Watch the Walk

At first I thought of writing a post on the "Man of the Day" awards-- which man was the most annoying or infuriating in his advances on me each day. It could have been funny. It could have been witty. It could have made you laugh, and cry, and feel for me, while wishing you could see it happen just once. But that doesn't do the issue the justice it deserves. First, let me say that islanders have pre-conceptions of what American women are like. They've seen the movies and they know how we normally like to behave. Can I use the word? Sluts. Yeah, they assume that we're sluts. Isn't that a great way to start things off? So every day I have to demonstrate that I'm a woman worthy of respect and not the loose woman they assume I am. Second, let me point to my passport. It's American. If I marry someone not from America it will be (according to speculation) far easier for my husband to go to America. Third, polygamy is widely accepted here, especially among t...

Yesterday I went with a friend to an information session given by a naturally-focused Kenyan doctor. He was telling about the benefits of Spirulina, a diet supplement, but he ended up spending a lot more time discussing diet and mindset issues of islanders (and Africans in general) than actually telling about Spirulina. The issues he raised have been quite evident to me here, and it was amazing to see the islanders' response to his commentary. See, islanders don't like new things. When I make American-style food for an islander friend I never really know if they'll appreciate it. If I go to the market and see something I don't recognize, I generally ask how they cook it. And every islander cooks it pretty much the same way. So when there are selective food shortages, like right now, islanders start complaining a lot. For example, the doctor told of when there was a rice shortage (a couple weeks ago), and islanders were protesting near the market. "There's no fo...

This month has been pretty busy. English classes have started. I'm teaching one class in my town and one class in the town I'll be moving to at the end of this month. Yesterday was Eid al-Adha the day Msms commemorate Abraham sacrificing his son. What a great bridge to talking about deep truths! The Father spared Abraham's son... yet did not spare His own Son (Rom. 8:32).  Instead of writing a lot this time I'm giving you a few pictures to look at. Island life remains interesting. The greatest challenge of late has been avoiding men and their unappreciated advances. I contemplated writing a post about the "man of the day" -- who managed to be the most annoying man during my day... but probably will leave that topic alone. Alright, picture time! Sunset at the beach Trash at the beach. This is the typical beach scene here. Looking across to the port House construction. This is one of my favorite places for a peaceful walk There's a woman blocking the view, b...

So we're moving, Jess and I. After 10 months in this beautiful house, the lack of water* has caused us to seek new accommodations. We've found a house that we both really like and are excited about, but details still need to be sorted through and we've got two months left in our current house. On Sunday afternoon we went to a river in another town to wash laundry. If I lived there, I would totally wash clothes in the river. It's amazing! The water was cool and there was plenty of it. It was a little less than knee-deep in the middle, but it was water! Here are a few pictures from our adventure at the river. *Want the longer water story? Read on:   When we moved in, it was a matter of setting up the system. Because our house is on the second floor, water pressure wouldn't be sufficient to bring water into the house. So a lower cistern was built to collect water from the local pipes, a pump installed, and an upper cistern placed on the roof to collect water pumped...

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 cover...

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 chan...

I stared out at the parking lot taking it all in. Cars parked in their spaces, street lights keeping it lit up... it was just a large parking lot. But I hadn't seen one in person for over 8 months. It felt so familiar. And so strange. I'm in mainland Africa for a little over a month doing some training and getting a little time for rest and refreshment. After being here for just a day it's still a little strange. I woke up this morning and my nose was cold. But then I got to take a hot shower! There's bacon in the stores here. And ham. And sausage. And American-style cheeses. And options. On my island if you want a thermos you have 1 design option and 2 style options. You might buy it from any number of different stores, but it will be the exact same type of thermos. Today in a store I stood and stared at what felt like 200 different thermos options. After not seeing a French Press in a store anywhere on my island I found myself face to face with 10 different options in...