A Most Splendid Day (Considering I’m here without my wife)

I think reading The Wind in the Willows has affected my speech, because I don’t think I’ve ever used the word splendid in my life.

Nevertheless, today makes up for some mildly frustrating past few days. You see, I think it is the height of the planting season, because I have had a tough time reconnecting with some skilled workers that I had waiting for this time. I recently received some funds donated for the school to wrap up what I can before leaving, and now I was having a hard time finding the men I had put on hold while we were waiting!

This morning, I was able to catch up with one of the guys I have been communicating with lately, and he had thankfully spoken with another that I still haven’t found. They had discussed what material was needed for a steel door for the library, and I was able to go to Kaloleni to purchase it. I also confirmed the dimensions of a “standard” wooden door, and was able to order three of them for the other rooms of the new school building. This lifts a huge weight off my mind, because hopefully they can begin making the steel door tomorrow and the wooden doors should arrive on Monday!

I pray that next week allows us to get these doors installed. I hope to help move books from the “store” (short for storage) to begin setting up the secure library, complete with a home for the computers that have so far had to be set-up and taken down every time to store in the head teacher’s locked office.

Meanwhile, here is a photo of the stairway after completing the floors, varnishing the handrail, and you can see the shadows of the “ventilated” half-walls that were added above the midway landing.

On the matatu back from Kaloleni, we happened to pick up one of the teachers, Mr. Ade also. He is about our age and has become a great friend; he helped me with the handrail and he even reads our blog. (Hi, Ade!)

So, it really made me smile when he made reference to one of the “Things [Lesley] Learned in Kenya” by pointing out that he was the 18th person in that matatu. Believe it or not, we picked up two more passengers before we alighted at Ribe (keep in mind that these are 13-passenger caravans with rows of bucket seats forming benches, so as you squeeze together, you likely sit on a ridge between seats – if you’re lucky enough to get to sit. By the time there are 18, or 20 apparently(!), you may get to crouch or hunch over attempting to “stand” just inside the sliding door. Oh, also these numbers don’t really include children; they crowd onto their parent’s and other people’s laps.)

Once home, Eunice, the mama who is cooking some meals for me (since the culture didn’t really support me, as a man, learning how to cook with the local tools and ingredients) …anyway, she offered to make some special sukuma wiki, but I needed to pick up the sukuma and other vegetables, and the shop was still closed before I went to Kaloleni. Thus, I returned much later than she imagined, and she had gone home. I somewhat desperately packed up the ingredients, along with a couple hotpots, and headed to her house. She wonderfully received me as though it was what I was supposed to do, but grabbed a few of her things and brought me back to Tito’s house for her to cook my dinner here! This got even better when she discovered I had ground beef in the "freezer" - it doesn't really freeze - and cooked it into the sukuma wiki.

That is when I had the opportunity to read more of The Wind in the Willows, and reflect on what a good day it was.