Friday Night Live

I believe in many parts of the world, Friday night means the work week is over, that you can kick back and relax, perhaps catch a movie with friends (or even go on a date, imagine!), and look forward to two days of pure relaxation, of doing whatever pleases your heart.

In some places where I've stayed, I'd get up early on Saturdays and go to farmers' markets to buy fresh-baked goods and home-grown vegetables. I'd go for breakfast with friends and enjoy the day in the garden, or wherever the road takes me.

Here, Friday nights aren't much different than other nights. I had a colleague over for dinner. Caught up on children's home blog posts since our power was out all day. Went to encourage kitchen staff. Chatted with the intern about what he's learning. Now, I get to finish the second half of the text book I was supposed to finish last night, but couldn't due to power outages.

Tomorrow, I could go to an all-day AIDS campaign. I am not going since I'm behind on reading. On Sunday, I'll sleep in a little, spend my devotion time in my gazebo by the river, then head out to the 3-hour church service, a stone's throw from my door. I might be asked to take colleagues to town to catch a bus.

I miss the variety weekends bring in cities and towns bigger than a rural village. I miss the freedom of wheels to take me places to escape. I miss my friends and family tonight.

But Flannel's here. She's been a great companion, and I know she's happy I'm stuck at home.

The Salvation Army Band is playing to their hearts' content in our training center hall. Some of my sweet colleagues would say, "Isn't that wonderful?" They can go on for hours, playing every tune in their repertoire. Again and again. But the always-a-tint-off-key sounds floating into my room, droning out the soothing music I had playing, is too much for me tonight. And they'll start playing again tomorrow morning at 7:00. I'm complaining, I know. Right now, I'm not going to apologize for complaining. I want to be out with friends. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Highs and Lows from the Past Two Days

1. (H) Being back in the Eldoret area, in my own car!
2. (L) Being weary of the young guys on the side of the road, wondering if they were part of the mobs that burned down homes, cars, and chased away neighbors.
3. (L) Seeing several homes and businesses in the Ilula neighborhood burned to the ground.
4. (H) Seeing the kids! I stopped by the Sifunas' home first to greet them, and then went to Ilula. I hadn't seen those kids since their Christmas party. They came running, shouting "Adele! Adele!" when I pulled into the Ilula compound.
5. (H) Giving and receiving hundred-some hugs! Each and every child came to hug me.
6. (L) Not seeing little Kanmau... I found out later that he's down with toncillitis, and was able to go and see him today.
7. (H) Seeing many of the staff. They're amazing people, really. The night watchmen came to my house to greet me and announced joyfully, "Happy New Year, Adele!" Due to the post-election violence, many people are really celebrating now for the first time that it's a new year...
8. (H) Having dinner at the Ronos' home.
9. (L) Hearing from them some of the details of all that had transpired around the Ilula area...
10. (H) Catching up with Don and Amy by phone.
11. (L) Waking up to terrible winds blowing for what seemed like hours throughout the night! And since this is the height of the dry season, the dust finds its way into everything. My counters, plates, cups, everything was covered in a thin layer of red dust this morning. Yes, yes, the windows were closed.
12. (H) Hearing the kids sing worship songs at the top of their lungs during Sunday school.
13. (L) Seeing the kids' faces when they realized I was really leaving again for Kipkaren...
14. (L) Seeing more of the devastation in the neighborhood and all along the way to Kipkaren.
    
15. (H) Seeing friends and neighbors at Kipkaren.
16. (H) Being welcomed home by Flannel. She's not the most affectionate cat around, but she literally came to sit with her front paws on my feet as if to say, "Don't go away again!"
    
17. (H) Getting all my stuff unpacked and my new picture hung.
    
18. (H) Having incredible chicken parmesan with rice and crunchy green beans at William and Michelle's house.
19. (H) Getting to bed at a decent hour. Or so I hope, at least.
    
20. (L) Having issues trying to post photos along with this entry. Click on the pictures on the right to see some photos from Ilula.
    

Rituals

Every night, before I go to sleep, I get to rearrange my small house. OK, not the entire place, but a few things. I get to put away all the loose knickknacks on my dresser. I am not a big knickknack person. I have only a giraffe, two angel statues and a little plaque on my dresser. It used to be 3 angels. One lost her head. Literally. That's why I get to put everything away.

