Returning to Gibsons

Have had such a nice time in Vancouver, visiting friends and family and taking in the Olympics. As you can see by the photos, I got in a couple runs skiing, bobsledding, and time with my family. Tonight I will sail over to Gibsons and this wonderful trip/adventure will end. It has been unbelievable.

I will add to the blog every once in awhile, so keep checking it.

Love to you all,
Nancy

Good Bye, Nanny

It's time to leave for the last leg of this wonderful five-month journey. It will be really hard to say the good byes to Jim, Claire and of course my three grandkids, Annie, Fenn and Patrick. I have been treated royally here and have certainly enjoyed all the trips we went on.

I leave a few little Aussie sayings for you all to learn (especially Ms. Knecht's class - I'll test you on them when I get back!)

fair dinkum - real, genuine, true
go for broke - put in 100% effort
joe blake - snake
kick the bucket - dead
lemon - something that is faulty, useless, bad or broken
G'day - good morning, good afternoon, etc.,
go to buggery! - get lost, go away
pass the dead horse - pass the tomato sauce
he's a bit wiffy under the Warwick - he has underarm odour
s'truth - honestly,k really, I wouldn't kid you
bloke - any male
brekkie - short for breakfast
sunnies - short for sunglasses
flat out like a lizard drinking - hard work, very busy
as scarce a hens teeth - rare
cuppa - short for cup of tea or coffee "would you like a cuppa?"

I will be leaving Australia today, Friday, at 3:30 p.m. (Australian time) and will arrive in Seattle Friday, 8:30 p.m. Seattle time, after transfering in Hong Kong. Will then stay with Elizabeth and Angus for awhile to tell them about my trip and show the photos, then on to the rest of my family and friends in Vancouver before I head back to Gibsons.

I have really been fortunate to have had these past five months traveling virtually around the world. It has been just what I needed - no regrets, just lots of memories.

I will keep up my blog though - good way to keep in touch with everyone!

Love,
Nancy

More News from Australia

Life here is luxurious. So to the Team still in Kenya, who have been without running water for days, I hope you realize that soon you, too, will be enjoying warm showers!

Jim had another week off, so we took the opportunity to drive six hours to Merimbula, New South Wales, which is a family tourist spot right on the ocean - gorgeous beaches and a nice three-bedroom motel with pools. We had such an awesome time. Went to a whale museum, cheese factory, aquarium, plus mini-golf and good meals out. Yes, even I jumped a few waves, but kept my eye out for those sharks! We went for a drive around Merimbula and saw a lot of kangaroos and their little joeys right in neighborhood yards. Of coure I was madly taking photos as they are so darn cute to me - but I was wondering if the neighborhood enjoy having the kangaroos around their yards, chomping their flowers, etc. We have lots of deer eating our roses and other flowers in Gibsons - they're cute but not always appreciated!

Today Annie, Fenn, Jim and I went to the horse races at Moe, not far from Traralgon. Don't think any of us should get into heavy gambling as we only won 30 cents - that was it!

Will add a few photos, then write again soon.

Long Time Coming, but Here's the Aussie News!

Hi Everyone:

I am SORRY I have not written on my blog for so long. Interacting with my grandkids - that's just been so much fun - I'm sure lots of you can relate to that!

The past weeks have been wonderful. I did have quite the time releasing all my thoughts about Kenya. Had read a book, "Re-Entry," which talks about what you will go through when you have been on a mission to a third-world country and are leaving/have left. My first indication of what that book talked about was when I got to Qatar airport and had a five hour layover. From Nairobi to this oil-rich country - quite the cultural difference. The transfer area at the Qatar airport was immense, glitzy, full of items to purchase duty free stores, even had it's own mosque inside it - gorgeous. I had to go to a corner and face the wall for awhile as the amount of people and 'things' were not interesting to me...yet! After awhile I did browse around. I have told some of you this story, but as long as you want 'details' I will give them to you! The Qatar airlines serves very good meals on their flights. I had not been used to food like that, and of course I ate everything that was served! By the time I got to Qatar, I was thankful for the five hours layover so I could use the toilets over and over and over again. I have told the team still in Kenya to remember that little tidbit of advice!

