Sunday, October 25th, 2009: Day of rest, finally!

The monkey who came into my room and stole 5 bananas!

Today is beach day.  Bought some keychains for most of my friends.  They carve the names on safari animal shapes such as Lion, elephant, cheetah or rhino.  Only $200 ksh each.  JJ was the vendor.  Hope to get more tomorrow.

Drank beers at the hotel bar after suntanning on the beach for a bit.  Quite hot.  Beach is nice but they don't comb the sand, so there is a lot of seaweed and little sandcrabs at the water's edge too.  No chairs or loungers like on the beaches in Punta Cana or Montego Bay.  So next time I would bring a mat and a blow up pillow.

Also did some hand washed laundry today.  While I was in the bathroom a monkey came into my room and stole about 5 bananas.  Scared me as I was coming out with my wet laundry as he was still in my room.  Cheeky bugger, wouldn't leave right away and kept eyeing me thru the glass doors and I had to hide the bananas in the fridge outside.  I was scared he was going to pluck them right out of my hands!  More monkeys came out later, before we went for dinner and we did give them a few bananas.  I was trying to get food to the mom's with babies but the big ones kept stealing them.  The little ones were really cute, the big ones scared me!

We all has nice warm showers to get ready for dinner.  I really did not bring anything to wear out, wasn't thinking that we would have time to go to a disco.  Hillie had a cute black skirt, and I wore it as a dress LOL.  It worked.

We went to one place for dinner.  Chicken and chips.  Took Paul, Julius and Livingstone with us as a treat.  Had tuskers and watch the soccer match.  Went to the disco later, ladies free, men $100 ksh.  Lots of dancing!

Saturday, October 24th, 2009: Mombassa bound

The common area of the Hotel in Mombassa, covered patio with kitchenette and sitting area.

Beach in Mombassa at the Banburi Beach Hotel, where you can take camel rides!

Well that hotel in Nairobi was very noisy.  Disco was pumping till 4 am, and then the trucks across the road started up.  Slept about 5 hours.  Denise is sick now.  We planned to head to Mombassa at 8am or so, since it is a long drive.  Roads are crazy.  Some areas are so bumpy, other area smooth, and when you go through a town there are speed bumps!  Hillie and Denise were both under the weather, tough ride for them.

We did see zebras, giraffes, camels, and baboons on the drive down.  Very exciting.

Got into Mombassa and hit the supermarket for groceries as this hotel has a kitchenette.

The hotel is right on the beach, called Bamburi Beach Resort.  Pretty cool hotel.  We have the upper floor which is only 2 suites, plus the common area outside under a thatched roof.  1 room had a kingsize bed and the other 2 twin beds, both had their own bathroom.  On the patio is a kichenette with a fridge, stove and sink.  There are 2 tables both with chairs.  I really like the set up and would be good for the family.

Had to call the Doctor for Hillie, he thinks she has a parasite and bacteria so he prescribed Flagyll and some other Rx's for her.  She wasn't doing well at first but once some of the drugs kicked in she seemed to be a bit better.

Denise was just really cold and shakey, she thinks she has the flu.

Hillie's friends Livingstone and Julius came for a quick visit.  So we sat out on the patio with Paul and had a few drinks and a peanut butter and jam sandwich for dinner, just too tired to go out for dinner!

Friday, October 23rd, 2009: Last day at the Farm

In the morning we went to the nursery-preschool to see the small ones, it is right next to Tabatha's farm.  They are already learning at this age.  They sit at long desks on long benches.  The teacher was teaching them english words like chair, book etc.  We came in and did a small craft project with the children.  Old Cd's decorated with stickers then a piece of yarn so they could hang it around their necks!  Denise read them a story and they laughed at the pictures of the fruit and veggies with faces on them.  We also put up some posters etc that Denise had brought.  As the teacher explained things the children, in unison, "mmmed" after each statement.  Saying "mmm"  is very common for Kenyan's to say.  It is their way of acknowledging what a person is saying.  Kind of like us saying sure or ok when someone is talking, or we nod our heads to let them know we are listening.  But to see the 3 and 4 year olds doing it, like little adults, was hilarious. 

We left the kids to return to the town with Paul and Tabatha to see the tailor for Mary's apprenticeship.  We came up with an agreement.  1 year of training for $14,000 ksh.  So Denise paid $5,000 ksh now, with $5,000 ksh in January and $4,000 ksh in March.  She will start monday.  The money will help the owner buy material and thread for Mary to practice on.  In less than a year she should be employable.  I played lawyer in the van and drew up the agreement. Thank goodness for that realtor's course I took!  Though I am sure in Kenyan courts it wouldn't hold up!  But we wanted the tailor and Mary to know, we are serious about her finding an employable skill.