Because at 4 a.m. sharp, Flannels is done sleeping for the night. She starts rearranging things. (Hence the beheading of my favorite angel figurine. It'll have to be glued back together.) If I leave papers on my desk, she rearranges those on the floor for me. If I want my house in relatively good shape when I wake up, I have to put away any potential kitty toy. Every night. So every morning, I get to redecorate my dresser. Because I only have so much drawer space in my house. Three drawers in total, to be exact. Unless you add the two small ones in the kitchen, too. (That's five more drawers than I have in Ilula...)

Alas! Flannel finds other ways to amuse herself. Many nights, she climbs up my mosquito net, chasing mosquitoes. Not a good thing. It's not really built to withstand the weight of a growing kitten. Or she chew my toes. Or takes things off my walls. A Pokot arrow, to be specific. She loves taking it off the wall around 5 a.m.

Hence, the other thing I have to do every night, is move the little stool on which I keep my computer. It's next to my dresser; the best spot to get Internet reception. It also makes for a perfect spot to sit and play with the arrow mounted on my wall. Flannel has managed to dismount the arrow many a night. Unless I move the stool before I go to bed.

Why don't I just let her out? At 4 a.m., the cat-eating dogs are still too much of a hazard. By 6, I usually throw her out the front door. Just as I get up and start my day!

For the non cat lovers out there . . . you probably can't understand why I'd put up with this. Feed Flannel to the dogs, I imagine some of you thinking. Ah, but I won't allow that to happen. 'Cause Flannel's my friend, you see. She's the one I come home to every day. The one who is happy to see me, and who curls up with me when I take lunch-time naps. Just so she can have lots of energy by 4 a.m.

Cat and Mouse

I took this photo on my cell phone the other day. Flannel has this toy that my friend Nan had sent her. She loves the mouse. Half the time, if she's not chasing it around, she's carrying it in her mouth. Here, they were snuggling. The mouse looks pretty scared, though.

Friday Night Ramblings

Whoo-hoo. It's an exciting Friday night in our corner of Kenya. OK, not really.

I'm going to watch the last half of Fiddler on the Roof after packing for a road trip with the Davis family. We're going to East Pokot, a very rural part of Kenya. Davis grew up there as an MK. I considered not going since I'm still not feeling 100%, but it's one of those opportunities you really shouldn't miss out on. Partly because I rarely get to do anything fun on weekends. (Woe is me!) But mostly because it will be an amazing cultural experience.

Yes, I am taking my camera.

And I'm leaving my computer behind.

These random pictures of Flannel, by the way, are taken with my computer's built-in-camera. It makes it easy to quickly snap a picture and post it. Like this one, from earlier in the week. It makes Flannel look like an angel.


She really isn't, though she has her angelic moments. Tonight is not one of those. Soon after I took the first picture posted above, she started with her nightly gymnastics. She can make somersaults holding a pocket pack of Kleenex. She can even perfectly unwrap brand new feminine products from their containers and play with the contents. And she loves to see if she can pull my entire mosquito net down from my bed! But her favorite game of all is to see how much of the red sand from her litter box she can displace onto my white bathroom floor. She's no angel, I assure you.

Flannel doesn't know yet that she'll be home alone for the next two days. Poor kitten. Mama Chiri will come and feed her. She might actually hang around and play with her a little. I know, my neighbor must think I'm really weird. Actually, I would've thought it weirder if I drove the 120km return trip to Kipkaren today to drop Flannel off at Kierra's. So I'd rather ask Mama Chiri to stop by.

On a totally different note: I found something good on the Web tonight while looking for those Pokot links, a blog of a fellow missionary who lives elsewhere in Western Kenya. This entry on her blog made me laugh. I can so relate to the comments about what's considered appropriate for women in this culture. It is mind boggling. You can breastfeed whenever or wherever you want without anyone flinching. But don't wear trousers. Why? Because legs are sensual. It makes no sense to me.

I should be packing, I know. I'll get off my soap box. Didn't mean to get on it, actually.

Saved by a Yell

Flannel was almost eaglet food today. Twice. There's a crested eagle nesting in the trees nearby. She's usually close enough for me to see her. Close enough to hit with a rock, I guess, but I have had no desire ever to throw a rock at an eagle. Plus, I'd miss. But today, I thought of picking up a rock and throwing it at her. She came so close, I probably could've hit her. She perched about 20 feet from my front door! First, she came and sat on my clothes line. Flannel and Toulouse (Davis and Jen's kitten) ran inside. I took a picture of the mother eagle (don't have my cables here; will have to upload it in Ilula tomorrow) and then she flew off. But no more than 10 minutes later, she was back. And this time, she swooped down at the two kittens! Kierra (a coworker who happened to be using my kitchen at the time) yelled. The kittens came charging into the house, their tails puffed up. Needless to say, I closed the door and kept them indoors for the rest of the afternoon.