Flight from Qatar was very interesting, as we left at night and all the oil fields and pipelines are lit up. Interesting part of the world - in my next international trip, I'd love to visit there longer (not that I'm planning another trip soon!). I arrived in Melbourne at 11:55 p.m., and there was Jim, Annie and Fenn. Two years since I had seen them - naturally Annie and Fenn had grown taller and so mature. Jim mentioned I looked more like my mother than before. Guess my almost white hair helped. Got to Traralgon at 2:00 a.m. Both Claire and Patrick got up and we had a great visit for two hours.

Jim had two weeks off, so we went on day trips from Traralgon. You can go one hour from Jim's house and you're at the ocean; or go another direction one hour and you are at the forest; another direction farm land. We visited the forest area where one year ago, February 7th, 2009, the weather conditions were perfect for the worse natural disaster in Australia's history - bush fires everywhere with the intensity of tornados. It as 46.6 degrees that day, very little rain for a couple of years, and the winds picked up and blew one direction then changed to the other direction. A total of 173 people lost their lives (most staying trying to save their house). We watched a special on the disaster last night on television. Nature's power - there are times you must honor it. I will try to post a couple photos of the forest a year later.

Then we went to the ocean and visited two beaches there. One was called squeaky beach as the sand was so fine and white that it squeaked everytime you walked on it.
Another trip to the Dandenongs, a forested area up from Melbourne. Took Puffing Billy train trip through the Dandenongs. Then up to another area where the forest fires hit. That area had a trout farm, so Fenn and Patrick each caught a fish which we will have for dinner soon.

Another fun trip was to Paynesville, where we took a five minute ferry ride to Raymond Island. There we saw lots of koala bears in the trees and got very close to them to photograph. Hit the beach there and had fun collecting shells.

There is an outdoor pool and a mall close to Jim's house, so the kids and I will walk to one of those areas after school/dinner. Or we also have gone for a short ride in the evening to see the kangaroos hopping around.

I have enjoyed joining into Jim/Claire and family's daily life. Oh, I must mention Sally the dog, the newest addition to the family, who is Annie's total responsibility. She has waited years for a dog and she has done a great job training her and taking care of her.

Gibsons Elementary's Grade 5 class(Ms. Knecht/Mr. Angelus are their teachers) sent an envelope of letters. I enjoyed them so much, and just to let that class know that responses to your letters are on their way to you right now.

Jim is off this week (Feb. 8 - 12) so we will take off for 3-4 days up to a place called Merrimbula, an ocean resort good for families. We're all looking forward to that.

A huge hello to the Kenya Team, still working hard at MCCH. I keep in touch with them - they have kept well, although Trudy still has trouble with her ear/hearing. The Team has made a playground with swings/tires for the children there. I also understand the chicken (kukus)and tomato businesses are doing well. If you want more information on what is still going on in Kitale, go to the Team's blog site.

Have to chat about the grandchildren. Annie is now in Grade 6 - she's very tall and beautiful! Fenn, Grade 5, continues to entertain with his theories of godzillaand life! And Patrick - will be 4 in April and is the happiest little curly-headed dimpled sweetheart! Claire's brother Simon and his family have moved here in the past couple of months, so Annie, Fenn and Patrick are enjoying the get togethers with their three cousins who live only a couple of blocks away.

I will write another blog when we arrive back from our trip. Love to you all.

Good Bye Mercy and Caring Children's Home and Kitale, Kenya

Well, tomorrow is the day I leave. It has been very hard to say the good byes. This afternoon I will go to MCCH and see the children for the last time (last time this trip - who knows!!!). We all were invited out for dinner last night to friends of our host family. They produced a delicious African dinner for us - you do make friends here easily as the Kenyans are so welcoming.



Two little photos I'll post. The Mama's Bible Study Group was one of my favorite times of the week, so I took that photo yesterday so I could remember them.



