Yellow House

Sunday March 4, 2007

I have been the queen of the computer this weekend and there is an arse shaped dent in the sofa to prove it. But I have gotten so much done it is worth celebrating. Today I will go to the pool just for a change of scenery. Also the Dutch girls are staying at Nyanza club where I swim. But that’s it with me.. nothing exciting.. I go to bed early and get up early.

Actually Jamie, I went to bed last night and in the net with me was a meditation book, my current read, two travel guides, head lamp, phone and a bottle of water. It reminded me of Veronica and how children always have beds full of toys. I now sleep amidst my reading. Lovely.

I do want to say. The roaches are gone. I embarked on chemical warfare last Sunday. They were living in my water filter box behind the shopping bags in the bottom of my cabinet. I stomped, Doomed, crushed, obliterated. It was gruesome. The cabinet is cleared and this morning there were no tell tale holes in the bread bag. Hurrah. I am the victor. Until my month away I suspect. I’ve never had such a living breathing scuttling residence.

Friday March 2, 2007

Well it’s been a tumultuous week, but I love love Fridays in this life of mine. Typically they are unscheduled or we have a staff meeting so I have taken to putting any speech therapy clients into the morning and then I take the afternoon at a leisurely pace. I woke at 6:30 and lay in bed dreaming hazily until a more respectable hour. I cannot get up in the mornings. It is so very hard to get out of bed. Anyway, I actually did a few creaky salutes to the sun and headed to work in my red dress. “You look like a Valentine” says Silas and cracks up.

So I thought to write about yesterday because it was such a wonderful day. I would have done it earlier but I have a grand distraction: an instant messenger pal who being in the same time zone is always on gmail when I am. I have been considerably less productive this week. As a direct consequence I also spend a good deal of time looking up words on dictionary.com (e.g. sinecure) but I digress..

Yesterday we headed out to do a “disability sensitization” in Maseno-Karateng. It had been raining so it was a completely muddy trek to the homestead where we met. Apparently we were early (the program didn’t in fact start until 3 hours after we arrived). Silas says he didn’t want to tell me to meet at 10am because I would have thought he was lazy. I pointed out I would have celebrated a lie in. There was an excuse for the delay - people have to come from their shambas. Apparently they start planting next week and it’s getting into busy season. But finally we kicked off, some prayers, very formal introductions, some words of appreciation. It was all lovely. They sung my praises.. about how good I am for moral and motivation and all the rest of it. Beauty that lights up the night, wouldn’t you know. Oh and I have a nice structure??????? Anyway, it was a fairly successful workshop. I did nothing useful but Silas had it covered. He could have been spouting nonsense but he quit translating so I wouldn’t know. We tried to sneak away by 2 but were captured, tied up and huge quantities of food were funneled into us. Actually though I was actively trying to avoid lunch, I was starving and as luck would have it, it was delicious. Piles of chapattis.. my very favorite, rice, and a shredded cabbage vegetable dish. Carb overload. I was then given a massive bag of avocados. Did I mention how little I actually did? If you look at the photos you will actually see me in the back reading my book. Anyway, everyone was so nice and I really was very nearly overwhelmed with the kindness and hospitality. Lillian the hostess is one of those truly beautiful people who looks like someone who has been caring all her life. Looks like someone you would want to know. Her home is also lovely (it’s all relative) and apparently it is all of her own doing. She is a single mother with four boys and a girl. The house is filled with drawings done by one of her children, and pictures of weight lifters. I loved the gym. I wonder how he makes sure his weights are balanced?? Did I upload that picture? If not I will.

Today I saw my stroke lady who is so sweet, a young man who stutters who is also a pleasure to work with and a small cutie boy who is low tone, and wasn’t playing with me if he could help it. I’ll see him next week in his community. I can’t believe they all showed up. Fabulous.

So I am here in my pj’s but Brian should be swinging by with his tuk-tuk guy to pick me up at 7:45. We are meeting some Dutch girls at Kengeles and then going for an amazing Indian feast at Simba club. I am not going to eat so much so we can go dancing at Mon Ami because I have been here 7 weeks and not made it there once. It’s nice that Brian lives nearby, it makes me feel much better about commuting too and from town.

So my weekend unfolds. I bought a new frying pan to make better pancakes tomorrow. I also have a banana so I am thinking I’ll have pikelets mid morning. I have so much work to do on my computer I should be on house arrest.