We also saw the carpenters working on Catherine's new bed and table.  They were finishing them up for delivery today. They were looking really good.

We stopped by Catherine's on the way home to deliver some men's ties and other goodies.  Peter can give them to some of the men at the church who need them.  We also showed her how to paint, as we had brought the left over can of white from the orphanage.  We hoped it would brighten up the sitting area a bit.  Hillie had given her a beautiful piece of lace to hang up around the top portion of the room which is common in Kenya too.

The cow shed was being constructed too, which is really good news.  It will be simple but will allow them to milk the cow once they get one.  This is something we still need to raise money for, but I am sure it will happen, as they are a very deserving family.

Denise got a picture of me by a Kenyan cow on the walk home, he moo'd like he had laryngitis.  Pretty funny.  They tie their cows up to the grass on the front of their property sometimes with a ring thru their nose, and only a  3 foot  tether.  Kind of like what we do with our dogs.  They do this with the sheep as well.

The nursery kids were out again on our way back to the farm.  They waved at us as we passed by.

We got back to the farm, packed up and had a nice late lunch before heading out for Nairobi.  Lentils, spinach, rice, chipatis and fresh pineapple.

We headed east to Nairobi and met Paul's wife at a gas station, he wanted to see her quickly as he would be gone with us for another 4 days.  We picked up some items quickly at the Nakamart. Groceries for our hotel tonight in Nairobi.

We got to the hotel and each got a room, basic but fairly clean and the door locks.  Couldn't get any hot water so took a cold shower.  Then headed out for dinner.  Hillie stayed behind as she was sick.  Met Dwiga, Cago at the nyama choma restaurant/bar.  Very good meal.  They wash your hands at the table, Kenyan style, and the nyama choma (grilled meat) tasted so good with kenyan salsa and coarse salt, especially because we got to eat with our hands and wash it down with cold Tuskers.  We called it a night early because we knew tomorrow would come early and we had a long drive to Mombassa.

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009: New beds for Catherine

Shower day!  More like sponge bath day!  Basically you get 1/2 bucket of hot water and add cold to it and into the shower room you go.  Hair first, pouring over your head while you stand in another bucket of some warm water so your feet don't freeze.  All the water drains outside.

Today's agenda is to speak to Denise's Mary about sticking around and not leaving her kids behind.  Paul will have a talk with her too.  Sometimes it helps in their language and not english.

Then we picked up some school supplies for Harry and Susan's class in the town center.  Took Mary and her son Paul with us so they could see the Dr. for Paul's infection in his leg.  

Hillie, Denise and I went to the school.  It looks really old but in fact it was built 2 years ago.  This school is also open to the court yard, single level.  They still cane children at school, for instance 3 per hand for being late.  There are atleast 35 students in a class.  School has class 1-8 and the forms go to another school (1-4).  They also have a "kindergarten" class which is called nursery.  Children in Kenya are in classes appropriate more for their abilities than there age.  For instance Betty is in Form 3, she is 16, but would like to repeat it to get better marks, and is then better prepared for Form 4 which counts for you university credits.

We sang O Canada for Susan's class and we are sure everyone in the school could hear us as it is a pretty open style wood building.  We left the school supplies for Susan and Harry's class.

After the school we went back into town and had a "sit" with a Fanta with Denise and baby Paul.  Mary, Tabitha and driver Paul continued to look for a tailor who would take Mary as an apprentice.  Hillie had left on a bora-bora (motorcycle taxi), to visit another family she has been helping.  100 ksh ($1.50 cdn) to go about 20 mins or so.

We then stopped by to see how the bunkbeds for Catherine were coming along.  They were loading them onto the cart for the donkeys to pull up the road.  We told Catherine we would be up to her house shortly.

We got to Catherine's to help her "prep" the rooms for the bunkbeds.  Kenyan people are often slow and late, it was already 1pm and we wanted to leave for Limuru to pick up stuff for Catherine and hit the ATM's for more money.  Since Peter was home, Catherine's husband, we were able to take off while they assembled the second bunkbed.  The beds looked amazing and I am sure the children will be so happy tonight, in their new beds!  Off the floor to boot!

It was a 1/2 ride to the town and we have to pass by Rift valley where Catherine and her family are from.  She couldn't look, it was too painful.  To lose everything!  Chased out of your home, your town and to become homeless.