I have learned when the children at MCCH hear a mzungu is coming to stay for awhile, they 'claim' a person. One who 'claimed' me was little Brenda, who is 7, and became my dearest little friend. She loved playing with my hair, sitting on my lap getting hugs and attention. She's on my lap in the photo - it will be very hard to say good bye to her.



Will write to you again soon from Melbourne, Australia.



Love, Nancy

Last Blog Post From Kenya

It is 11 PM on New Year’s Eve and I am sitting in my bedroom typing the draft for my next blog entry. It’s been a quiet evening: David and Candice are sleeping over at MCCH, Trudy has an infection in one ear and really not well, Helen has malaria and Geoffrey is getting over pneumonia (our hosts). So for a treat tonight I bought some Krackles Ola Tortilla Chips that ‘leaves you with that kickin’ feeling’ – the first chips I have found that taste like ones in Canada!

Must share my Birthday and Christmas experiences before I forget all the details. On December 23^rd, I woke up to balloons in the hallway with “Happy Birthday Nancy” on them. Trudy and Dane gave me a lovely birthday card, David gave me a wooden rhino and Candice a wooden giraffe and a very cleaver homemade card. Lots of birthday wishes at the breakfast table as they sang Happy Birthday.

MCCH held their annual Birthday/Christmas Party on that day, too. We had prepared a bag of little gifts and another bag with popcorn and candy for every child. The night we made and bagged the popcorn/candy was such a positive time as we all worked together with a Christmas CD playing in the background and our little Christmas tree lit. It was the first real “Christmas activity’ feeling we had experienced.

We returned home to a delicious meal prepared by Helen. When I lifted the lid of one of the bowls that was on the table, I noticed Helen had a little smile on her face. I asked, “Fred?” – she nodded. He had a good life. He was very tasty!

On Christmas Eve day we were introduced to a live kulu kulu, our turkey for Christmas dinner. Not long after our introduction, Gladys (the lady who works for our hosts) asked if we would like to see the process of getting the kulu kulu ready for dinner. I chose not watch but did ask for some of the feathers to save as souvenirs. David took his camera and photographed the experience! After plucking the feathers, the turkey was boiled in a pot over a fire until all the water was boiled away. Then the meat was cut up into small pieces and BBQ’d on the grill. This procedure saves a lot of electricity, which is very costly here. The turkey meat also had a different taste being SO fresh and BBQ’d. I learned that when a child is around 10 years old, they are taught how to slaughter and defeather chickens, as they will be doing that a lot during their life here.

On Christmas Eve Trudy and David stayed overnight at MCCH, which left Dane drinking coffee with Geoffrey and Candice and me to celebrate together. The rubbish was being burned in a corner of the yard, so Candice asked if I would like to go out there and sing Christmas carols by the ‘fire.’ While there I asked Candice what were some of the traditions her family did on Christmas Eve. One was eating sausage rolls. Our creative minds came to life - we remembered we had eaten carrot, potato and sausage stew for dinner and we had crackers in our room. So we crept into the kitchen and took pieces of sausage out of the left over stew, ran to our room and plunked the sausage on a cracker – a Christmas Eve Kenyan sausage roll was developed! We toasted the evening with our water bottles, and we each opened one gift. Not the Christmas Eve we were used to, but we did have lots of laughs as we photographed ourselves. Hope to add those photos.

Christmas morning Candice knocked on my door, greeting me with “Merry Christmas.” I went to her “house” and watched her open her stash of cards and gifts from family and friends. We made our Kenyan Christmas away from our families a fun time. But, again, I must say, had we not been sent cards, presents and greetings from our family and friends, it possibly would have been a different story.

We went to MCCH around lunchtime to enjoy Christmas with the children. We were served a special dinner of chicken, carrot and potato stew and rice. Later that evening the kids would be receiving fruit and cookies. That evening we enjoyed turkey dinner with our host family and others from the compound.

The students from MCCH have been on holidays and will return to school January 4^th. So I took advantage of the week to get set up in a classroom and call in each child to write their sponsor in Canada and to take their photo. That was really enjoyable as I chatted with approximately 90 kids who live there – they are precious.

