Leavin' On A Jet Plane ...

Don't know when we're gonna be back again :-)

The evacuation was lifted on Saturday while we were camping at Hell's
Gate with the hyenas (more on the camping trip later) and we found out
on Monday from a local Newspaper article. Thank you gubmnt for letting
us know we can go home.

Monday night I flew to Kisumu to be there on Tuesday while they
unpacked the house and to also move Rafiki, who was found on Friday,
to the new house, Sign some papers then fly back to Nairobi today to
fly back to Kisumu with the kids on Wednesday. Meanwhile, last night
Kayla and the kids stayed at a friends house where Kayla left the kids
at the crack of dawn to fly to Kisumu for work. Kids stayed at friends
house as Gladys is no longer in our employ. Even though Kayla and I
were both in Kisumu I never saw her before I flew back to Nairobi
today to pick up the kids and arrive back to the house all before
10pm!

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Moving Hell

So of course the evacuation is still in effect and costing big money while things just aren't going to get much safer here. We are all very frustrated, having to fly back and forth a couple times a week to get things done in Kisumu. Speaking of which the embassy in all it's wisdom decided we have to move out of our house during all this, never mind they have set things up so we have to fly in, move, then fly out again! Actually it was me who flew in to Kisumu for the move. it was only a move to down the street two houses but it was almost as traumatic as moving round the world. We had to pack a 3000 sq ft house into a 1800 sq ft house. Needless to say the garage is full. They say it's a temporary residence but when the goverment says temporary watch out for their timetable!



i suppose the biggest trauma for me is poor Rafiki the cat was so terrified that she has gone missing and I had to fly out without moving her to the new house. I did get a call from the night guard that he saw her in the house which lifted my spirits. They tried to find her in the morning but she must have some amazing hiding place because no one can find her in an empty house. I am due back in Kisumu Monday night so I think I might have to camp that night in the house so she will come out.

Move 'em out!

We're moving. I am in Kisumu supervising the move to our new house which is literally two houses down the street. Kayla was here in Kisumu too,  but not the kids, they are still in Nairobi. That was a source of incredible augst for me. It's the first time since we have been in Africa that we have both been in different cities than the kids. I wouldn't do it if the kids were in Kisumu but Nairobi is different. There is plenty of support and help if needed.

 

These movers say it will take 4 days to pack and move us. I don't believe it. Man, do we really have THAT much stuff? It's a lot I know but these guys are trying to work double time over the Easter weekend I think. We are moving to a much smaller house so they erally won't have to unpack some of this stuff, ti will remain in storage until the embassy finds a more "suitable" house for us. But who knows how long THAT will take.

 

So Kayla came to Kisumu yesterday, I came today and she returned to Nairobi tonight. She'll stay in Nairobi Tuesday, I'll stay in Kisumu Tuesday, Wednesday at the crack of dawn she will make her way to the airport to come back to Kisumu and Wenesday night I will go back to Nairobi. Whew!

 

Then this weekend we are all going camping at a place called Hells Gate, pictures to follow!

There's No Place Like Home

Really hasn’t been much to write about lately. We have fallen into quite the routine after being in Nairobi for six weeks. But soon, they say, the ‘Authorized Departure’ will be lifted by the embassy and we can all go back to Kisumu. Could be as soon as the end of this week. And that will begin yet another list of big changes for us.

First, though, I want to reflect a bit about our stay in Nairobi. When we arrived I fought hard to not like living here. Everyone raved about the weather, especially this time of year, its perpetual spring here right now. I told everyone I hated it, “not warm enough” I would tell people. And having ‘access’ to things here. High end shopping malls that would rival anything in the US, high quality art, even decent jazz musicians play here. I turned my nose up at all of it “why bother living in Africa if you’re going to live here?” I would tell people. But I can’t deny my feelings any longer. Yes, the schools ARE better here and yes the lamb chops are amazing here. That’s not to say I want to stay. The down side is that things are more expensive and it’s a bit isolating like any big urban city and traffic IS unreasonable and it really ISN’T like living in Africa! I mean, part of why we came to Africa in the first place was to have an ‘African’ experience. I suppose you could argue that living in Nairobi IS an African experience, it’s just not the kind we wanted. The main thing now is I know a lot about Nairobi now; where to eat, where to buy art, where to by foods, how many hours it take to get from one part of town to the other. I think I will spend more time here then I have in the past. It’s a nice chance for some variation, a quick vacation.

Even though the kids have had access to a lot more here (they take horseback riding lessons every Sunday, for instance) which they enjoy, I don’t think they are going to miss Nairobi or the school they are in that much. They are ready to go back.They are missing their dogs and cat and nanny. But we haven’t fully express to them that Gladys will stay in Nairobi. We have found her a new job with an expat family that seems very nice. She will be happier too living closer to her family. So I don’t know exactly how they will react to that, they are pretty close to her. And they don’t realize it yet but many of their friends are not there any more either. Kisumu might be a very different place for them than when we left.

And then, when we do return to Kisumu we’ll be moving out of our house!Yes, it’s finally happening. The embassy HAS to move us now. They still don’t have a house thast is ‘appropriate’ for the director, they say, but will have to move us temporarily, which means we’ll have to move yet again some time in the near future. We’re going to a house down the street. Much much smaller, but the location is great, still a block from the school. They are going to have to put much of our stuff in a container on the compound while we wait for a house to open up. We’d like the kids to participate in the move too. Hoping it will easy the stress of moving out of their house. We are debating whether to stay in Nairobi until the end of their school term which is March 20th, but the movers are starting on the 17th.

So things are on the move again here. Stay tuned…..