Nancy, works at Moffat Bible College which is mostly taught by foreigners (ie. white people). Therefore, I was not the only American in attendance. 

It rained off and on during the outdoor reception. We were served a full meal of traditional Kikuyu foods. Most of it was good. I'm not sure how this happened, but I got seated in an honored seat where they brought us food instead of us standing in line to get it.When the bridal party arrived, all the women went out to meet the bride and dance back to where the rest of the guests were. 

There were some speeches (in Swahili), then presentation of gifts, and finally they cut the cake.

Some of the gifts

Cutting the cake

One thing that is done differently in Kenya than in the US is how they serve the cake. In Kenya, the pieces of cake put in a baskets and the guests take one bite-sized piece of cake as the brides maids bring around the baskets. The special guests are fed their pieces by the bride and groom.

Basket that used to contain pieces of cake

Feeding the marriage counselor . I love Moses' (the groom) face!

In other news, I has been raining  here in Kijabe every day for the last week and a half! Some have said they have never seen a greener November. This has been great for the gardens and nature, however, sometimes its not so good for me! I am a klutz and therefore find every chance to fall in the mud. My shoes WERE silver/gray at some point, now they are a bronze/brown color. Also, perpetual rain means no drying clothes. My clothes had to be re-washed last Saturday because they were starting to smell of mildew. But PRAISE THE LORD! Today has been sunny, so I will have dry, clean clothes again! (OR NOT. It just started raining again!)

Also, there is a chance I may be able to come to the US for Christmas! My aunt is playing travel agent. We'll see how everything goes. 

I have really been blessed to have such a wonderful prayer and support team! Everyone of you make a difference to me!

Praises:

• I got to see my family for Thanksgiving. Praise that the internet worked here AND there. Praise that I did not break down upon seeing everyone. 
• We have rain. Kenya has been going through a severe drought, so the rain is a blessing. 
•  I found my small Bible. It had been missing. Apparently, I left it at the church during the choir competition. 
•  No more uninvited guests!
• I have a wonderful, loving family and support team (both financial and prayer)
• I have my health
• I have cooking gas

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for Trevor. He is a 4 year-old boy in the CURE Hospital ward right now. I first met him in Nakuru during the mobile clinic. He came to have his casted leg (he had surgery at CURE November 9th)  checked out by the doctors because it was causing him pain. It turns out there was a major infection INSIDE the wound. His Mother was told to bring him to Kijabe so they could clean it out. (Pus was continually oozing out of the opening in the skin after the initial spurt upon removing the cast HE was screaming bloody murder.) According to another person at the hospital, this is not the first time this wound has been infected. Please pray that he will make a full and rapid recovery! He has been in so much pain already. 
• God's Will be done in regards to my Christmas holiday.
• The evaluation will start running smoothly and that I can (with God's help) get it running in all the clinics before December 16th. (when CURE closes and many people all over the country begin travel for the holidays)
• Nancy. That she will look into what the Catholic Church really believes and if she really believes that as well. Prayer that God's Will be done. 
• There is a natural gas (or whatever is used to cook here) shortage in Kenya. Please pray that this gets resolved quickly.  
• Please pray that my ankle heals completely.
• Good nights sleep
• Reliable internet
• Patience under pressure!

Internet!

The wireless internet is back down and so are SafariCom modems. Meaning no internet for me! Thankfully, one of my coworkers is letting me borrow his. I put airtime/data on it this morning. And although I was encouraged to get a safaricom modem when I got here instead of an orange modem because no one thought the Orange modem would work at my house, the Orange modem actually gets better reception at my house than it does in the department building. What a blessing from God! Therefore, I am considering buying one for myself. I intend to wait a few more days to see if SafariCom comes back, I don't want this to just be an impulse buy because I'm fed-up with SafariCom. An Orange Modem costs about $20, which is not real cheap for Kenya.

