Sunday afternoon, May 24

First night in Nairobi - there is something slightly exotic about sleeping under a malaria net... slept well and woke up to a 7 am courtesy call, followed just seconds later by a rooster crowing! I am in a small 4th floor apartment & was not prepared for what my back window overlooks. I had heard lots of noise last night & thought there might be restaurants behind me. What I found was one apartment building similar to what I am in off to the right, and directly behind me is a small settlement area – numerous shacks, rusty tin roofs, a big stone fireplace, a little market - with bananas hanging adjacent to raw meat. There is pleasantness about the sounds coming up from the little “village” – roosters, chickens; I think goats… & lots of talking. I am sure I’ll get accustomed to the sounds. Since there is no air conditioning, my windows will be open most of the time (which is slightly problematic since there are no screens).

When we drove up to the Nairobi Train Depot this morning (where church is held), Malinda & I found ourselves in the middle of a mass of armed soldiers (not a dozen, but hundreds!). She stopped to see if there was a security issue, but we learned they were only amassing to plan for a national holiday celebration on June 1st… a little intimidating, but not alarming.

After church Malinda & her Ethiopian husband Tewolde (I said hello from you, Priscilla!), daughter Dagmawit, the Ondatto’s with Joshua, Kaidza & Jambi – and I - all had lunch together at an Ethiopian restaurant… we walked into a tiny walled home, down a pathway (saw rosemary growing!) and through a beaded curtain into a simple dim room with large upholstered furniture surrounding a center coffee table. Tewolde ordered food for all of us – and it came on what looked like an over-sized pizza tray. There was a large “pancake” (very, very light) that covered the whole tray & then three spoonfuls of different minced meats and various spoonfuls of vegetables (beet roots, beans, cabbage) on top of the pancake, plus dried meat pieces and a pureed bean soup in a clay pot. No silverware – you just tore a piece of the pancake & used it to eat with – including the soup. There is a delightful intimacy that comes from literally sharing a meal together. Tewolde order “juice” for us all – a tall mug with a layer of mango juice on the bottom, avocado juice in the center and papaya juice on the top (more “slushy” than thin juices) … again, really wonderful! And we ended with a small cup of Ethiopian coffee.

I am now home for the rest of the day. Missing suitcase arrived! I start tomorrow at 7:30.