It is 8am and I am locked in the guest bedroom at Martha's house. The door doesn't lock from the inside, so to keep me safe she put a pad-lock on the outside. I will just have to wait until she comes to get me.
This visit has started off weird and somewhat uncomfortable. I don't know if it is just me, or if they feel the same.
The five hour drive from Watoto Wa Baraka to Nyahururu ended up taking about six and a half hours which put us at their house about 9:30pm. As mentioned before, Kenyans take their time on everything, even road trips. The additional hour and a half was made up of multiple stops to get school supplies, fruit, shoes, cell phone credits, drug store etc. We also stopped for dinner. Martha was very nice and wanted to make sure I didn't go too long with out eating, so we picked up some fried chicken and french fries. It was 8pm so I figured this would be my last meal for the day and devoured every bite. America may be the fattest country in the world, but Kenyans know how to fry some chicken! It was delicious.
It was freezing when we pulled into Nyahururu. I had no idea it would be so much colder than in Makuyu (the village where Watoto Wa Baraka is located), so I didn't pack appropriately. I only brought a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt, a tank top, leggings, crop pants, and my PJ's. No Northface jacket and no sweater. One of my least favorite things is to be cold. I would rather have sweat running down my back and sweaty armpit rings than to be cold. I am happy when it is 72 degrees or higher. I keep a heater on in my office during the summer because that is when the A/C is cranked up. Makes sense, right?
Another predicament I am dealing with is my period. I started a few days ago and luckily I had a few tampons in my suitcase, but not enough to last my whole cycle. I wasn't too worried about it because I thought I could get some at the store. Well, they don't sell tampons here; they sell maxi-pads. I haven't used a pad since I was 12. Why? Because they suck! They are messy and they don't help with not-so-fresh smell. On top of that, I left all my "granny panties" at home so I don't even know if the adhesive tape on the back of the pad will stick to my g-string underwear. Why I only brought g-string underwear to Kenya, I have no idea.
When we finally made it to their house, we were greeted by their three children: Brian, Nonemus and Celia. The six of us sat on the couch drinking tea, watching soccer and chatting. During that time Martha started to breast feed Celia. Generally speaking I don't mind a woman breast feeding in public, but this time it felt awkward for me. I think maybe it is because Celia is more of a toddler and quite squiggly. She would suck for a little bit then stop and start playing around then go back. Martha just left her breast hanging out instead of putting it up and pulling it back out over and over again. It's not bad, just different and I don't really know where to look.
After about two hours of chatting, I was ready for bed. I didn't want to be a rude guest so I was waiting for the right time to excuse myself. Well before I got the courage to do so, Martha served dinner. This threw me for a loop. It was 11:30pm and I was still full from the fried chicken, fries and tea (they make tea with freshly squeezed goat milk which is very heavy and nothing like the fat free milk I drink at home). I don't know how else to explain how full my stomach was except by this analogy: Imagine going to your moms for Thanksgiving breakfast at 10am, then to your dads Thanksgiving lunch at 1pm, the to your grandma's Thanksgiving dinner at 4pm and then hitting the Chinese buffet at 7pm. I knew she made this just for me, so I unbuttoned my pants and ate as much as I could. I am glad I did because the food was great and I think it made her happy.
When we were finished eating, Martha showed me to my room. I was so excited to see a full size bed with sheets, blankets and pillows. But the most exciting part was the bathroom. It has running water! Not only is it inside and right next to my room, but it has a toilet seat, sink, and shower. Hallelujah! What I wasn't so excited about is how cold it is. But to solve the problem I put on EVERY piece of clothing I brought with me. I am not exaggerating. I literally put everything on.
I had a good nights sleep and I am ready for what ever today brings, as soon as she unlocks my door.
GOD CREATED US TO SERVE. ARE YOU?
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