At the department store we purchased mattresses, sheets, and some food.  Plus I bought her a cell phone as she had been using her oldest son's when necessary.  We also bought a sprayer for pesticide for her crops, which is really important.

We left for home but stopped in the town just before the farm to pick up Susan (the sister of Tabitha) from work.  She is working at an organization to help orphans in the area.  This company is assisted by the Canadian Government.

Got back to the farm, packed up to save time in the morning and went to Catherine's for dinner.

We had a wonderful time at their house.  Talking about Canada, playing games, jigsaw puzzles of course all by lantern in their small home.  Dinner consisted of rice, cabbage, beef stew and chipatis which I have come to love.  Can't wait to learn how to make them.  They sang songs and then to end the night off we sang......you guessed it.....O Canada.  Peter, Catherine and Ben the son walked us back to the farm.  Only a 2 minute walk but it is in the dark with only a flashlight to shine the way.  So it can be very dangerous.

Got home and had a tusker with the gang while we talked about the day.

*Biggest hit today was the glow in the dark sticks we gave Catherine's kids.  They went outside and danced around in the dark, it was hilarious!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009: Farm life

Wonderful sleep, about 10 hours, must be the mountain air and the higher elevation (8000 ft).

First a simple breakfast, instant coffee and granola bar from home while I wrote in my journal in bed.  Got ready to go see Catherine, quick peanut butter and jam sandwich for the road.

We walked down the road to find Catherine's new home.  Interesting to see all the crops.  Mostly cabbage.  Catherine met us on the back road and showed us her humble home.  It was clean with hard clay floors (like cement), 3 bedrooms, 1 sitting room and a cookhouse outside.  The bathroom is an outhouse.  Her beautiful daughter, Betty, is 16 and in Form 3.  She is tall, and has a beautiful smile with really nice teeth (sometimes that is rare in Kenya).  They were so happy to see Denise, tears started to flow as they thanked God for Denise and Terry who are helping them.  They are a displaced family from the political problems last year.  Had to leave their beautiful farm in the Rift Valley with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

We sat for Kenyan tea, bread and fried eggs.  We discussed her story and she showed us pictures of her tractor, which was now burnt by those chasing her family from their home because they are Kikuyus.  Her husband was at work today, and the other children at school.  Betty had stayed home because she wanted to see Denise which meant extra work the next day to catch up.  Catherine obviously had been better off before the almost Genocide, but because they had been chased from her home, they lost everything.

Terry, a friend of Denise's in Canada, has been assisting them somewhat finacially and Denise had come with some extra money from Terry to buy more items for the family.  We decided that the family could use beds as they were sleeping on the cold floor.  She also needed a pesticide sprayer for the crops.  So we headed into the town of Mookayoo. (Not sure of the spelling though, about 1/2 hr away from Limuru).  Wow what a dump of a town, dirt hole!  We saw a carpenter about 2 bunkbeds ($9,000 or $130) and a double bed and a table.  He said they would be ready in a day or 2!!!

Betty wanted to "sit" for a fanta (pop), so we found a cramped cafe for a 3 pops, a tea and 3 plain cake (160ksh or $2).  We also went to the church where Denise had fed the IDP's and where she had met Catherine.  We saw the clinic area and they were very broke too.  We asked them to give us a quote of how much money they need monthly in case we can find a new donor in Canada.  It is mostly for wages and to have a mobile service.  Very needed to get Dr's and nurses out into the community to see HIV and other patients.  They have an HIV testing lab there, Denise says people from the community don't go to it, they would travel to another town to find out and vice versa, don't want the town to know if they have HIV or not.

We picked up a few groceries for Nada's Mary (Nada is a lady that does work thru compassion Canada and helps to support this family) who was working on Tabatha's farm.  She has 5 children Steven, Leah, Elliott, Moses and Kelvin.  We gave her the items at the farm but carried it to her shack for her so other's didn't see that she was getting stuff.  We brought colouring books and crayons for the kids and I gave Mary 1000 ksh (14 cdn) to get some medication for Kelvin (age 15) who has sinusitus and it is affecting his eyes.  A nosey neighbour came by to see what "special" treatment we were giving her.  Sad.

We then stopped at Denise's Mary to find her.  She was home, children filthy, but the house that Denise had built looked good.  Denise is worried because she keeps taking off to Nairobi and leaving her kids behind with her parents.  We think she might have a new boyfriend.