Since it’s New Year’s Eve, I should be partying tonight but my comfy bed beckons and I will give in!

Now it’s New Year’s Day. Enjoyed a long conversation with Elizabeth and Angus, who (because of the time difference) were celebrating New Year’s Eve. We have just returned from a wonderful lunch at the home of Gerishom and Monica, the manager and chaplain of MCCH. Monica had made a New Year’s cake. The oldest person was to cut the first slice of cake – that was I. She had baked it on a gicko, a little pot with charcoal in it that they light and cook/bake on. We arrived home only to learn that the water has gone off again – hope it won’t be off five days like the last time.

I will be leaving Kenya on January 13^th, flying to Melbourne, Australia, to visit Jim, Claire and my grandchildren. Will be stopping in Qatar, transferring planes there. What a world traveler I have become. So my four-month-less-one week adventure to Kenya will end. I have learned so much about the area, the people and country and also a lot about myself! So this will be my last blog while I’m in Kenya. I will continue writing on my blog as I go to Australia, so keep checking it out. You can keep up with the rest of the team’s activities in Kenya by the two blog sites listed below. There will be a new member of the team joining for five weeks – that’s Candice’s grandma, Dettie Edgecombe, whom some of you should know from her years of work at Super Valu . After that Dane and Trudy’s son and wife, Graham and Brenda, from Marissaus plan to come to MCCH for a short stay. The Team will be flying out Marh 10^th from Nairobi to Canada.

www.thekenyablog.blogspot.com The Team’s blog

www.candiceveale.blogspot.com Candice’s blog

It’s now January 7^th. Happy Birthday, Todd (Eric’s youngest) – 5 years old!! Yesterday we went to Captain Davis’ Wildlife Park, which was about 30 km from Kitale. It did give us a good taste of wildlife from Africa, although there were no elephants of cheetahs! I will enclose some not so great photos of me while feeding the beautiful giraffe, but I did want the students at GES especially to see a few of the wildlife that are native to Kenya. One person who will enjoy the giraffe photos is Julianna C. Julianna, I even fed the giraffe, whose name was Thomas. You put the food on his long purple tongue and he rolls his tongue up and it’s gone!

It will be hard to leave my lovely host family and the others who live in the compound, the staff at MCCH (who are the most dedicated people I’ve met – their purpose for being there is the children – and they have made a difference in these children’s lives), the children at the orphanage, and of course the rest of the Team. This experience/adventure I would do again – you want something that will be rewarding, think of doing something similar to my trip. It gives you a whole new dimension to your thinking of the world. In our country and the USA, we are blessed with every basic requirement to live. The majority of people here work very, very hard just to exist.

So I will sign off from Kitale, Kenya, East Africa, as time won’t permit me to do another blog. I hope you have enjoyed reading my views of our trip – I sure have had fun sharing them! Do keep in touch if you’d like to the address I will be at in Australia. And thank you all again for your prayers for safety and health. Keep praying for the Team as they stay here that they will be kept safe while on the roads and that their malaria pills will keep them from catching it as it is a bad season for malaria right now.

Here’s my Australian address:

c/o Jim and Claire Miller

19 Loch Park Road

Traralgon, Victoria 3844

Australia

Love to you all,

Nancy

Merry Christmas to you all!!

Christmas 2009 – Who would have predicted I’d be wishing all my friends and family a Merry Christmas from Africa?! It is unbelievable to me, but I am in Kenya and shall enjoy the Christmas festivities available here. I’m not saying I will breeze through the season without being a little homesick, but I shall try!

Sorry about my last blog being so disjointed, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Will try to send the bride and grooms picture along with this blog.

Yesterday I went for a visit to Kipsongo. It is considered the slum area of Kitale and is the home of the majority of the street children. Because Trudy and I are of white skin, we were stopped by a Kipsongo policeman who asked us to leave. The other people with us talked to him of why we were there, so he finally allowed the visit to continue. I guess what has been happening before is white people go to the slums, take photos of the destitute lifestyle/homes there, go back to their country and ask for money to help improve this area/lifestyle but pocket the money for themselves.

