Welcome Home

Walking to the plane

After being away for 5 weeks, it's an amazing feeling to be home on Clove Island.

After a couple days' travel I finally boarded a 12-seater plane for the short hop home. It was a beautiful flight, full of gorgeous views.

Arriving on the island, I had a choice: taxi home or walk? Yes, I live within walking distance of the airport. So I walked. Along the way I greeted several people in the local language. Although I took a back route, I still ran into a couple of acquaintances along the way. The last block before home, I heard my name yelled super loudly.

An earlier picture of my friend and I

"ABBY!"

One of my best friends here was running down the road to meet me. Seriously, it was the best welcome ever. We hugged and laughed, trading greetings without hardly answering the previous one. Then she helped carry my bag to the house and followed me inside.

"Oh, it's really dirty in here" she said.

"Yep." It was filthy. Dust covered every surface and the hallways was a mess from the cat's meals. Ugh.

And the next thing I knew, she had a broom  in hand and was sweeping the house. Before I'd even gotten all the doors unlocked she'd dusted and swept my room. She swept most of the house, then excused herself, saying that she'd see me later.

And about 5 minutes later I got a text from her, "Come find me at my house. It's urgent." Well, I was really worried. What sort of emergency might happen during the short time that she was away from her house?

I was seated in the very back of the plane. 

So I grabbed a wrap and went to her house.

For lunch! Yes, she made me lunch and insisted that I eat all of it. Very traditional island fare, and I loved it: chicken wings cooked in a tomato sauce with a full bowl of rice. So I visited with her and her family while enjoying a great meal.

Remember back in March when I wrote a similar "Welcome home, or not" post? Well this time I truly felt welcome. Even the neighborhood bossy lady gave me a huge hug and wouldn't let go for a minute or two.

Volcano Island, just after takeoff

Praise: safe travels! Good time at training! Great vacation! A kitty who's grown in our absence! FRIENDS!

Pray: for the rest of my teammates who will be traveling tomorrow. For local-
language concentration which starts on Tuesday. For English classes that will be starting up Sept 9th. For my team leaders' youngest son who got burned badly (it's healing, but slowly).

Clove Island, seen through the clouds

Ndzia, happy to have company again.

Upon further reflection

On a hike!

"Abby, don't be weird," a friend just said to me. Why did she say this? Well, I was exclaiming over something small which can't be taken for granted on my island. While I try to control said "weirdness" it's sometimes helpful to sit down and take stock of all the differences between island life and where I am in Kenya.

Urban Kenya isn't Clove Island, that's for sure. Americans often think that "Africa is Africa." In fact, some Americans seem to forget basic geography and think of Africa as one county instead of the actual 53 countries on this glorious continent. But as I was saying, there are a few major differences between life on Clove Island and life in Kenya. Like what? Let's start a list:

Change: here in Kenya it seems that having change is to your benefit, as you can often get a better deal if you have exact change. But it's nothing like the island where people will lie through their teeth about not having change. I've gone to the market at times with a 500 note and bought something worth 200. The seller will prefer to wave the 500 note in the air and ask a friend for change rather than reach under their mat to disturb their own precious change pile. We've speculated that there may be a lack of small bills and coins... but that's only exacerbated by the number of people hoarding it!

Looking up from the bottom of an ancient crater.

Proposals: although I get a little attention as a white woman in Kenya, it's nothing compared to Clove Island. One day, there were 4 of us ladies who went into town (in Kenya) and while catching a taxi on the way back we had to fend off some unwanted attention (a man blowing kisses through the tuk tuk window!)... but it's been nothing compared to the incessant onslaught I get on Clove Island of men who find out I'm unmarried and immediately propose to me. It might be my white skin and blonde hair... or it might just be that I carry an American passport... but it's nice to get a break from the attention here in Kenya.

Power: I've heard Kenyans complain about the power outages here. But the funny thing is that the power comes back on fairly quickly. I've grown accustomed to the idea that if the power goes out in the evening it probably won't come back for the rest of the night. I also have gotten into the habit of charging my cell phone whenever there's power so it doesn't die on me when the power's out... yet here I can count on being able to charge my phone every night! It's truly amazing.

Baboon-- chillin' like a villain in the middle of the road

Food: I've been amazed at what I can find in Kenyan supermarkets. On the list of things which I've found here and never seen on Clove Island are:
- corn chips
- bacon
- pork sausage
- loose tea
- pre-roasted coffee beans
- cheddar cheese
- salami
- and many other items. The variety is overwhelming (see my previous post).

English: it is seriously AMAZING to be able to assume that people in shops and buses know English. Granted, the accent here is quite unique, yet I really don't mind. Of course, this also means I can't talk about people in front of them as easily. :-)
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News update: I'm done with my 3 weeks of training and am now on vacation! I'm excited for some serious down time before returning to island life. If you've got Skype/Google hangouts and want to talk, I might have more time for catching up with people this week. Drop me a note and we can schedule it!

Viewpoint!