This past week we have taken part in a number of fun things. The previous weekend was pretty much consumed with Chris being very ill – don’t worry, he’s fine now. It was probably malaria, since the malaria treatment made him better quickly, but without a lab test we don’t know for sure. So, this week was full of activities to make up for it.
-On Tuesday the 15th, we went to the primary school for a little event with some American donors. They were from a small organization called “Motherland Mission” – some Kenyan sisters from Ribe had moved to Virginia and started this organization with a US pastor. The group of 5 people was entertained by the kids singing some songs and the donors passed out new uniforms to those who were there. I was particularly touched to see them bring plastic flip flops (the typical Ribe footwear); it breaks my heart to see so many kids going to school barefoot, which can lead to all sorts of infections/bug infestations/skin issues.
-On Wednesday we went to visit the home of a teacher, Mr. Gege. Mr. Gege sits next to me in the staff room and has become our good friend. He guided me through my first term and teaches both Chris and me Swahili lessons whenever our three schedules line up. I have also been teaching him about computers and we were able to help him recently when he was in a bicycle accident.
To get to Mr. Gege’s house, we took a matatu and then a motorbike for the first time, since it would have otherwise been an hour and 15 minutes walk through rural farmland. When we got to his house around 11, we met all the members of his extended family who lived nearby and then enjoyed chai and mandazi that his wife served. We spent a while sitting and chatting; for a few minutes we would sit outside under the mango tree, then see storm clouds roll in and go inside while it rained. Then when the heat of the house became too much, we would go outside again and repeat, carrying our chairs with us all the while. Conversation topics ranged from North American animals (can you name and describe 10 mammals that are in the US but not Kenya? And how on earth do you describe an opossum?) to the differences between the 9 local tribes, from the Swahili verb conjugations to strategies for enacting effective and humane discipline at school.
After a while Mr. Gege took us on a tour of his shamba (farm/garden) where he keeps chickens and goats, and grows maize, cassava, peas, mangos, and coconuts. We stopped for a nice drink from some madafu (young coconuts with water) and then headed back to his home when we realized that the equatorial sun was scorching our skin. Luckily I brought the umbrella with me – although we encountered no rain while on our walk, it made a nice parasol as we returned to his home! His village is called “mikomani,” meaning “location of mikoma,” which are local trees. They didn’t know the translation in English, and we still don’t know what a mkoma is even after seeing it! Some kind of palm, perhaps?
After returning from our walk and chatting for a while, his wife prepared a lunch of pilau complete with kachumbari (relish of onion and tomato) and bananas (traditional accompaniment). We relaxed some more, and then took off on another walk to see the church where Mr. Gege sometimes preaches (it’s pretty common for teachers here to double as preachers – which are generally unpaid). On the way we also stopped by a little storefront where he and his wife have started a tailoring business. They have a few machines and hope to build it into a small sewing school. Then we walked, walked, and walked some more until we found a motorbike that could take us back to the matatu stage. We finally arrived home as the sun was setting - it was a long, fun day visiting a colleague.
-On Thursday morning we headed to town to do some errands before heading to Nyali (suburb north of Mombasa where Crossroads Fellowship is located). As usual, by the time we reached town we were ready for lunch, so after eating we headed to the National Library of Kenya, Mombasa branch. We had been trying to go there for months, since I’m desperate for reading material. But what a disappointment it was! It was one room about 20 ft by 40 ft, with books on each long side, and a loft upstairs with children’s books. Most of the books were reference and academic, and the small fiction section seemed to have ancient tomes of which I had never heard. Only a few sections were labeled, many of the books were missing spines and the covers were generally faded, making it nearly impossible to find anything in particular. Most of the people in the library were students busy studying or men reading the newspaper on their lunch break. I had only purchased a day-pass, since registering as a member required references from an employer. However, I don’t think I will be pursuing that option – in less than 15 minutes I think I saw all there was to see of the poor library. It makes me wonder about the relationship between literacy/English language skills and library offerings – I would think one would promote the other and vice versa. It also makes me wonder if it would be possible to offer more material in Kiswahili, which would be significantly more useful and accessible to the coast population. This excursion left me with renewed energy to develop as good a library as possible in Ribe.
After the library we went north of the city to pick up a dress I had made for the upcoming wedding in Ribe, then shopped a bit at one of the street-side markets that line Mombasa’s busier roads. 
Then, finding that we were about 4 hours early for our next event, we caught a series of matatus that put us in Nyali at a swanky strip mall with a Nakumatt (big supermarket), cinema, trendy clothing shop, bowling alley, and several cafes. We browsed, ate, read, and generally killed time (I discovered The Time-Traveler’s Wife is coming in January!) before heading over to the church for a Christmas concert. The concert was fun – the church was packed, we got to sing some classic Christmas songs and hymns, and for the first time we really felt like Christmas is approaching! After the concert we went home with a missionary couple who lets us stay at their house and we got a good night’s rest on comfortable mattresses with a/c running!
Then, finding that we were about 4 hours early for our next event, we caught a series of matatus that put us in Nyali at a swanky strip mall with a Nakumatt (big supermarket), cinema, trendy clothing shop, bowling alley, and several cafes. We browsed, ate, read, and generally killed time (I discovered The Time-Traveler’s Wife is coming in January!) before heading over to the church for a Christmas concert. The concert was fun – the church was packed, we got to sing some classic Christmas songs and hymns, and for the first time we really felt like Christmas is approaching! After the concert we went home with a missionary couple who lets us stay at their house and we got a good night’s rest on comfortable mattresses with a/c running!
-Friday we slept in and after a quick walk on the beach we went to the supermarket and bookstore before returning to Ribe. If it ever seems like it takes us a long time to do errands, and that we do them frequently, it’s because it does, and we do. Walking to the matatu stage, waiting/getting on/leaving, the drive, and walking to desired location (potentially a few times) takes several hours. Then, repeat that all in reverse with backpacks and arms full of groceries – we can only bring home as much as we can carry, and nothing that will melt in the 100* heat. So, we take advantage of any chance we have to stop in a grocery store and grab some things.
-Friday night began the long-anticipated wedding in Ribe … (see next post for more!)
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