We went to Kipsongo slum to visit the children from Mercy and Caring Home who had gone ‘home’ for a week’s visit, as it is their summer break. We met their parents or relatives who they were staying with and chatted with the children. I will post a couple of photos which I was able to take only because the people in them wanted me to take their picture, otherwise I would not have taken any photos there for reasons of respectability. As you look at the photos, you will see mud huts and plastic bagged little homes the people live in. Even though they have little hope of a better life, they are an incredibly welcoming bunch of people. One old gentleman shook my hand and said, “Oh, you’re from Canada, but are you Swedish?” Guess my blonde hair and fair skin gave him the idea. I wanted to take home all those little children with big brown eyes looking up at me while holding my hand or stroking my white skin. Maybe next time!

Today Trudy, Dane and I went to the baby clinic at the local hospital to meet little baby Dane, and is he ever adorable! Pastor Antony and his wife Mary Stella had a son about a week ago and named him after Dane Ruck. What an honor! Think I already told you that a calf has also been named after Dane!

We now have another chicken and named it Candice Ann (the children from the orphanage chose the name). I was invited to my friend’s house. She is the mother of one of the farm workers at MCCH and she and I have just clicked probably because we’re the same age. She speaks no English; I speak no Swahili, but we hug and laugh and shake hands. She and her family made tea and scrambled eggs for my visit. As I left, she honored my visit by handing me this little chicken, only two months old, which I carried home on the matatu. I introduced ‘Candice Ann’ to ‘Fred’, who wasn’t all that friendly to her!

I have mentioned before that no street, path, floor, sidewalk is even where we live. As I am not that steady walking, I have always been watching where I’m going, and Trudy, Dane, Candice and David have been so used to me grabbing onto their arm for help. On the way to my friend’s house with her son walking next to me, I tripped on the gravel and did a total face plant! He helped me to my feet as I realized blood was dripping off my face. Had just bought three new hankies the day before, so grabbed them out of my purse, dabbed my face and continued on our way. I felt shaken up all day, but was so thankful I ended with only a cut fat lip, very sore and loose front tooth, one sore knee and a bruised ego! One day shy of three months here – I’m surprised it had not happened before.

I have received so many birthday and Christmas cards/wishes from family and friends. I want you to know how much they mean to me, especially this year. I got an envelope yesterday from Ms. Knecht’s Grade 5 class from Gibsons Elementary full of pictures that each student had drawn of Christmas activities or life/wildlife in Africa and a Happy Birthday/Merry Christmas letter written on the back. They each asked a question about life in Africa, so I thought you all would enjoy knowing a little bit more information about Kenyan life.