Got back to the farm around 5:30 pm, had a one hour nap and then dinner.  Hillie had arrived with John from the Hope orphanage.  Sat up till 1130pm talking about her adventures with the orphans with Paul, Tabitha, and Denise.

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009: Sad goodbyes to Toto Love

Boys on the new bunk beds!

Catherine and the beginning of her hair being plated.

The boys in the soccer jerseys!

The start of the outside, roof will be red and bottom portion will be black to keep it from looking dirty from the rain and mud!

Last day in Embu.  Denise left for Toto to give them money for the hair salon, I stayed in the hotel to pack my suitcases.  Denise returned about 9am, so we went for breakfast in the hotel with Paul and then brought our items to the van.  We also figured out the money for various projects still underway.  We wanted to pay the workers, and leave money for the last of the projects.  We returned to Toto Love where just the boys and the older girls were to see them and bring gifts and say goodbye.

Peter and painter Benson had started the grey on the outside and it looked so good.  They loved the rollers and we promised to bring them more next time.  Normally they would just use a brush to paint the whole house, in and out, as rollers are so expensive there, I heard they were around $20 each.  We took them aside to express our thanks and pay them for their work.  $6,000 ksh each ($85 or $15/day).  Well worth it as we then didn't have to paint the outside!  Can't wait to see pics of the roof, it will be red.  We really had a fun time with them.  They are hard workers and eager to learn.  At first we were kind of mad at them because Benson had watered down the paint so much, but not realizing for a roller you need it thicker.  We told him to trust us, and paint Canadian way!  By the end he was so happy with our direction, and that we had been painting for many years.  Benson painted more like me, Peter painted more like Hillie!  Benson and I did the precise stuff.

The bunkbeds still hadn't arrived and we waited as long as possible.  We gave out the shirts, soccer jerseys, leis, noisemakers, bracelets, necklaces, new socks, new underwear and put glow in the dark stairs on the ceiling in the bedrooms.

We hung pictures that Denise had brought, lamenated photos that she took from the airplane one day. We hung the kitchen curtains too.  They had also started repainting the black portion in the kitchen with the oil paint so we had to be careful not to ruin the kitchen curtains!

The kids loved all the gifts.  The soccer jerseys were a big hit, and Deredk was even able to find a Ronaldo one, player from Brazil, in the pile!  He loved it, and even showed me his soccer moves with the new soccer ball outside.

We left with the older girls, Edna, Rhoda and Bansy, for the hair salon.  The little girls were there getting their hair plated.  Very long process.  Took pictures and gave out t-shirts.  Paul had bought chips (french fries) for them to share.  Talia had been bugging him the night before to show up with chips and he did!

We said our goodbyes to the girls, I hugged each one and when I got to Bansy the tears just started to fall.  I just held her a bit tighter and she held me back.  I hated the idea of leaving her behind.  Her story was so bad.  Not able to walk because of her leg deformity.  How she would crawl out to the streets to beg for food to feed her and her AID stricken mom.  And cook for her, and feed her, and how her mom died right in front of her while she was feeding her one night.  Something a child should not have to know about let alone witness it first hand.

We left the first salon with Ruth to go to the next salon to visit the house moms.  We gave them $3,000 each ($40).  Both Carolyn and Milka are HIV positive and make no money.  This would give them a bit of spending money, something they don't usually have.  They work so hard for the kids.  Do all the laundry, meals, cleaning, and get no pay.  It would be nice to set up a salary for them, that way they don't have to rely on volunteers.

We just got word that the bunkbeds had arrived so we quickly went back to see them.  3 sets were outside and we took pictures of the boys on the beds. 

 We gave Ruth the money, individually packaged in baggies!  Each with a note telling what it was for.  Plus extra money for new backpacks and for more black paint for the kitchen/outside.  We also gave her a thankyou card and $5000 ($70) for all her hard work.  Told her to treat herself or take her family out.  They don't get to see much of her, she works and is at Toto Love most of the time.

We were on the road now for the farm, 2 hour drive and we had to make it before dark and before the rain or we would be stuck on the bad roads.

We stopped quickly for rice then later for Tuskers, then at a really nice hotel for Samosa's.  We also stopped for groceries, spent $4,000 ($55) personally on shared groceries with the farm.  Just the basics though, loaves of bread, peanut butter, jam, bottled water, soap, air freshener, cookies.  Dinners would be provided at the farm, mostly just something to eat for breakfast and cookies to snack on during the day.

We stopped for a bathroom break and take a picture of the Rift Valley.  Very beautiful area.  These were the true Kenyan outhouses.  A squatter as they call them.  Denise and I were giggling as we took our bathrom break.  The funniest thing though was the first out house had "mens short call only" written on it, in other words men may only pee in that one!

