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Crazy Saturday morning, wonderful Saturday day

I woke up this morning to meowing, barking, and the house trying to implode.

Okay, okay so the meowing was the ringtone of Danielle's Kenyan phone, the barking was actually a dog (Emma), and the imploding house was really just a compo of Emma (dog) slamming herself against the laundry room door and two Kenyan women knocking forcefully on the locked back door, determined to sell us stuff…. at 8:30am on a Saturday morning.  Funsies. My just-woke-up-to-chaos brain was only more confused when I answered Danielle's phone to find another lady rambling loudly at me in Swahili. I answered in confused English, she replied in confused, rapid Swahili. Great.

The morning finally settled out as I read some emails from our host family about the house (such as what to do with barking dog, how to unlock doors, what time Aidah the house-sitter would come by) and woke up enough to process things. At this point, Aidah the house-sitter appeared at the door (which I now knew how to unlock!), entered with soft-spoken greetings, and began cleaning the house. With Aidah doing her thing and with absolutely nothing planned for the day before lunch, I dragged myself back up to bed. Mmm warmth.

Danielle and I finally woke up around 11 to gather laundry (which Aidah offered to do for us - Thanks Kenya mom!) and head up to Rift Valley Academy for lunch. The only thing on the rest of the day's scheduled was resting.

The day's highlights include:

  • Racing up the hill to Rift Valley Academy (RVA) for lunch and finding salad… oh also cucumbers… and potato chips. #WorthIt?
  • The RVA gate guard either misunderstanding us or just having some fun with us and sending us in the OPPOSITE direction of the cafeteria. Fun trick, Africa.
  • Napping. napping. napping.
  • Reading (at the Letchford's, we have found 4 bookshelves full of books... I'm wearily encouraged that doctors really have this much time to read.)
  • Finding the Letchford wifi (I hope I was supposed to…)
  • Video chat with mi madre for her birthday
  • Crock-pot dinner stew made by Aidah
  • Meeting more neighbors: a houseful of nursing and med students also in Kijabe helping out at the hospital. After creeping around their house trying to figure out how to get in, we shared some laughter and made nice connections with some people who will be around the next week when Danielle and I return to shadow.


Road up to the Letchford's house (aka mini paradise) 

View from the Letchford's porch (also mini-paradise)

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