Okay, so for clarification: SafariCom and Orange are two major mobile/internet providers here in Kenya. The third is YU Mobile. I think I am going to start using them for international calls because they charge around a third of what Orange and SafariCom charge.

Anyway, please pray that the internet starts working again. Orange is more expensive per MB than SafariCom, but at least it works.

Hope all of you are doing well! Good Night!

I found my tablespoon!

Just wanted to let everyone know! The rat hadn't stolen it after all. I fell behind the trash bag.

Long overdue update!

So much has happened since my last update and yet so little. I’m settled into life in Kijabe. Everything mentioned in this post happened in the last two weeks. 

I joined the praise and worship team for the English service at church. This is exciting for me, because, as many of you know I love to sing. I was finally able to meet with the LIMBS Committee for a group meeting to discuss the LIMBS M1 polycentric knee assessment. The meeting went fairly well, but I was left with a lot of paperwork to do. The committee secretary was not at the meeting so Alex and I had to take notes and then I had to compile them into meeting of the meeting to send out to the rest of the committee members; definitely a new challenge for me.

This week I have been developing at least 5 different new forms necessary for the assessment. To add to an already busy week, relations between APDK (a Kenyan Disabilities Organization) and AIC-CURE (where I’m based) have become strained over the politics of another project. Certain members of APDK leadership have the attitude of it’s my way or the highway. Thankfully, these gentlemen were not at the assessment discussion meeting or things may have gone very differently. This strained relationship could make getting my assessment running much more difficult as APDK is one of the partners in the committee and also one of the testing centers. Your prayers are appreciated!

I HAD a smart pack rat in my house. He stole my toothbrush and I’m pretty sure he stole my tablespoon measure as well. I found my toothbrush chewed to pieces the other day in his nest. I have not found the tablespoon! I’ve had a trap out all week trying to catch him. The first night, the trap caught him on the nose (I’m assuming) because I heard his screams. However, when I went to the trap the next morning, he had gotten the bait off the trap and tried to eat some of it and escaped. There was blood droplets on the floor and meat bait, so I know it got him somewhere on the face near the mouth. I tried re-baiting the trap in the same place, but he never cam back to that area. Once I found his nest, I tried setting the trap there, but the only evidence I had that he had even gone into the nest was that he PEED ON THE TRAP! The little boogger! Last, but not least, I put the trap on the counter where I saw him running back and forth. I baited the trap with butter this time since that was what had been on the spoon when it disappeared. The first night I didn’t set the trap sensitive enough and the rat ate the butter without setting off the trap. Okay so now I know he likes butter! I re-baited the trap yesterday and set it much more sensitively. Last night, when I came home from work, I found a sprung trap with a DEAD rat inside!!! Ok maybe I shouldn’t be excited at the death of a small animal. He was about twice the size that I thought he was. I guess that is better than half, which would mean I had blown it out of proportion. I wouldn’t have minded having him around if I could be sure that he was disease-free and he would stop stealing my stuff. Yea, call me weird. I guess I am craving animal company. I am glad I was able to avoid using poison because animals go through the place where I am supposed to dispose of my trash and I would not want to kill anyone’s pet and some pest control cat. The poison they have here is VERY strong and could kill any animal that ate another animal killed with the poison. Plus, the last thing I need is another rat crawling off into some hidden corner to die and stinking up the house. (For the story of the first dead rat found in my dwelling, talk to my Mom or Stephanie Korth and they can tell you about the one they found in my house)

Dead rat. The handle in the picture belongs to a long fillet knife.

I killed the chicken shown in my last post. I found out only after we slaughtered it that it was a hen, not a rooster. Oh well! Some nursing students passing by helped me cut off its head and prepare it for cooking. I had boiling water ready to dunk the chicken in to pull out the feathers and one of the nursing students showed me how to gut and cut up the chicken Kenyan style. What has not already been eaten of the chicken is in my freezer a-waiting cooking as needed.

