We're in Kitale (CV)

Hello and greetings from Kenya!  After what seemed like an eternity of traveling we arrived safely in Kitale on Saturday evening.  

The kids were all waiting for us in the dining hall and gave us an exuberant welcome of hugs, handshakes, and a hearty rendition of happy birthday for Anna.  It was late, and we were tired so after about twenty minutes of greeting everyone, they showed us to our room and helped us get settled in.  Our living quarters are a bit sparser than we had expected, and right now the big girls' dorm has taken over about half of it.  We have a bedroom with a bathroom, and then an empty bedroom that we are planning to make our kitchen.  I'll post some pictures once we spruce it up a little.  

On Sunday we spent all day with the children, and it was a bit of a shock to my introverted system.  We woke up at 3 because we're still jetlagged, got up around 7, and then had a breakfast of uji (kind of like a sour porridge) and chai.  Church was at 10:30.  It was under two hours which was absolutely amazing, and unheard of during my last experience here when it consistently lasted more than three hours. We had githeri (maize and beans) for lunch and then just hung out for the afternoon. I helped with some laundry, they braided our hair and we juggled a plastic bag soccer ball.  I definitely need to work on my skills.  I couldn't seem to get more than eight, while the other girls made fifty look like nothing.  We then took refuge in our room for about an hour, before coming out again to have a dinner of ugali (oogalee - maize flour and water) and sukuma wiki (kale), and then go to evening devotions.

Today has been a day of organization.  When we arrived the toilet didn't work and the shower was only a cold trickle.  There's nothing like a freezing cold bucket-bath in a shower that doesn't drain and two days without a flushing toilet to change your perspective a little.  Today our bathroom was restored to proper order and we discovered a kettle, toaster and stove which we put into the second bedroom.  We discussed plans to put up a door between our space and the girls' dorm so that we will have a bit more personal space, and we changed our bed from one queen to two singles.  We still haven't unpacked our suitcases because we have no shelving, but we are making progress!

This afternoon we took a matatu half way to town and then walked the remaining 3km.  We bought mangoes for 10 shillings each to eat along the way.  We're going to do some grocery shopping and errands and then head back out to Mercy Home.  It's been so fun to show Anna all of the places that I have talked about for the past three years.  These are the days in Kenya that I love and have missed. 

God bless you richly, 
Candice