When I say 'quality', I mean.....what do I mean?
I don't believe that I told you about the Kenyan I met on the 747 on the way to Nairobi. He was going back Africa to see his wife and kid. He's going to school in Michigan on a US grant, getting food stamps and welfare. He said he was able to get his mother, father and brothers and sisters into the US. I asked what they were doing and he said...and I am not stretching the truth....for now anyway, "the US is a wonderful country, you can get welfare and food stamps so you don't really have to work" Hmmmm.....so I asked if he was going back to Kenya after he finished school to help his people. "Why would I do that?" he said, "this America is too wonderful a place." "How about your wife and kid?" I asked. "I don't think I want to get them into America" he replies. Not an uncommon story...I know 1st hand. I don't know whether I'm more upset with him or America for allowing such.
So anyway, enough about that, although it bothers me alot....and should you as well. Things are happening here. We have the new kitchen underway and it is about 1/3 of the way finished. At the same time, we brought in a man who claimed he could weld....and think even, to build some steel shelving for the storeroom. "I can do this, and do it well" he says. "how long will it take?" I ask. "Just one day" he proudly says. "Just one African day, or just one calandar day?" I inquire. You see, I'm beginning to get this place. He said he would start the next day, ignoring the question....I should have caught the inuendo. So, he did start about 8 am the next day, after we had cleared the room of about two supertankers worth of stuff, which we promptly placed in everones way. At 7 pm that night, he proudly says that after using up about 1 ton of steel and two boxes of welding rod, he now knows how to weld. Which made my day, as I am sure I hired him to learn how to weld on our dime....Part two of day one....which started the next morning: watching him cutting and welding all day, I made the observation that in America, I would put a penalty on him for not finishing by the deadline. That as it turned out wasn't the best statement....as he took it seriously and worked all thru the night until 8 am the next morning, creating what some might call 'modern art', but not really recognizable shelving. I asked him if he knew about quality control. "Yes," he said, "we look at it like birth control.....we try to prevent it." I'm beginning to believe that hitting myself in the head with a hammer might not be so bad.
We have two young'uns from Ellensburg WA here for a few months. They are teachers who say they are seeking God's will and think it might be here. But I suspect that they must be in the witness protection program and have done something terribly wrong as to be punished by being place here. They claim to be married, but seem to get along with each other anyway. Well anyway, they are really connecting with the kids, and keeping them away from me. Nate, and Emily...let's just call them "the kids", are working with the older kids at school.....'boy kid' doing real PE and 'girl kid' doing analysis of where each little snotlocker is academically. The are filling some much needed holes in the cirricullum.
I took them to Kitale today. I think it was a new experience for them, as they have spent their entire lives in the 20th and 21st century. When they get back to America, they can speak of their ability to time travel when in Africa....having entered a space-time continuum here.
We went in to see Jessica at ADC where we get greenges for the kids. I introduced "the kids" to her and asked about our order of greenges. "I don't have, but they will be here at 11:00." she says with a wink. Looking at my phone I see that it is now after 11:00. "So, Jessie, having alittle fun with the mzungu??...."I say. "This is Africa" she says, knowing I am knowing what she means. I'll probably go back on monday for the greenges...(oranges....well they could have been had they had a chance to get beyond the flowering stage).
So, Jeff left today, to spend 3 weeks with Carla, mostly in Spain. I hope he gets some much needed rest, as he will need it to put this place back together when he gets back.
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