Due to the recent security threat here in Kenya, plane tickets have almost doubled in price. Therefore, I will be spending the holidays in Kenya. I knew this was a possibility when I left so I packed accordingly. But its still sad. I miss my family and long to see them even if its just over Skype.

The wireless internet has been down for the last week. (Another reason I have not updated) It finally came back on this morning. I have been using a USB Internet modem, but it costs about 1 Kenyan Shilling a Mb so I have to be careful how much I use it.

I have been experiencing some pretty heavy spiritual warfare and definitely need prayer. It is getting harder and harder to get up in the morning and get to work on time. Then there was the rat situation. Also, I have been getting frustrated during department devotions because the group won’t answer a question simply and move on, instead they discuss the issue at length. For example, the question was “According to the verse [Romans 6:23], what is the payment of sin?” , instead of answering death, they philosophize about if all sin really leads to death. And now, there is the politically charged issue between CURE and APDK. 

Yes, I’m feeling a bit frustrated and overwhelmed.

On a happier note, I have hired one of the young ladies (sisters) that befriended me and have been asking me for money on a regular basis, to help me clean my house once a week. This is a good solution for both of us. I get my house cleaned and don’t feel like I am promoting perpetual begging, and she gets a regular income to help care for her family and pay school fees. Her name is Rose and she is the youngest but one of 6 children. Her youngest sister is around 8-10 years younger than she. The oldest three are in high school and a fourth (Salome) will start in January. In Kenya, school is only provided for “free” through the 8^th grade after that you have to pay. So in essence, her family will be like one with four children in college in the States, except there are no student loans. Anyway, this arrangement works well for the both of us. 

Rose and Salome came over on Sunday afternoon to hang out. They found my camera and enjoy taking pictures of me and each other. Below are some of those pictures.

Me with my frog given to me by Grandma Jan

Rose (wearing my sunglasses) on the stairs leading to my bedroom

Me working on Christmas presents.

Salome

Prayer Requests

• My ankle should have healed by now, but instead its acting up and giving me more problems. I am back to wearing the brace I wore when I first sprained it, which is helping. I also found out that I am allergic to the soft brace I was wearing. Please pray for healing of my ankle.
• I get all the assessment forms completed and approved and that the assessment gets started on time. Target date is the first of December. Philippians 4:13!
• The internet stays on.
• Energy in the mornings.
• The political situation between CURE and APDK resolves itself.
• Good sleep at night.
• A solid walk with the LORD
• There is a natural gas (or whatever is used to cook here) shortage in Kenya. Please pray that this gets resolved quickly.
• That I get my job right. I am still learning what is expected of me from LIMBS International. Please pray that the organization will have patience as I make mistakes and learn just what I need to do when I meet a LIMBS patient.
• My support checks are not reliably making it to the LIMBS office. This month none of my support checks made it!  I have enough saved up for the month. But this is the second time a check has not made it to LIMBS, I am sure this is spiritual warfare plain and simple. Please pray that next month’s support comes in.

Praises

• God is in control. Since the initial grenade attacks in Nairobi by some Al-Shabob wannabe, there have been no more attacks on Kenyans. (The man responsible for the grenade attacks has been arrested and is awaiting trial)
• The rat is DEAD. Now to clean out his nest.
• God provides relief when you need it most. Just yesterday, God provided an excuse for me to leave the room right after a meeting so I didn’t get pulled into a heated discussion/grilling from someone at APDK. Its amazing how God works. He knew I would have a hard time keeping me mouth shut and not expressing my opinion so He provide me a way of escape.
• I have gas, water, and power. I got the last gas cylinder available in Moffat Bible College (the college that owns the guest house where I’m staying).
• I got to hear from my Mother the other day. It meant the world to me. I need encouragement especially now and a surprise call from Mom was just what I needed the other day.
• God has given me travel mercies thus far in my trips to and from Nairobi.

I really appreciate getting emails from each of you! They bring me a lot of comfort.

Elizabeth has a Chicken!

