Old Town

Today I went to the airport to pick up a new intern for Yehu. Her name is Denise and she will only be here for a short 3 weeks. She came in around 9:30am so we decided to make the most of the day and headed back to town after dropping off her things. I threw caution to the wind and snapped as many pictures as I could.

Our first stop was at Mombasa's famous tusks. There's really nothing spectacular about these guys but they are somewhat of an icon here, so we of course did what every good tourist should...ran back and forth through traffic to get some shots of us standing next to them.

We passed by this incredible hotel (below). Much too rich for my budget but it didn't stop me from drooling as I took this shot.

Our next stop was Fort Jesus. I went inside last Nov when I came to visit Andi & Aaron. Today we both decided to just walk around and enjoy the view. It's still pretty impressive from the outside, don't you think?

Just outside the fort is a great place to sit and enjoy the ocean view. I loved watching the people as much as the scenery. This guy was one of my favorites.

A short walk from Fort Jesus is Old Town (below). The streets are lined with incredible buildings and cute shops. Pull out your bartering skills and your best poker face, these shop owners are pros.

A door (among many) that I just fell in love with.

And speaking of love...here's a man after my own heart. Can I just say how glad I am for the invention of the steam iron? This guy's old school. I wish I had a better shot of his iron but I was a bit shy to ask him to interrupt his work just so that I could have a pic. Ah well.

A few of my favorite things...

This weekend I decided to head into town and take pictures of some of my favorite things in Mombasa. Here's a sample...

Alleys upon alleys of shops at the market. It's a shopper's heaven...just don't take a wrong turn.

Fresh produce. Sweet potatoes and bananas and green oranges. Oh my!

You know that line in the movie Sense & Sensibility (the version with Emma Thompson) when Colonel Branden says (with that fabulous voice of his) of India, "The air is full of spices." Well, that's true of Mombasa, too.

When billboards just aren't enough...

I also stopped by the butchers. I don't think they get many visitors because they got quite excited when I wandered in...and stayed. Where other shop owners pressed me to buy things these guys were just excited to show me what they had been chopping up. As a result, I got to see a whole goat carcass, a half goat carcass, a goat head, some goat feet and a goat stomach. Yum. One butcher didn't want me to take a picture of him unless I was in it. So I (crazily) entrusted my camera to one of the guys. They were all very excited to see me walk around behind the counter and hold a sticky (yes, with blood) knife over a pile of goat heads. I had to suspend all concerns I've ever had about sanitation (and there are many) to smile for the camera. The sad thing is that the nice man who took the picture didn't really know how to use it so I ended up with a blur of colors. Oh well, I think the mental images will stay with me forever. Here's one of the guys holding some cow feet. You can see intestines hanging in the back.


Today I went to visit the Mombasa branch. I'm technically within their boundaries and should have been going there all along. I saw Kenneth (the previous Changamwe branch president) and his wife, Caroline. It was SO good to see them. After church Louis invited me to their house in Diani for dinner. We had yummy spaghetti and chocolate cake. I didn't realize how much I missed cake. Before heading back I went down and took a walk on the beach. Oh how I love the Indian ocean! The pictures certainly don't do it justice but here are a couple of them anyway. The second pic is the back of the Pope's house. Beautiful, eh? The weekend really could not have been better.

Happy 4th!

They opened church today by reading the date, July 4th, before quickly moving on to other announcements. Little attention was given to it by either the person conducting or those attending. I, on the other hand, immediately began to think of fireworks and backyard BBQs, completely missing the announcements.

I have been thinking about Independence Day ever since (the event, not the movie). I thought about it as I sat in church meetings that are both conducted and attended entirely by Kenyans, myself excluded, and yet are all held in English. I thought about it as I watched a policeman stopping and interrogating drivers on my way home, wondering if the policeman had a legitimate reason for stopping them. I thought about it as I passed children playing games in bare feet.

I will never know what it's like to have my country's official language be a second language to the majority of its population. With some exceptions, we are fortunate to live in a country where we don't have to distrust and fear law enforcement (except perhaps when I'm speeding). And despite current economic calamities, we still have a great amount of abundance in America. I'm not suggesting there is no poverty in America. Sadly, it has a place in every country. But there are millions of people in countries around the world who are living in slums. They lived there long before any recession and they will continue to live there long after the rest of the world recovers.

Today I feel especially grateful for my home. I'm grateful for the inspired men who fought for independence and created a unique government designed to protect the rights of its citizens. At the same time, I am grateful to be spending this Independence Day in Kenya. My life has been immeasurably blessed by examples of humility, charity and gratitude from the last two months. They are certainly examples I hope to never forget when I go back home to a very blessed life.

Sunset

While it's only 9:30 am in UT, I just enjoyed an incredible sunset in Mombasa.

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!