ROCK STAR VISITS CHILDRENS HOME!!!!

Oct 22,2011
The ride to our home in the east was mostly uneventful….if driving thru a WWI trench warfare ‘no mans land’, while dodging donkeys, bicycles, people, motorcycles and misc. trucks and cars in our lane, is uneventful. One completely normal thing (for here) was that their were men with spray cans of white paint using a dot-dash method outlining each pothole. There is some outrageous rumor that the government is going to fix the road. So I suppose that it will be of benefit to highlight the problem areas….problem is, that the road is all problem area….maybe the outlines were being placed there as targets so Jeff wouldn’t miss any of them….which he pretty much did….not miss any. Anyway, it seemed strange to outline some of the holes when in reality, the whole road is a hole….maybe they did it for the spelunkers, to make it easier to find the mother lode…. Shylo seemed to enjoy the ride and I even caught here with her eyes open a couple of times.
“Prepare yourself” Jeff says, “the kids have gotten the word that you are coming.” “And me trapped like a rat in this infernal contraption.” I lament. And boy was he right! As we turned into the compound, this sea of little black children descended on Toyota like locusts in Egypt. As I opened the door, hoping to escape, all was lost when they mobbed me, taking me down like a cheetah takes a wildebeest. I did my best, and thought I might have a chance, until from the veranda I heard a frenzied chant “BABU TERRY, BABU TERRY, BABU TERRY……” All the while those whom I thought were my friends and family just stood and laughed…..laughed! While I feared that I might succumb to the urge to hug the little snotlockers. MarryMe (Merideth) yelled out “You’re a rock star!” And so for a moment, I basked in the glory…until I came back to my senses and began planning my escape.
The rainy season is mostly over, but the place is alive with new growth…the shama (field) is green with new beans and the vegetable garden has exploded….well not exploded, but is producing more than this place can use for now. Carla says they are able to even sell some of the goods. We have two new large greenhouses that weren’t here when I last left and they are full of things like tomatoes and peppers. Kinda surprising that almost anything grows here….they are even harvesting their own greenges!
I don’t know if I told you that SlowToGetIt and MarryMe have come on staff here and have begun to take some of the load from J & C. And just in time too, as I have come to add to Jeffs load….as much as I can.
J&C will be leaving Kenya for a month in a couple of weeks, leaving the care of Instep in STGI, MarryMe, Sandy and my hands…..foolish….yes….necessary…..yes. They need a break. Looks like I will be the only one with a drivers license, so have been snuggling up to Toyota and taking her for some short dates. So far so good. Meanwhile Jeff is giving me a crash (bad word in this context) course in his brand of Swahili, just incase I need to discipline Toyota. I am beginning to learn the difference of the roads from the not roads….there actually are designated places to drive…..mostly the impassable places.
I knew I was home yesterday when I heard Carla yell out to the playground, “Mellissa…..quit eating your clothes!!!”