 

          This weekend I went to a pre-wedding event. This event is part of the Kenyan wedding process intended to raise money for the wedding. It started on Kenyan time (2 hours late). There was cake and soda served before the fundraising began. The fundraising consisted of selling handkerchiefs and guest badges, a time to come greet the bride and groom and drop money in a bag, an auction, and a raffle. The main events were the auction and the raffle. The auction was run much differently than those in the US. When you bid, you give the money right there and a running total is kept of how much each person has in their bid. Also, you can bid in other people’s name, i.e. “I bid 200 shillings in X’s name”. 

This method causes a lot more money to be raised. Items auctioned included everything from non-alcoholic wine to fruits and vegetables to live chickens. The chickens were one of the first items auctioned off. People started bidding on the large rooster in my name, I contributed some just because it was to raise money for the wedding, but not much compared to others.  I ended up with the chicken. I must have turned 6 shades of red and purple during the bidding out of embarrassment and from laughing. So now I have a LIVE chicken living in the corner of my house waiting for slaughter. No, I am not naming it because that will only make it harder to slaughter later this week. I hope everyone understands. The prospect of slaughtering the chicken both excites and scares me. I have never slaughtered a chicken before and I’m kind of nervous about the whole thing.

            Anyway, back to the event, my chicken was the most sought after being the biggest so it raised a lot of money (probably close to 50 US Dollars). The other items went for less, mostly because it was getting late and the MC was trying to get through all the items for auction. I bought a bunch of raffle tickets (the tickets got cheaper as the event went on) and won an umbrella. Other items raffled off were a pair of slippers, a pair of sunglasses, a water pitcher, and several packages of handkerchiefs. As a whole the event was a lot of fun and I got to socialize with some of the grooms relatives. Oh, and I was the ONLY white person there! I feel very privileged to be part of these ceremonies and events. Nancy and Moses (the bride and groom) were very glad I was there. Apparently, having a white person there helps open people’s wallets because they assume the white person has money so the others spend more. Or something like that. I mean they also enjoyed me being there as a friend, don’t get me wrong.

            The event ended after dark so Nancy and I could not return to Kijabe that night. Instead, we stayed in Limuru with Moses at his house (separate rooms). This was quite an experience for me. Not only staying in simple basic housing with only a compound shared toilet (long drop pit), but also traveling with a live chicken and other groceries and at night.  Don’t worry, I was perfectly safe as I was with two native Kenyans. On a side note, sterilized water tastes weird! While the water here in Kijabe is clean, the water elsewhere is not; hence the need to sterilize the water. Anyway, I enjoyed spending time with Nancy and Moses and watching how in love the two of them are. Its sweet! ☺ They also gave me a Kikuyu name. I am now Elizabeth Wangeshi Flow, at least in Kenya.

In other news, I have joined the combined church choir for an area wide rally/competition among the AIC church congregations. Originally we met every Sunday and Friday, but last week we met at 5pm Monday, Tuesday and Friday and from 2-5pm on Sunday. The competition is next Sunday, so this week wee meet everyday this week and for 4 hours on Saturday. Long week!! However, I am glad to be a part of something so important to the fellow Kenyan members of the church. Also, this has allowed me to get to know more Kenyans in the church and built relationships with them, even if it is just to make them laugh at my attempts at directing/leading choir practice. (They assume that since I am white and can read music, I must be able to play the piano and direct the choir) ☺

Emotionally I have been doing fairly well, although after every high point comes exhaustion and sometimes a low.

My sleep has not been very restful either.

I am struggling to separate work and life. I want so much to meet the expectations of my boss and organization back in Texas.

Oh, please pray for the power and internet here at Cure. The Internet has been out all day and the power has been going on and off. The power has been pretty stable up to this point, so these frequent power blips are not common. Also, pray for the SafariCom network. It has not been working well the last few days, meaning I have a hard time reaching people by on their cell phones and my internet modem does not always work. Frustrating!