Roads were good, but the last 1/2 hour of roads are scary!  Very large rocks embedded in the dirt roads.  I can see why Paul wanted to get to the farm before dark.

We arrived and Tabatha, Susan and Monica had prepared dinner.  We unpacked and then sat for the most delicious meal.  Beef, rice, lentils, cabbage, kale, and the tomato/cilantro salsa/salad.  Had tea after dinner.  Talked a bit.  It is quite cold in this region.  Needed jacket on, blanket on lap too.  Fireplace was going, only heat and though there are glass windows and metal doors, there are openings at the tops of the rooms to the outside!  The cement clay building material they use to build the houses also doesn't help.  Cold floors, cold everything.  But the farm and home was much nicer than I imagined.  Very clean.  They get alot of missionaries here.  They charge $20/night per person and that includes the dinner, and you can have a warm shower (sponge bath style) in the morning if you like.  House has solar to power the lights.  Otherwise no real power.  They have a cook house outside for the traditional cooking and inside the 1/2 kitchen has a fireplace that they keep a big pot of water on, for various duties!

Well I was very tired must have been only 8:30pm when I turned in.

Monday, October 19th, 2009: Toto Love shopping spree

House moms unpacking the new groceries for Toto Love

Denise wading thru the water to get to the classroom!

Children crowd us to have their "snap" taken!

Very busy day.  Had to do our shopping for the orphanage.  Hillie has left for Hope Orphanage very early, Paul drove her up to Nairobi so she could catch a ride.  They left around 4 am.  Denise & I couldn't really sleep much, so got up and got ready.  Had to order a taxi, well this was quite the car, couldn't see out back window (painted over).  David was our driver.  It was raining very hard.  Toto Love road is not good either.  Picked up Ruth and went to the school to deliver school supplies.

The school, St Michaels, is an open concept, with each classroom open to the courtyard.  Brick with no glass just bars over the windows.  It looks old, and judging from the yard and condition of the classrooms I doubt that there is a custodian or grounds keeper of any sort.

We met the Head Master, Francis to discuss our tour.  They were the only school to accept the HIV children.  First to the primary class for Joy, Talia etc.  They were so happy to see us.  The class was big, 2 classes, 2 teachers, must have been 50 kids.  So well behaved.  They sang us a song, then we sang them O Canada.  Presented the teacher with school supplies. Took pictures.  Francis made sure we didn't have to carry our suitcase from classroom to classroom, he found very willing students to do this for us!

We headed to the other classes, Edna's, Rhoda's, Derek's, & Mugambi's.  Mugambi was so excited to see us, he stood up and clapping his hands over his head.  He was so happy that we showed up.  All the other children sat quietly in their chairs.  Smiling that they had visitors.

All the classes sang songs for us, and asked us questions about Canada, our jobs and of course we sang O Canada for them.  Each teacher visited was presented with school supplies.

The rains continued and the last class to see was Bansy's.  The area around the classroom was so badly flooded, due to a blocked drain.  So we took off our shoes, rolled up our pants and waded into the classroom carefully as the mud was extremely slippery.  All the children were laughing as they watched thru the bars of the various classrooms.

Bansy's class didn't speak as much english so Ruth waded in too!  There was no teacher in the classroom because they couldn't get thru the water.  But the children were so good even with the teacher absent.  We sang, had them sing, answered questions.

The bell had rung and children poured out onto the yard.  Once we got thru the water again, children crowded around us to have their "snap" taken.  They love having their picture taken and to see what it looks like on the digital camera.  

We stopped off at the staff room to meet all the teachers briefly.  All are female teachers except one, Mr Wilson.

We returned to the Head Master's office for a quick tea with biscuit and discuss the children and their progress until our taxi driver, David returned.

My impression of the school was that they were really trying.  The kids were very well behaved.  In any classroom that you entered they had a greeting .  You would say "goodmorning" and they would repeat back something like "goodmorning visitor".  A bit hard to understand with their accents, maybe even welcome to our school?

After school we picked up Scholastica, the retired teacher, and went to the hospital to see Sharon.  We stopped off quickly to pick up some diapers, fruit and cookies for her and the other children.  We met with the psychologist first who was assisting these children.  He took us to the ward were we met the nurses.

