Fast Food, Patience & the Beach

When I arrived I was given some advice. I was told to take pictures of everything that seemed strange to me because after a while they wouldn't seem so strange. Sure enough, I got used to things. I thought of that advice this week when my lunch arrived. In little black bags. This is how our lunch arrives each day. It seemed so strange when I got here to rip open the bags and pour out my lunch. But these days it's just business, er lunch, as usual. And so I give you Kenyan fast food...

Speaking of fast, Kenyans just aren't. Nor are they even on time. I've made several appointments where I rushed to be on time only to find myself waiting. And waiting some more. One time I was told the person would be there in 3 minutes. Later I learned that you add ten minutes for every one that they tell you to wait. Sure enough, it took them 30 minutes to arrive. And if it's church related, it's even worse. Mormon Standard Time + Kenyan Standard Time=Don't hold your breath. Just yesterday Judy and I went to Nyali beach. The plan was to meet at 10. Yeah, we finally made it there around 11:30.

Anyway, it was amazing. The beach is only a 20 minute walk from my apartment and this is the view. I really am living in paradise.

Judy and I had so much fun. She doesn't know how to swim and asked me to teach her. Since I never really took swimming lessons it was more like the blind leading the blind. But apparently her definition of a good swimmer is someone who can keep their head above water. That I can do. So, I decided to teach her the reliable back float. I figured I couldn't really lead her that far astray with a back float. This attracted three other girls who insisted we teach them too. Then a group of 10 boys came with their soccer ball and we had our own world cup at sea. Then we packed up and rushed home to change so we could still make it to institute. Overall it was a great day, even if it started late.

Please don't judge the hair. It's windy and I've just been swimming in the ocean :)

The World Cup 2010!

I realize that the World Cup is well under way and this entry is somewhat belated. Everywhere I go there is talk about who was defeated the night before and what matches are lined up for the coming days. I hopped in a matatu after church on Sunday to have the man next to me comment that it must be such a sad day to be an American. We had recently lost a match and he felt quite badly for us. Sadly I have no television to tune in to all of the excitement but I peek over the shoulders of people reading the newspaper, which is all World Cup these days, and I'm constantly listening for updates at work or in the matatus.

For several weeks now the sounds of Shakira and K'naan (below) can be heard everywhere you go. And I mean everywhere. Just last night I heard the 4 year old upstairs singing "Wavin Flag" as they were eating dinner. I love love love "Wavin Flag." I'm not ashamed to admit that I get emotional when I listen to it.

But today Juma greeted me with a head hung low. He informed me that it seems as if not a single African team will make it past the first round of the World Cup. Hosting the event is now like salt on an open wound of defeat. Still, it doesn't seem to stop the crowds from gathering around small 13" TVs at cafes and hotels around the city to watch every last minute of it.

Eat Dessert First

Yesterday we had a Relief Society activity. I was asked to teach the sisters how to make some American desserts. I went with the classics, Banana Bread and Apple Crisp. The plan was to meet at the church at 10am. At 9am I packed up a ridiculous amount of dishes and ingredients and made my trek to Changamwe. This consists of two matatu rides and a mile walk. Caroline calls me at 10:20 to tell me that they decided to move it to her house but not to worry because she was sending someone to pick me up. An hour later 5 more women showed up to her house. Then we all waited another hour while they finished fixing the oven.

During the wait, we had a great time chatting and watching funniest home videos and part of a random Nigerian film. During one segment of home videos with various people falling and/or doing stupid stunts, Caroline turns to me and says "Americans are funny." She didn't mean we were witty, she meant we do crazy things that they don't understand. I had no defense.

We finally made the bread and apple crisp. Both were a big hit. After we all ate our share of dessert Caroline pulled out a huge pot of rice and another of beans. Lunch! We were so full already but what can you do. Overall it was a great activity.

I sure do love these women!

Eaten Alive by Mbu

Mbu is what we back home like to call a mosquito. Death by mbu is slow and painful, I tell you. Every morning I come into the office wondering if it will be my last. I sit at a large and rather old wooden desk which provides just enough dark space for mosquitoes to set their trap. When I arrive they all pull out their dinner knives and attack. And they have their favorite parts, too. Just like so many people prefer drumsticks, these blood sucking creatures prefer ankles. But they don't stop there, they work around the leg and feet until either I manage to smack them or there's too much daylight and they run to hide. Oh yes, they hate the sun. As if there weren't enough similarities between these guys and vampires, they only come out at dusk and dawn. So, I pop my anti-maleria pill every morning while I smack the air like a crazed mad woman. But after coming face to face with so many of these guys I think I've now developed a sense of those mbus that are carrying the dreaded maleria and those that are just driving me nuts. There's a certain look in their eyes and you just know.

Melinda Must Be Crazy

So, if you haven't seen The Gods Must Be Crazy then stop reading right now and go watch it. Seriously. I'll wait.

This movie came up the other day when everyone began fighting over my external drive. I bought a small netbook for this trip since I didn't want to fry my mac or run the risk of having it stolen while I'm down here. Since netbooks don't have a CD/DVD drive, I purchased an external drive to run software and watch movies. Once they found out at work about my device the word spread like fire.

There are a few netbooks in the office but no one has been able to print from them because they couldn't run the printer software on the computer. As a result, they always have to switch computers when they need to print. Not so convenient or efficient. So, my little drive has been passed around the head office countless times and has even made multiple trips to the branches.

The other day I had 3 people all want to use it at the same time. We had to schedule time slots so that everyone could have a turn. That's when Omar jumped in and said it reminded him of the movie The Gods Must Be Crazy. He told me that everyone was content before I brought my external drive into the office and now everyone is fighting over it. I asked if he would be the volunteer to take it to the edge of the Earth and get rid of it, then. He shut up.

Mahambri - A Bite O' Heaven

I may have mentioned mahambri in passing but I just can't fully express how divine these things are. They're essentially scones but so much better. Now, I've always liked scones so the fact that someone discovered a way to make them taste even better just blows my mind.

Everyone here just buys them from street vendors and most mornings Mama Rose brings an extra one for me, it is the highlight of my morning. Omar and Juma soon discovered how much I love them. They sometimes offer me other things that they bring in to eat which I kindly turn down. But they know that when they pull out the mahambri I just can't say no.

Mama Rose made some over the weekend so I asked her to tell me the secret to making them. I already knew they added some sugar to the dough but I also learned that they also add coconut milk (of course!) and you have to have just the right balance of baking soda and yeast. Priority #1 when I get home is to figure out how to make these things on my own! During this discussion Omar came in and teased that I could eat 100 mahambri if they let me. The truth is, I totally could! Needless to say, it's a good thing I walk so much after all these mahambri!

1/2 Way There

I'm officially half way through my four months in Mombasa. I'm not saying this because I'm anxious to get to the end, I'm actually quite shocked at how fast time is moving. It's making me nervous that there are so few days to finish this project, go to the beach, explore the city and take pictures of it all.