Top 16 or so humorous things from the trip

Coke is ubiquitous

I thought I would take a break from describing all the serious things that took place while we were in Kijabe and lighten the mood by sharing some of the humorous things while we were there.

Not necessarily in order of humor, here goes:

1. Upon arriving to the Nakumatt in Nairobi to get our groceries for the month (which was located in a 4+ story mall), the kids were impressed that this was bigger and nicer than our mall at home.  We also apparently set a record for the length of the shopping trip.

2.  After spending the night in the guest house in Nairobi and having breakfast the next morning, John is running around the yard saying, "I LOVE Africa!"  We had been in Kenya for about 12 hours at that point.

3. Various livestock (donkeys, goats, chickens, turkeys) roaming relatively free along the side of the road from Nairobi to Kijabe.

4.  One of the security guards for the hospital, Jackson, would ask me every day when I walked home for lunch if my "fuel" was empty.

5.  EVERYONE has a cell phone.  Kind of like home.

6. Chai time at the hospital.  Every morning at 10:30, and I think in the afternoon, too, everything stops for chai.  All the parents and patients are served chai, and all the nurses disappear into the break room to have their chai.

7.  Freshly baked English muffins delivered to your door.  Better than we can buy at home.

8. Seeing the monkey sitting on the garbage can having a snack was a fun sight that we just don't see in the U.S.

9. Swahenglish.  In the U.S., we are all familiar with Spanglish.  In Kenya, they have Swahenglish.  I generally could pick up about every 10th word of a medical conversation in Swahili, because they would intersperse English words in the conversation.

10.  John's frustration with the "bumps" on the chair at the safari club that kept hitting the back of his head when he sat in the chair.



11.  Seeing the baboon drinking coffee and tea from the morning tray.

12.  The "traffic jam" on the way to the Masai Mara, which consisted of numerous herds of cattle and goats along the road.

13.  Dinner for 10 at the local restaurant for less than $13.

14.  Better cell phone reception on the Masai Mara than at home in Watkinsville.

15.  Everyone wears heavy sweaters when it is 75 degrees (or hotter).

16.  Motorcycles carrying a man, woman, and 3 children at a time.

Mutatu with lots of water jugs on top