This Isn’t the (…) I Was Expecting

Perhaps my biggest (maybe only) accomplishment after a week in Kenya is what Elise is not doing. The first few days nrsrly every meal involved Elise sniffing, “This isn’t the tuna salad/pizza/ice cream/juice/etc. I was expecting.” (Fairly enough, the ice cream was my fault for choosing lemongrass flavor.) She was right, of course -- nothing was exactly like she knew from her favorite places in Fort Collins. It was different. And that's the point. 

We explained that many many things over the next few years would be “not what she expected,” and this is pretty much the reason for being here in Kenya, or away from "home" (not quite sure where that is right now) really. To Elise's credit, I haven’t heard the phrase again (yet anyway).

We’re still in Nairobi, in very nice temporary housing. Nairobi has fancy (relatively expensive) restaurants. We’ve gone to a few with folks here that are just lovely, with nice food, open gardens and wonderful service.  We have a kitchen, and so have been frequenting the Nakumatt (not as large but essentially a Kenyan Walmart--groceries and other goods.) The selection available is quite good, though unsurprisingly food in the grocery store is quite costly compared to Kenyan salaries. Local fruits and vegetables are abundant and reasonable (even moreso in the markets than the store, of course), but processed goods and dairy are as high or more than in the U.S. And it is clear why beans, rice and various forms of maize are staples of the local diet.  

We should be able to move into our home in Kisumu – land of fish—later this week, so I’m sure we’ll have further updates on the status of everyone’s expectations.

Oh my Gosh

OK, so we're in the throes of packing and planning and forgetting things and remembering them, but we will be populating this space with good stories over time. My first attempt at a post went into space (or someone else's blog, maybe??) ... but I am sure it wil get better from here...