Safari Njema

I am coming home in 4 days! I am so excited to come home (I miss everyone so much!) but there are some things I will really miss here. In Kiswahili, which I am pretty conversational in by now, "safari njema" means "safe travels" or "Bon Voyage"--I have had a safe and amazing journey, and will miss everyone's hospitality and desire to share their culture with me. At the same time, I am excited for a safari njema back home to see everyone that I miss so much. To keep things brief, I have made two top 10 lists: one for each purpose, of things I will miss the most and of things I am looking forward to.

Top 10 Things I Will Miss the Most

10. The fruit and vegetables--avocados, mangos, passion fruit, pineapple, even the oranges... are so much better here. 

9. Being able to see Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro on clear, sunny days!

8. The possibility of having a Vervet Monkey scamper across your path... they dominate the area I'm in!

7. The lunch bell at school and the screams that always follow, "Food-ie Time! Food-ie Time!" and, if we're lucky... "WALI!"

6. Walking everywhere--and this is not sarcastic. I love walking so much every day, especially because the scenery up here really is breathtakingly beautiful.

5. Having random strangers address me as "sister" or "daughter."

4. Learning Swahili while helping the kids with English--my kids could sit in my room for hours and point at different things, saying, "Madam, in English?" I'll tell them our word and then ask for it in Kiswahili--they'll normally have to repeat it 5 or 6 times before I can say it correctly, but all my failed attempts crack them up. I still can't pronounce ny'gombe (cow).

3. Once or twice a week I would go to an orphanage near the school and help the littlest kids who are too young for school with the alphabet. They are so energetic and enthusiastic about learning even though they are so young... the other day it was so hard not to burst out laughing when Abdul said, "B is for... LEMON!" 

2. Pete O'Neal, the owner and founder of a community center near the school-- he's from Kansas City and treated me like a daughter, for which I am so grateful! 

1. Elia, Lucky, Christina, Zipora, Joseph, Evance, Johnson, Dotto, Kulwa, Bright, Modest... okay, more like a top 20... but I will be so sad to say good-bye to these kids that I adore so much!

Top 10 Things I am Looking Forward to!

10. Washing my hair.

9. Uploading my 1000+ pictures and videos onto my computer!

8. Having ice cubes in my water!

7. Not having a momentary panic attack when we make a left turn and I think we're turning into oncoming traffic... I have never gotten used to the whole driving-on-the-opposite-side-of-the- road thing.

6. Letting the raw spots on my knuckles heal from hand-washing my clothes... it was okay because I REALLY appreciate our washers and dryers now, but, well... I'm not very good at the whole hand-washing thing. The headmaster's grandchildren would come up to me and ask if they could please help me.

5. Taking a break from the bug spray.

4. Being able to use my cell phone!!

3. Eating a grilled cheese sandwich... something I have been wanting ever since I arrived here!

2. SUMMER. Africa/South of the Equator/July would make you think of hot weather, right? I know, me too. But I am at such a high elevation that it is actually cold here (think fleece, scarf, jeans, and thick socks... every day)... and I can't wait to come home to the scalding, miserably hot Kansas City weather!

1. My friends and family-- I will see you in 4-ish days, I can't wait!! Love you, xoxo!

Napenda mimi watoto! (I love my kids!)

I have less than three weeks here and I can't believe how quickly the time has gone! Now with so little time left I am trying to spend as much time here with the kids because they are SO cute and so sweet. Here are a couple of things I've been up to this week:

1. I bought bread, peanut butter, honey, and jelly... one night this week I had some of my regulars in my room and taught them how to make my favorite classic American food.

2. My star math student, Elia, successfully completed a speed drill of his multiplication times tables--50 problems in 3 minutes! Elia wants to be an accountant or a pilot when he grows up, and he has the longest eyelashes in the world. 

3. The kids have checked out more than 250 books from the library! Now that secondary students are coming back from vacation, the chapter books are flying off the shelves as quickly as the picture books.

4. Equally exciting... the teachers are checking out books at the same rate as the students! One of my favorite teachers loves Shakespeare and read The Merchant of Venice in two days... impressive! 

Thanks everyone for your emails and patience--in case you haven't figured it out yet, my internet is so temperamental so if I haven't responded to your emails... know that I received it and appreciate it so much! I will be in touch with you soon and can't wait to see all your smiling and beautiful faces when I come home.