Kenya is so amazing and I can’t believe the trip is half over, crazy. This trip is such a blessing, I cannot express in words how much it is affecting me and forming me into a more faithful daughter of Christ.
Let me just say, the food is something I was a little hesitant about prior to coming. I’m not extremely picky and I knew I would eat a bizarre meal if I was hungry enough, but I never expected what was in-store for us. We arrived at the hostel and found out we would have someone cooking for our team. His name is Patrick and he is so great! His life story is pretty amazing too, a former DJ, musician, runway model, professional cook, loving father, and aspiring bike racer (one of his dreams is to compete in an American bike race… which I know he’ll do). He is so full of joy and extremely hard-working. Right now he is trying to get enough goats to pay for his dowry… A few of us on the team have been searching for him too whenever we go into villages. I love helping him cook and learning from his many inventive techniques. He can make so many great dishes with so little. He has 2 pots, a broken knife, cutting board, sink without a knob, 1 “wiping” towel, and 1 serving dish. (oh and my concept of clean has broadened unimaginably…) But he amazes me with what he can make with the limited supplies.
So far, we’ve been blessed with a wide variety of dishes. (but a lot of what I’m about to explain is fixing to end… I’ll explain later) Every morning Patrick boils milk-water and we have drinking chocolate, chai, or coffee. (we’re spoiled!) We’ve had Ugali- a corn starch and water food… almost a mashed potatoes and cornbread hybrid, but not nearly as flavorful. That is a Kenyan staple here, but our team doesn’t have a big taste for it and I don’t think Patrick is going to make it again, ha… but we all ate it. A crowd favorite has been Patrick’s roasted potatoes…. simply amazing. Another Kenyan surprise was mandazis… they’re like doughnuts. We made some yesterday morning… they are cut into triangles (but I made hearts… Patrick was amused) and fried… as seen in the picture. They’re delicious… and easy to make, therefore we’ve been eating them a lot… which is… good. ;}
The other day I helped Patrick make chapatis, they are like tortillas, but with a LOT of oil. He spins the chapatis on the grill with his fingers and its extremely hot… that was my job. He said you can’t make a good chapati without burning your fingers. There’s a lady that cooks chapatis every morning and I’m finding everyone has their own special techniques. We should be making chapatis tonight and I can’t wait… they are soooo good.
Everything we’ve been eating has been new and exciting. And besides the Ugali, we’ve enjoyed it all. However, we’ve been challenged by our leaders to give a few things up. Our team is going on a fast from personal spending money, communication apart from our weekly blog, and half the food budget. We’re starting on our 2nd week and going strong. We’re no longer getting milk-water in the mornings, our meals are rationed and consist of a slice of bread and jelly for breakfast and lunch… and then a normal dinner. (Which is why I’m so excited for chapatis tonight!!! :))
I’m trying to learn as many Kenyan specialties as I can so I can make it for ya’ll when I come home. 🙂 Patrick said I’m learning quick, so watch out… a feast is in store.
God’s love just shines from Patrick and it is such a privilege to grow in fellowship with him. He told me I’m his best friend here… no favorites, but it means a lot. He is such a gift to our team and we are all just in love with his genuine care for each of us.
Happy Birthday Joe and Heather… whenever you get this :)! I hope it’s full of pineapple and love.
I love you so much Mom (please dont worry about me! Were so safe :)), Dad, Michael, Christina, Monica, Chris, family, and friends! And I am growing tons, I’m excited to tell you all about it. Heidi, I’ve been praying for your Bible Study I hope it is going well, I love you. Monica, Give Christopher and Ava big kisses for me please, I’m sure they’re getting huge. XOXOXOXO God Bless!
P.S. Dad, I got your comment and it’s nice to hear from home… but I haven’t been able to check any emails so if you sent me anything I haven’t seen it. If you comment on the other people’s posts I probably won’t be able to read them because the internet is extremely slow and we each get 20 minutes to post a blog. I understand why no one talked about packing lists now… there’s no extra time to mention that. Also, we can only post 1 picture per blog because the internet system isn’t bought by time, but by bites used. Thank you for forwarding my messages to everyone 🙂 It means a lot.