I'm an over-protective mom, I think. But I just can't imagine seeing Flannel being carried to the trees and fed to baby eaglets! Yikes!

Opposites . . . and not

I've been sitting on my bed for the past few hours, working on my computer.
(Have I mentioned recently how thankful I am that my computer did NOT get stolen?)
This entire time, Flannel has been curled up sleeping next to me.
I'm such a night owl.
She's not.
But she's been putting up with me petting her even while she's sleeping.
Her little belly and her ears are warmer than a hot water bottle!
And even while sleeping, she starts purring every time I start petting her.
Flannel loves touch.
I love that I'm no longer allergic to cats. At least, not to Flannel!

This time, I really did get stuck

This afternoon, the team and I were out and about. First, we wanted to go and drop off some food with a family in the greater neighborhood. During debriefing one evening, Adriel mentioned how strange it is to know we get such good food (and so much of it) while there are neighbors all around who don't have much. From that came the thought of fasting one meal and taking the food to neighbors. God laid two families on my heart: The first was the family of Caroline, a girl I had taken to the hospital last Thursday. The second is a family down the road where a toddler and another young child is taking care of their baby brother while their dad works. (Their mom left after the birth of the baby.) Granted, ELI seeks to empower rather than simply give handouts, but the Bible also teaches us, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?"

So we set out today to go and bless these families, and then to head to town. As we rounded the second to last corner (at a place called Corner Bar), the children's home van almost got stuck. Keep in mind that it's basically been raining for three days straight, so the roads are less than ideal for anything but 4WD vehicles. And my Land Rover is still in for major repairs to its gearbox.

Back to the story. We almost got stuck, but I rocked the vehicle forward and backward in the mud (not pushing, but by using the gears) and voila, we were out. We were smart enough to park and walk the final stretch to the home. The family was indeed blessed by the token as well as by the mere fact that we had stopped by to pray for them. Caroline is still in the hospital, and they asked if we'd come back when she's out to pray for her again.

Off we went to the second family, but we couldn't find their home right away, so we went to town, first. The team wanted to buy supplies to make breakfast for the staff on Friday morning, so I took them to the market. This was quite the experience for them! They bought some fruit, too, and Kigen (Teimuge) took them for a walk through the entire market with its bright-colored fruits and vegetables, smiling (and staring) vendors, and the smell of produce that had been trampled upon and had gone sour. The smell really is quite something!

I had an unusual experience in the market today, though, when I greeted a young mother and she jokingly asked if I would take her baby. At first, I thought I must be misunderstanding her. Perhaps she meant "take a picture of her baby," but I asked Kigen to translate for me, and he confirmed. I know she meant it as a joke, but it hurt my heart that a mom would even say something like that. I tried to respond with the biggest smile with a "But it's YOUR baby!"

We ran a few more errands, and the team really enjoyed seeing what life is like in town. In fact, for debriefing tonight, they wrote poems about the experience, and some were really funny, others were touching.

By the time we headed home, it had once again rained. And at the very worst part of the road, the car fishtailed once again, but this time, I couldn't straighten out of the mud and VOILA, there we were. Stuck. The car had turned almost 90 degrees and the rear wheels were in the little ditch on the side of the road. Without 4WD, this car was going nowhere. As the team got out to push, a little Suzuki pulled up, and the local vet, Dr. Shah, pulled me out of trouble.

However, the entire time he was towing me (he was going in reverse, towing me with the dinkiest metal cable imaginable which was hooked onto the bar right under the driver's side of the car), I was praying. But not necessarily that he'd get me out of the mud. My greatest concern was that the cable would snap and come right through the window...

Great was my relief when the car was straightened and on somewhat dry mud. The team were really excited that we actually got stuck and that they were there to experience it.

By the time we got home (and after dropping of the second batch of food with the other family), the guys went to Sammy's house for a visit. Sammy is a neighbor who had recently been hit by a taxi at night (a hit-and-run) and had a cracked skull. The girls went to Peris' house for chai. She told us about being called to a neighbor's home two days ago to deliver a baby. (She's a Traditional Birth Attendant, sort of like a midwife.) We also learned about her chicken farm, as well as about how God has redeemed their family. And we got to meet the newest member of their family, a nephew who they've taken in since the passing of his grandmother who had taken care of him. The boy's name escapes me for the moment, but I'd ask that you join us in praying for his healing. When he was a baby, he was in the hospital and had had an IV in his right hand. By the time he left the hospital, his little hand was paralyzed, most likely because of a damaged nerve. But that's not too big of a deal for God to heal, is it? I'm believing God for his hand to be restored fully.