I am really enjoying being in Kenya. The landscape is beautiful. The people are mostly friendly. (Okay, so I’ve met a few beggars in Nairobi that where rather pushy and confrontational. No worries though, I always travel in Nairobi with a Kenyan companion who makes sure we stay safe. ) I love seeing lives changed for the better here at the hospital!

I now have my own dust/lab coat to wear around and a large tub to wash clothes in.

Prayer requests:

- I’m exhausted. Please pray for restful sleep at night.

- I am trying to schedule a meeting with 5 other organizations this week to discuss the Knee assessment 

   protocol. Please pray that this meeting happens and that it goes smoothly.

- Certain items are going missing. Please pray that I find them!

- That I will make the right decision about what to do for Christmas.

- Chicken preparation

Praises:

-          I found the flashlight I thought I’d lost.

-          I have good neighbors.

-          I am connecting with people here in Kijabe.

-          God has given me health

-          I see God answer prayers on a daily basis. It’s Awesome!

-          Got the power point slides put together and sent to my team member back in the States

PS. I have awesome news! Lydia (an amputee who came to the lab to be evaluated for a prothesis) came to know the LORD today!! I am always super excited when someone makes a decision to follow Christ and give their life to Him!!! =) =) =)

Adventure is out there!

Okay so maybe I watched the movie "UP" last weekend! =)

Anyway, life has been busy. I am finally settling into a routine.  Things are picking up work wise. I go to Nairobi about once a week. 

I spent last Thursday in Embu meeting a 12 year-old patient, Jacob, being fitted with the LIMBS knee for the first time. He is very shy and dos not speak a lot of English. This was my first experience being on my own (without much of a translator) and interviewing someone whose language and culture were different than mine. After a lot of work and frustration on both sides I got most of the information I wanted to know and with the help of another adult (who wasn’t around earlier) I got a picture of me and Jacob and some video of him walking. Now to formulate a story for the home office.

This Saturday I went to Gatamaiyu, the hometown of my neighbor, Nancy, for her bride "sendoff". This is a special celebration and ceremony for her family and the people in the village announcing that Nancy is getting married. I felt honored to be there. I was the only mazungu (white person) there.

           

The celebration included a lot of meat eating (they called it goat but it was probably sheep).  There were other foods as well, such as, rice with carrots, Irio (mixture of beans, maize, potatoes, and pumpkin leaves), something made from black beans and bananas, and mixed vegetables. Lots of food! I found out Nancy is actually shy around large groups, so we stayed in the background until the actual ceremony. I stuck close to her as much as possible for 2 reasons:

1. I don’t speak Kikuyu
2. I didn’t know what was going to happen next and did not want to miss anything.

The AIC Church Nancy went to growing up

 As we walked to the village, Nancy pointed out different landmarks from her childhood. I enjoyed seeing the scenery and different places around the village. Once we got there, she introduced me to her grandmothers (her grandfather had two wives) and some other immediate and extended relatives. She has a very large family.

Maize husks for the cows

Nancy's step sister

 She showed me where her grandmother lives and also where her grandfather’s other wife lives. Each wife has her own house and kitchen. Most of her family live on the same compound. Each family is separated by a low hedge. Her grandfather’s two wives are in one area, the next area is where her father and his family live, then the farthest area is where her father’s brother and his family lives.

Nancy's Grandfather's other Wife's house and kitchen

Nancy's Grandmother's house and kitchen

Nancy and Joanne in the doorway of their grandmother's house

One interesting thing about Kikuyu culture is that once a boy finishes primary school (8^th grade) he is considered a man and moves out of his father’s house. His father makes him a “cube” (basically a small house) to live in until the son finishes secondary school and makes enough to build his own house. His mother still cooks for him until he has a wife. The cube is passed down from brother to brother as each gets married. Currently, Nancy’s youngest brother, Dan, lives in this “cube”.

