This is our Kitchen:
(I know, I dont think it looks much like a kitchen either, but there you are...) Where our meals are prepared. Four of us take it in turns to cook for each other. Here is me, taking my turn:
Those of you who know me well will know that I am not an imaginative cook, and so it will come as no surprise to learn that I cook the same thing every week. I've taken to calling it my speciality, corned beef hash, and it is good for two reasons. First, it tastes great and provides a source of meat that is not goat (the Sudanese have a fondness for eating goat that I do not share). Second, it only requires one pan, and thus one fire. Given the amount of paraffin (I say paraffin, it is actually jet fuel we use to light our fires. no joke) related incidents I have had since arriving here this can only be a good thing. For a while I had no hair on my right hand due to a cooking related incident...if it weren't for my cat-like reactions things could have been much worse...
Today I found, and inadvertently killed (by spilling petrol on it), a funnel web spider of some kind. Due to the flurry of protest to my last spider related post I have refrained from putting up any photos this time, so you'll have to use your imagination. This, and other previously reported incidents have led to me developing a finely tuned overreaction every time something touches my leg. Even if it's one of the other missionaries...
Speaking of which, I've known ever since the first time I came to Africa in 2004 that here it is not uncommon for guys to walk around holding hands with one-another. However, I have never seen so much of this as I have here, and I can tell you, having guys randomly grab your hand takes a bit of getting used to. Even John Maruti (who I recently learned was named after a car by some missionaries, who clearly had a keen sense of humour, when his grandfather turned up late for work the day he was born), my often mentioned Kenyan sidekick does it frequently. I've really got no reason for telling you that other than because it's a vaguely amusing aspect of my life here...
In case you're interested, work on the project continues to progress well. Yesterday we got news that a (by our standards) large plane is flying in empty next wednesday, giving us an opportunity to solve several logistics headaches in one fell swoop. I came up with a list of materials that our team in Nairobi are now purchasing to fly in for us. I just hope that my rushed shopping list is at least vaguely accurate or I'm going to look like a moron...All of this is to set us up for the big push to finish the building, which will start once the aforementioned Kenyan sidekick has finished plastering the interior.
The only other thing of note to inform you of is that my long held prayer of forming good friendships with some of the local guys has begun to be answered. The last couple of days have provided good opportunities to hang out with a couple of different guys from the area and spend some time getting to know them. We're not at the holding hands stage yet, but one step at a time and all that.
Unfortunately, I also have a rather sad update for you. Within the last week, we heard news that the woman we encountered having a difficult labour, who I told you had lost her baby, also died that night after surgery. There is a harsh side to life here that can be hard to accept at times, it is important to acknowledge that amongst my random musings about how much I'm enjoying myself...
And with that, my friends, I really must go. I've twice, make that three times, heard something move in my house and it sounds big enough that I should be worried. If I'm not back in a week, send someone to look for me...
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