It was a great day of cultural experiences for the team as well as a time for them to step out in faith and obedience. They were pretty wiped out by the time dinner and worship was over. I don't think they even went to read to the kids tonight!

Tomorrow, the task of keying the children's home continues. They've finished the kitchen and have now started with individual homes.

It has been such a joy working with this team, challenging them at times when they get discouraged by how much the kids know, and simply seeing how God is using each and every one of them in various ways.

Speaking of challenging: George and Sue (who left yesterday) had met with the parents from the home on Monday and talked for hours about culture and marriage. In the end, they challenged the couples to express their love for one another. Even one couple who has been married for 25 years said, "We just don't do that," but they accepted the challenge nevertheless.

When we asked them last night if they've "done their homework" yet, they just laughed and said, "It's not that easy." But this morning, the husband walked into breakfast with a smile, declaring, "I have good news!" He shared how he had dreamed about telling his wife that he loved her, and in the dream, she was radiant! So the moment he woke up, he told her, "Why should we not express what we feel?" And so they told one another that they love each other... Though expressing affection may be cultural, I do believe most people want to also hear that they are loved. It's cute to see a couple who've shown one another their love and devotion finally take the plunge and say it!

On this note, it's time for me to head to Dreamland. Flannel's already fast asleep in the pillow on my lap.

Eating Termites, Stuck in the Mud, and Team Time

There's been a team here from APU, so my days have been filled hosting the eight students. It's been an amazing time, both in working with my Kenyan colleagues as well as with the team from APU. They have brought much laughter to our compound! For example, tonight, during dinner, a termite kept flying around my head. I finally caught it, just as Laban was telling some of the girls how Kenyans love eating termites. So I put the termite by his plate, and he went right ahead and ate it, wings and all. This, of course, made everyone go "Eeeewww!" and within minutes, the guys on the team had caught and eaten their own.

Here are a few pictures of the team that I took on Sunday, as some colleagues and I took them to a nearby spot (Kerio View) for some R&R.

But this day had several more fun and exciting moments. It started with doing kick-boxing, thanks to Diana, one of the team leaders. She's a fitness instructor, and today's workout was the second morning session we girls have had. What fun. And torture. But I must admit, it feels good to get a good workout again! (I'm hoping she'll show me some stuff I can do on my own before she leaves.)

While the team was working on a project this morning, I took two other APU guests to town. George Bache (Director of the Institute of Outreach Ministries at APU) and his wife have been visiting some of the university's teams, and they moved on to Kipkaren today, to see what ELI is doing there as well as to visit their friend Kierra. I took them to the market to experience "Kenya behind the scenes" and then handed them off to the Kipkaren staff. By the time I left town, having picked up some of the people I had earlier dropped off at various spots around town, I headed home on a very muddy road and a not-so-heavy vehicle. Everything would've been OK, but there was a vehicle stuck in the mud, so I ended up having to back up in thick mud and pass on the shoulder of the road. It was the closest I ever got to being stuck so far! Phew!

And no, I still don't have my car back. I got a quote today for the repair of the gear box as well as other parts that are in critical condition: just short of $4,000. Ouch! I had budgeted $3,000 for car repairs for the year, and that was depleted in my first major service in January. I am really, really trusting that these two major services will be the last for a while. That's what you get for having an 11-year-old vehicle that's always been driven in extreme conditions. Selah.

About Flannel: Right now, she's finally calming down after what seemed like an hour of kitten extreme sports: dive bombing into my mosquito nets, running laps through my home, chasing anything and everything, scattering her cat litter all over my bathroom floor, chewing on my hands and on any cables she could lay her teeth on before I'd see and snag them from her.

It's time to sleep. The rain has finally stopped for a while. It rained for much of today, right now, you can hear tons of crickets outside my window. And frogs. What better sounds to fall asleep to.

Lazy Friday Night

Flannel and I are watching Monk tonight.

It's been one of those days: My car has some issues (the gear box seems to be getting stuck, it has to go in for more expensive work next week), so I had to arrange to go to town with colleagues so I could go and meet a new intern at the airport. After getting there and waiting a while, I called our agent in Nairobi and found out that the intern has been put on another flight, tomorrow morning, since her luggage hadn't arrived with her... So, I spent the rest of the day in town, waiting for a ride home. Fortunately, I was able to have a few random meetings at the office, and I had some postcards with me so I could get some writing done. And I was able to go and take care of some business at the bank, part of my work permit arrangements. It was after 5 by the time I got home. It's one of those days when you simply have to smile at the events. Can't get upset at stuff like this.

