in the matatu

Here we are crammed into the back of a matatu, on route to church. These public transport vans are supposed to seat 14 passengers, but have been known to squeeze in over 20. Last week I was very almost sitting on the lap of a rather elderly gentleman - there is certainly more physical contact with your fellow passengers than any public transport back home.



The matatu fare is usually no more than the equivalent of 60-70 cents, but can be as little as 15 cents. For that low, low price you get a unique travel experience that, on any given day, can vary from booming ghetto beats to Lionel Ritchie, flashing fairy lights to multicoloured vinyl roofing to random stickers, the scent of hot sweaty passengers to the almost overpowering exhaust fumes from a vehicle in front.

And if you're really lucky, you'll get to experience that life-flashing-before-your-eyes kind of fear that accompanies speeding down a hill, on the wrong side of the road, into oncoming traffic, or the equally frightening 'oh-look-at-that-the-roads-are-jammed-let's-use-the-side-walk-as-a-super-highway' ordeal.

On another note, you wouldn't believe how much our prayer lives have improved.

a swahili update

We've been taking two Swahili classes a week and practicing with each other and Kenyan friends when we can. I, however, I'm trying to unlearn some mistakes I made early on. I shared my embarrassment with some girlfriends back home, but decided sharing is caring and who doesn't want to hear a funny story about Laura's laments when language learning?!

So, taken straight from my email home...

"And in other news, I have the uncanny ability to turn an innocent Swahili word into something a little less polite. Our second lesson in, I mispronounced the word 'house' and instead of saying 'I like my house', I announced that 'I like my flatulence'. Our poor teacher was so embarrassed as she corrected me, and to my horror it appears my brain is permanently unable to get that word right and almost every class I've made the same mistake. 

If that's not bad enough, I also mispronounced the word 'drinking' and instead shared with the class 'I am pooing tea'. Seriously, what is wrong with me?! Asides from those two highly embarrassing mistakes, Swahili is fun to learn - easier than French and there are a lot of opportunities to practice each day."

So there we go, friends. However, you should know there are a bunch of other great Swahili words we are mastering, like pilipili hoho (capsicum) - how cool a word is that?

strange acronyms

A conference centre spearheading mice?

Turns out M.I.C.E stands for Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Events. I love how they announce they are a mice venue here. I imagine thousands of small rodents, pens in paws, with promotional conference satchels, sucking on the complimentary mints.

swahili word of the day

panya mdogo - 'mouse'

this is a bed

 

... a bed with a diamonte-studded, gold faux leather, couch-style bed head and built-in speakers. 

In the shape of a circle. 

Available at our local supermarket, along with just about anything else you could ever think of...

...except circle-shaped bed linen.

Sweet tooth

Do you ever leave a bowl of sweets for your rental agent when it's house inspection time?

 

Is it awkward that they all said things like 'Phone me', 'Kiss me' and 'Be mine'?

Alien foods

I'm going to blame it on the fact we are both tall, and bending right over to peer into the bottom shelf of the pantry just doesn't happen regularly enough.

  

 

Sometimes he brings me flowers...

... sometimes he brings me vegetables carved into animal shapes!

And by sometimes, I mean it's only happened once, on Sunday, when this little fella showed up in a cardboard box. What a cutie!

Our house is haunted...

...by the ghost of a very tall smurf.

Recently, we have spent a lot of time turning the Smurf House into a home (for Smurfs humans). Trips to Lifeline, trips to Ikea and me going on and on and on about a bedspread I've ordered from the States. If my current obsession is anything to go by, Will has a lifetime of linen conversations to endure look forward to. Lucky man.

It is such a wonderful little house though, with a lot of personality. I guess no house with blue walls throughout the inside and the outside could ever be called dull.

There are blooming rose bushes in the backyard that provide fresh flowers every day, and if the breeze on the front deck is anything to go by, it will be a glorious summer house. 28 days until I move in, and it can't happen fast enough!