The "cube" can be seen in the background

Nancy (left) peeks out the door as Moses and his family arrive

Moses and his family arrived late. Once they arrived, his family all went into Nancy’s Father’s house to eat a special piece of meat. I don’t know what this was because I was not in the house. The ceremony began soon after.

  

The ceremony:

            Nancy was called from her father’s compound area to the mic and then I think she was asked to get her fiancé. (I’m not sure but she went over and got Moses from where he was sitting with his family.) Then there was a speech by the MC, then by Nancy, and last by Moses. After the speeches, Nancy went back and sat with Moses and greeted all of his family.  There was another speech by the MC, then Moses got back up and told everyone when and where the wedding would be. Nancy’s uncle (also my neighbor) got up and prayed to close the ceremony.

Nancy coming forward

"Choosing" Moses

The special meat presented by Nancy's "uncle"

  












  After the ceremony, I was privileged to witness another ritual between Nancy and Moses. One of Nancy's "uncles" presented them with a special piece of meat which they both cut up and ate.

Nancy with the chopped up meat

Additional meat was then divided among the family as they were leaving. They even gave me a large chunk!

Since I have a digital camera, Nancy asked me to take pictures. Poor thing. When someone asks me to take lots of pictures of an event I do, over 150 pictures in fact. What I think she enjoyed most though was that I was able to record most of the ceremony between her and Moses.

The whole event was an enjoyable and educational experience. I ate a lot of meat and also found out certain parts of the meat that I don’t like. Mainly, anything with large amounts of cooked sheep blood, these are apparently delicacies for the Kikuyu, but not for me.

Anyway, those are my main adventures recently. Day to day life is more mundane, yet challenging. I am not much of a writer or videographer, yet in the last week I’ve been both. I now have to figure out how to edit and cut video.

Also, the annual LIMBS International board meeting is coming up and I have to prepare slides for it. I am not presenting them but I still need to put them together for whichever teammate does. Please pray I do a good job. They are due by Wednesday.

A week and a Day

A wk has passed and I've written little. Each week seems to go faster than the one before it. I am settling in and so are the bugs! Yuck! I usually find at least during every one of my showers.

My biggest struggle this week was the Kenyans concern that  I am eating too little. It got to the point that one of the kitchen ladies made me a plate of food trying to get me to eat more. I promise I AM eating enough.

In the last seven days, I have been to Nairobi twice, last Saturday and this Friday. The first was to search for some work supplies in the industrial district. I found half the items I was looking for. Did you know that Kenya does not have sticky back velcro? Or that isopropyl alcohol is nearly impossible to find (I haven't found it yet)? I was also looking for drill bits in 0.1mm increments, but I did not find those either. I spent all of Friday in Nairobi trying to meet the different key people from the organizations I will be working with on the  knee assessment. LONG DAY!


Anyway, I have gotten over my cold and my body is adjusting to the food and climate. My bed has 2 heavy wool blankets that keep me warm and comfortable at night. Sometimes too comfortable. There are mornings that I don't want to get out of my warm bed and into the cold air. You also have to realize that I went from living in the middle of summer in Texas to the middle of winter in Kijabe. The last several days have been quite windy and it seems to pick up in the afternoon and at night. Also, without fail, it is always very windy at 4pm on Wednesdays and it may die down at around 5:30pm. This time corresponds with my weekly Skype call with the home office. This makes a difference because I have to sit outside to get internet reception.

I'm getting connected with other wazungu (white people) in Kijabe. I have gotten into a Monday night Bible study with a group from RVA up the hill from where I live. Also, I met 2 fellow missionary men working at RVA and have connections with lower station (where I am). They are Steve Cochran and Steve McMilian.

The last 2 weeks have been less stressful than the first week and a half, although I still sometimes leave the department building after dark. The busiest times of the day for me are the morning and evening. Morning because I'm catching up on anything that was sent to me during the "US workday"  the day before. The evenings are busy because I am making sure I have done and sent everything I need to in preparation for the "US workday". The US workday begins at about the same time that the Kenyan workday ends. (8-9 hours difference)

Anyway, I'm getting use to riding public transportation. However, I still need to travel with someone because I don't know how to navigate Nairobi.