Got back to Ilula and took care of a kid's finger. One of our kids cut his finger a week ago, and the wound isn't healing well, so I have been cleaning Obediah's wound in the afternoons to see if we can get it well. May I say that I am glad that I am not a nurse! Every time I clean his wound, I have to pretend I'm brave...

So, since our intern's not here yet (so the welcome dinner has been postponed till tomorrow) and since my car is broken (and I cannot drive to Kipkaren to go and pick up the staff I'm taking on a team-building retreat tomorrow), Flannel and I are having an impromptu movie night tonight. As I said, we're watching Monk. Flannel seems to like it.

Wish I could call for pizza. It's one of those things I miss at times, being able to get pizza for an easy dinner. Alas. I'll have to figure out something else. Ah! Just remembered. I bought fruit today. I'll make a smoothie.

Smoothie, anyone?

Silk Moth, Suicide Bomber and Flannel Update

This morning, members of the visiting team pointed out this silk moth that was sitting on my wall. I grabbed my camera, eager to put into practise some of the things Micah told me last night. I like how this picture turned out.

On a more serious note: News about yesterday's bomb in Nairobi is still a bit sketchy. Local papers report that two guys tried boarding a City Hoppa bus that was heading to the airport. They weren't allowed on the bus because it was full. They stepped of the bus and waited at an adjacent cafe. When a street sweeper asked them to move their bags, they ran. (Seems from the report that they noticed a problem with the bag.) The sweeper was the only person killed in the blast that injured 41 others. Pages of the Quran were found strewn in the area, suspectedly coming from the bag that had exploded.

There has been quite a lot of issues around the capital lately. A sect called Mungiki is trying to create fear as we are getting closer to Kenyan elections. More than 30 people were killed this weekend in a raid when police tried to catch Mungiki members. I am far from the city, so no need to be concerned for me. Please do pray for Kenya, though.
On a much lighter note: Flannel is doing marvelously! She even accompanied me to a birthday celebration tonight for one of the team members and slept in the hood of my sweatshirt for much of the evening. (She came home and pounced around the house before plonking down on my lap again, currently purring like an engine.) While I was decorating the cake today, she did something she did last night, too, as I was cooking dinner for guests: She'd come and lay right on my feet in the kitchen, as I'm working. She really is adorable, although a little scruffy looking still. Great personality! You can see new pictures of her on Flickr.

***
Wednesday morning

I wasn't able to upload the post last night due to a power outage. It's a beautiful Wednesday morning here, and I'm off to breakfast with the team, then taking some of them to town as they're heading back to the US. This evening, we have a farewell for our Ilula intern. In between these visitor events, I have a to figure out which items on my list for today is the most important and get at least a few checked off.

Hope your day is productive and full of unexpected blessings.

Adele

Flannel

As I'm writing this, I have a purring bundle on my lap. Her name is Flannel.

I was going to get a kitten this afternoon when I got back to Kipkaren. But at breakfast, I found out that there was a kitten at the children's home. Joyce (one of the kids) had found it near their school yesterday, and they were keeping it in the rabbit cage! I went over right after breakfast and enquired about it. They were happy for me to take it since they didn't quite know what to do with it.

The kitten is in pretty bad shape. When I went to get her, she was totally wet because the rabbit cage she had been in all night provided no protection against the rain that had been falling most of the night. Even as I brought her back, holding the wet kitten to my chest, she was shaking. I wasn't sure if she'd make it through the day.

I gave her a quick, warm bath, which she hardly fought. She was so full of mud from the rain! It's only after I had been drying her for a while that she started biting, fighting the dryer. She had some spunk left in her after all.

I put some medicine on some places that needed it. It looks like she had been burned, perhaps. Her ears look scorched, and her whiskers are mostly gone. After she was dry, I put her down on my flannel PJ pants on my bed so I could find her something to eat. The moment I put her down on the flannel PJs, she started purring. So I called her Flannel. She digs her nose into the material, probably still wanting to nurse...

When I fed her, she gobbled down the food to the point that she gagged! All morning, I kept her warm under a reading light in a carrying basket until she stopped shaking. She slept all the way to Kipkaren, happy to be in her little basket. Once we got here, Flannel explored my home and didn't like it too much when Davis and Jen's new kitten stopped by, but the two will soon be friends. She just gives a little squeak when I pet her, then purrs.

So, I have a new little roommate/travel companion. Trusting she'll be well soon, healed from whatever caused her little ears to look scorched.