Jackie – Yes, I know several people who have had malaria and children do get it, too. There are pills you can buy when you’ve contacted malaria that will make you well. You know when you have malaria – there are signs to watch for and you need to get immediate medical attention. I take a malaria prevention pill daily and will continue to take it for a month after I leave Kenya. You get malaria from a bite from an African mosquito. That is why everybody here sleeps under a mosquito net, as the mosquitoes usually come out late afternoon and during the night. And, no, there is no vaccine for malaria. I am sure scientists are working on a malaria vaccine as many people do die from it yearly.
Colin – The time difference here is 11 hours ahead of you in Gibsons. I have not seen one snake since I arrived here but I understand there are big long black ones in our guava plantation and I have no intention of going there!
Jeremy – I have not seen a lot of African wildlife. Other than monkeys, I think a person would have to go on a Safari or to a wildlife park to see the wildlife. Maybe I’m not in the right area of Africa to see giraffes, rhinos, elephants, etc.
Dawson – They do celebrate Christmas here but it is definitely not as commercialized as Canada/USA. There are a lot of Muslims living here, though, and they do not celebrate Christmas. The majority of people in our area of Kenya have not heard of Santa Claus.
McKenzie – Yes, it’s hot here! The sun is always directly overhead so my head gets very hot. In Kenya, the people eat a lot of maize (corn, but not ‘peaches and cream’ or sweet), both whole and ground, beans, peas, tomatoes, kale, spinach, carrots, rice, squash, potatoes. Very little meat is eaten except for kuku (you know, ‘Fred’!).
Nicholas S – It does rain here often but it is different than B.C. rain. It pours, and I mean hard, for about 20 minutes, then the sun comes out and dries the water up. Everyone is so used to the heavy rain that they run for cover anywhere and stay there until it stops raining.
Nicholas A – The children who live at the orphanage were chosen because they had lost one or both of their parents and lived in extremely poor conditions or came from a family who were so poor they could not take care of their children. There are no welfare payments or financial government help for families in need in Kenya, and with 40% to 60% unemployment there are lots of poor families.
Bailee – There are approximately 90 children at the orphanage, but MCCH also services several home-based children, which mean they go home to sleep but are fed and go to school at the orphanage, as their families are very poor.
Luke – Yes, there are super markets here, and pharmacies, hardware stores and other necessary services plus outdoor booths at markets everywhere.
Marvin – I have made lots of new friends here, both young and old. I really enjoy the older Kenyan women. A lot of the grandmas here are raising their grandchildren because the children’s parents have died of aids. I am always referred to as ‘mom’ because of my age. This happens in the stores, on the street, just anywhere – a sign of respect.
Sophie – Sorry, I have not seen one giraffe! I wish they were just hanging around here but they are not. However, we have just been told of a wildlife part not far from here which has giraffes, rhinos, elephants and ostriches you can ride, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will take a jaunt there.
Gabriel – I actually don’t think there are rattle snakes here in Kenya. I am over my snake phobia now! I did hear this story just this week that up in Lodwar, a very hot and dry part of Kenya where scorpions live, there are snakes big enough to kill a cow. They wrap themselves around the cow and squeeze until the cow dies. Then they feed on it.
Charlie – I am going to investigate on whether there are any caves here. I will let you know about that later.
Neil – The critters (cockroaches, crickets, geckos) get in my room usually because the window is open or from holes between the floor and the wall. I keep my window closed most of the time.
Jordan N – Yes, how is Fred! Well, actually, Fred has been injured and can barely walk. We don’t know if another rooster and Fred had a fight or what happened. But he’s in pain – maybe – let’s just say his pain will be eliminated on December 23rd!
Elly – Did I ever tell you that your mother and my son went to school together?!
Charlotte – No, haven’t seen any rhinoceros. I’ll keep looking.
Claire – How is your musical cheese play coming along?
Darby – Yes, the sunsets here are beautiful, and I understand they are exceptionally gorgeous in the month of January.
Scout – No, I have not had a ride on a giraffe. Candice and David did ride a camel. Where we live there are no lakes or swimming pools.
Liam – I saw some zebras as we drove from Nairobi to Kitale, but other than zebras and monkeys there doesn’t appear to be any wild animals around here.
Jordan M – No, haven’t seen any elephants.
James – Yes, our dinner on December 23rd will be tasty. I understand you’re going to eat chicken that night, too, in honor of Fred! I will just have to enjoy eating chicken and not think about who the chicken was!
Jarred – Yes, I remember you hitting the teddy bear around my yard!!
Quinton – The children’s hair are cut so short to prevent lice and probably because of the heat and hygiene.
Megan – Thank you for the compliment. I miss you all, too.
Lauren – No, they do not eat bats here. I haven’t seen any bats here either.

Thank you again, Ms. Knecht’s Grade 5 class and Ms. Knecht, for the interesting letters and fantastic drawings. I hope to attach a photo of the wall in my bedroom that now is covered with all your artwork. My bedroom is quite cheerful now!

I also hope to put these photos on the blog:
· me riding on a piki piki (motorcycle). It will be from the front only. The rear-end photo was not pretty!
· the bride and groom from the ‘wedding’ blog entry
· photos from my visit to Kipsongo
· photo of Dane Ruck holding little baby Dane
· photo of Dane the calf

Cannot believe Christmas and my birthday are just a day or so away. I will be thinking of each one of you and wish you a blessed Christmas.