I hope all of you are well! Let me know if I can be praying for you about anything!

God Bless,
Elizabeth

ps. Its late here. Prayer requests and praises to come soon!

Irio and company

Last night I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the evening with the head of the orthopedic and prosthetic department's, Alex's, wife and daughters. Alex is in Tanzania for the week with one of my LIMBS co-workers, Ricc at a P&O conference. His wife, Joyce,  invited me over for dinner while Alex was gone. She is an excellent cook! She made Irio (spelling?) which contained mashed potatoes, maize, pumpkin leaves, and spices (I think). This is the staple dish for her tribe. It was delicious! She also made a cabbage salad and some kind of meat dish. After dinner, I got to chat with her and allow her 5 year-old daughter, Abigail, to play with my hair. Abigail loved it. So many Kenyan women and girls are enamored by my long hair and I don't mind if they touch it as long as their hands aren't dirty. Anyway, Joyce and I had a wonderful discussion about disabilities and how they affect the lives of people in Kenya and the States. She has one leg that is significantly shorter than the other. However, she was never an outcast growing up because she had very loving parents and was good at sports. She did not even have a brace to correct her limb length discrepancy until she was a preteen. This never stopped her. She played soccer (called football here in Kenya) and was really good at scoring. She and Alex's youngest daughter, Dorothy, is almost one. Her birthday is at the beginning of next month. She is such a sweet, spunky little girl. Joyce, Abigail, and Dorothy are all missing Alex. He has never been away for an entire week before. It was nice to visit with them and provide them with some company. Hopefully, sometime soon, Joyce will teach me how to make Irio.

More Pictures

Orthopedic and Prosthetic Laboratory. Where I spent most of my days.

 Here are pictures of some of my neighbors:

Sleeping/stretched out monkey

My house

Prayer and Praise

My work here in Kenya would not be possible without your prayers and support. The following are praises for things God has done and requests for things He is still working on. 

Praises

·       My computer is mostly working again.  (just the speakers don't work) The IT person at CURE wiped it and installed Windows 7 on it.

·        I’m settling into Kijabe.

·        Getting to know people

·        God is good!

·       I survived the hectic last week

·    I got an Internet modem on Monday!

·    I got a 4 hour Swahili lesson from Victor and Peter.

Requests

·      My Computer –That my computer speakers start working again. That I get all the necessary programs put back on it.

·        Adjustment to life and the culture in Kenya

·        Productivity – I want to make the most of my time here in Kenya

·        Understanding – I am struggling to understand those around me through their accents and I've made a few mistakes

·        Culture shock – There are four stages I have to work through, the first two being the honeymoon stage and the hostility stage.

·        My Health – I haven't been feeling well the last few days. I think I have a cold and as a result my ears hurt.

·        My mental faculties – That I will remember what I need to buy, where to buy it, and when.

·        A good nights rest so I will get over my illness quickly. 

·        Spiritual growth

·        That I will make good friends quickly! 

·    That I will catch on and learn Swahili quickly.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Pictures Finally!

I finally have a chance to download and post pictures. Enjoy!

At the Airport preparing to leave the US

View out the plane

My messy occupation on the plane. Pieces of the yarn got all over everything!

 

 A few people I've met so far in Kenya:

Anthony. One of the technicians at the CURE Prosthetic and Orthotic Laboratory.

Peter. A model amputee who has been with the knee program from the beginning

Victor. An amputee who started the program at the same time as Peter.

Pictures of the house where I'm staying. These were taken before I arrived. I don't have pictures of it now yet because I'm still settling in.

View from the front door of our house.

My room. Taken from the stairs.

My bathroom

View from the top of the stairs. Yes they are that steep.

View from the outside.