19th April (Thought I'd begin dating them as I'm posting all jumbled up)
I have been meaning to dedicate an entry to my lovely host parents but haven't yet gotten round to it. Now is the perfect time.
It goes without saying that the standard of living here in Thigio is very different to that in the UK and in parts of Nairobi for that matter. A small example I observed was the fact that in children's text books there are instructions as to how to dig and plant at school!
Many homes here are without what we deem basic electronic appliances - TV's, radio, washing machines, cookers, microwave, kettle and even fridges in many cases. My host family are an example. Dennis and Sarah are both such wonderful people and I pray I have touched them with at least my presence as much as they have me. They live in a humble home made of coregated iron and wood and they have an acre of land Dennis inherited from his fathers estate. With this land Sarah farms the families food and also grows crop at her plot of land a while away. They also keep a few animals for food and for small income.
They are so hospitable and on our first visit we sat and spoke for 6 hours straight about everything - politics, geography, life in Kenya as a contrast to the UK, money, religion (he's very interested in Islam mashaAllah!) and all sorts. He really did open my eyes up to how blessed I am.
That day they made us a mighty feast which I could nt finish. It comprised of chipatti's and cabbage stew.
Dennis and Sarah have 2 children, Yvonne (10) and Francis (5). Yvonne had her birthday on the 9th of April so we brought her a new school bag (as i observed that hers was falling apart) and some school books. They were so very grateful. We got Francis a bag too!
Last week (now 2weeks ago) was their 10 year anniversary (they're only 30, bless them!) and we were invited to celebrate with them. Myself and 6 other volunteers took up the kind invitation and although we were hours late they waited for out\r arrival before starting and treated us like their guests of honor. God bless them! They brought out a mighty feast again and even made me a separate dish with no meat in it as they had no halal meat! How sweet. Then after some traditional Kenyan songs we were told to return the gesture and sing them a song - the best we could come up with was 'For he's a jolly good fellow!'Then the cake was cut. It was truly wonderful and I really have come to admire Sarah's kindness and her happy nature. She's a real joker too! She doesn't moan or even bring her hardship to our attention unless prompted to do so. She's just content and happy. I long to be like that and in many ways, here, I am!
I also met another lovely and note worthy couple that week. Grace and David. They are the parents of 13 year old Hannah who we met at Kanyanjara school. She bonded with one of my roomies and invited us to her house to meet her family. And again we were so warmly welcomed and treated like royalty you might say! Hannah's mother is 28 and a mother of 5! She had her first child when she got married at the tender age of 13 and she is so beautiful! She made us fried egg, w\sweet potato, bread and Kenyan tea and even though, truth be told we struggled to eat it, we appreciated it all. They really prepared for us and even sang us a song. We took pictures and had a bundle of laughs with them as well as promise to come back as they were just so happy to have us.
I'm so happy our presence was the source of joy to them and all others we visit. This is truly a fulfilling experience. Thank you God.
Still smiling!
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