In the tiny ward there were 5 cribs all filled with a baby.  Well what looked like a baby.  One was 6 years old but had some neurological problems.  She was the size of a 3 year old.  One girl, Grace, had Spina Bifida .  Her back was very deformed and her legs were so small, almost like she had no legs at all under the blanket.  One little boy dressed in pink was so frail.  He had TB, I am not sure how old he was but he was the size of a 4 month old.  His head shook back and forth on the crib bed.  Too weak to hold his head up.  I held his tiny hand, not knowing what to do to comfort him.  John, the only one not HIV positive, was about 1 years old, small but very alert.  He was very interested in our visit and would smile when we made eye contact.  Unfortunately he can not be adopted out as the mother's whereabouts is somewhat known and she will not give up guardianship.

Sharon, who is 3 years old.  Her mother had died and no one in the family would take her. She tested positive for HIV.  Her mom probably knew that and couldn't care for her. She is destined for Toto Love once she is toilet trained.  She is small in height but very cute and chunky.  She looked more like a 2 year old.  She couldn't walk very well, partly due to the fact that she spends most of the day in the crib.  We also encouraged the staff to get her toilet trained so she could go to Toto Love and they could free up a bed for another child.  Denise changed her diaper and some of the other children's diaper.  Well actually she put diapers that we brought on most of the children, because they just lay in the crib with nothing on their bottoms and just pee the bed.  The staff is then constantly changing clothes and sheets.

Sharon walked with me a bit, holding onto my hand.  We tried to hold the other children too.  I held John, and was quite taken with him.  I wish I could adopt him.  We told the staff it was ok to share the items that we had brought for Sharon with all the kids, they are worried that some will get jealous.

We took lots of pictures and Sharon, who never smiles, actually loved the flash and smiled every time it went off.  Ruth was so shocked to see her smile!

After we left the hospital we took a matatu to the town center.  This is a cramped van, bus or car that the Kenyan's take for about 20 ksh.  It would be like public transit to us.  You tell the guy working the stand where you are going and he finds you the appropriate vehicle as some are going to other places.  Very crazy and some of the vans are pumping out reggae music.  We squished in the van and I almost had to sit on top of Denise.  Off to town we went, about a 5 -10 min drive.

A visit to the wholesalers for food and goods.  One part is a regular store, not everything is wholesale there though, then the back is an order desk.  You tell them what you want and they pick the order for you.  Quick visit to the bank, then to the department store for sheets, netting, and femine products.

Paul had returned from Nairobi and joined us to pick up all our shopping.  You could see it on Ruth's face how excited she was.  We even picked up meat for dinner.

We returned to Toto Love, van completely loaded down, and the children willingly unloaded the van.  The "moms" put the groceries away.  It was chaos, and almost like Christmas.  I am not sure if they have ever had that much stuff arrive at one time.  Or that many new items.  It was so cute in the store, Denise would say "what about...." or "what else do you need?" and Ruth would look at her, hesitant at first to say yes we need it, but then the smile would come on her face as she was able to pick out items with Denise that were desperately needed by the orphanage.  Such basic items but yet they can't afford to buy them as all the money they get goes to rent, and groceries and sometimes school fees for the nursery children.  Things like a toilet brush, or new towels are luxuries to them.

The house moms were busy making dinner. I was able to watch them in the cramped kitchen make chipatis, a flat bead made of flour and water, rolled out and fried. They even gave me an early sample.  Delicious or Tamoo!

We mostly sat with the kids before dinner, hugging them as we knew we would be leaving the next day.  My feet were still really dirty from the mud that morning and I pulled out some baby wipes to wash my feet.  Catherine started to help me wipe my feet, the Joy joined in!  I finally had 3 girls wiping my feet off for me!

Dinner was incredible.  Beef and cabbage stew with the chipatis.  Something I could eat again for sure.  But what we ate is more like a Christmas meal.  Beef for the orphanage is only eaten about 3 times a month and I would personally like that to be increased to maybe 2 times a week.  The children need their protein to grow.

After dinner some of the members of the Toto Love society wished us well and a small gift of appreciation was presented to us.  They wrapped us with the Kenyan cloths, one for a skirt and one for the top.  Gave us a beaded african AIDs pin (handmade).  A new hot mat to serve hot pots with and the traditional basket which has the long strap to go around the head to carry items from the fields in, or to take items home from the market.  The basket had the words, With Love from Toto Love in Kiembu.  The baskets were handmade.  This is probably the best gift since it is something "really" Kenyan.  Lots of pictures were taken of course.

We left finally for our hotel, must have been 11 pm.  Very tired.  Again the police are out, as every night, with the spike belts to catch criminals!