Things we got in the mail

One thing I have not yet become comfortable with in Kenya is the mail. Yes, there is a Kenyan postal system. And yes, it does deliver mail to us via the hospital. In fact, for an insanely high fee, we could even receive parcels. I just haven't taken the time to actually mail anything myself. Maybe that's a goal for next month... 

Despite not knowing how it works, we have received some fun things in the mail while living in Kenya. Our first piece of mail was a lovely homemade card from my Aunt Catherine in Canada. I think she sent it (or at least it was still in the postal system) during the early days of COVID, because it arrived looking as though the envelope had been drenched in either hand sanitizer or bleach likely courtesy of Kenya Post (although I guess it could have happened in Canada also). Regardless, it was really nice to receive a handwritten note! 

 Here's a picture of something my very talented brother and sister-in-law sent to Dominic (we assembled it) for his birthday this year. They have gotten into designing and laser cutting wood crafts. They also sent a lovely Christmas ornament which I can't find a picture of.

A while back we signed up for the Adventures in Odyssey app, and checked a box to receive their free magazine. We assumed it would be delivered to our billing address, which is my parents' house in Seattle. Imagine our suprise when this came to the hospital! Dominic read these magazines over and over, and brought them over to show all our neighbors.

This didn't arrive by Kenyan Post, but was sent to my mom last February for her to bring along to us in March. Obviously that trip got canceled due to COVID, but after a few delays, we finally received this painting from my cousin's daughter, a birthday card for Dominic's 5th birthday, plus several other letters and small items this past week.

Homeschool, round two

Remember late elementary school, when summer vacation was just the best thing you could imagine? You were old enough to play with your friends without parental supervision, but not yet old enough to work every day of your vacation?

I never thought I'd look forward to summer vacation again the way I did when I was that age. Then we started homeschooling.

There are many wonderful things about teaching your own child to read, write, and explore the world around them. And there are many challenges, especially when all that learning has to take place before the first surgery or meeting of the day. 

(Second) first day of Grade 1

Dominic and I just re-started first grade, after about a 5-6 week "summer vacation." This year, we're very grateful for a couple of changes. First, we purchased the entire elementary school homeschool curriculum from our good friends and former neighbors who recently moved the the US. I'm still exploring all the resources they left for us. 

Our "school corner"

Second, Dominic is "going to school" for about an hour three days a week with our neighbors. This may not seem like much, but even that time with other kids is really helpful in practicing classroom etiquette and seeing how other kids get along in a classroom.

Dominic takes art class with Miss Kelsey and Miss Nancy once a week

 And last, we're embracing the fact that summer vacation is great. We love having a break. And we'll probably take more frequent breaks this year, for all our sakes. 

Blogger's Block

 I've started writing this month's blog post more than three times, with such titles as "February 2021 - the longest month," "Confessions of a reluctant homeschool teacher," and "Development in the developing world." But as I write, what comes out is more self-pity and fatigue than I really feel - and definitely more than you want to read! Instead, here are some pictures from around Kapsowar in the few months - a few taken by me, several from Kristopher and other people.

A quintessential African photo op

We spent a weekend in Eldoret for Kris' birthday. I mentioned to one guest by the pool that I work for SP. Next morning at breakfast, it took me a minute to decipher what was written on my coffee.

Dominic helping Kris at the library

Baptism "down at the river"

I completed an early morning c-section last month and was rewarded with this sunrise

Family picture in our neighbor's backyard

New signs in the maternity building

Best buds, Nala and Linda

New couch, custom ordered and delivered into our living room in five days

Residents at the school of theology

A morning celebrating "summer vacation" from homeschool - breakfast by the fire on a weekday!

A welcome and timely gift from a generous donor in the US - this "Butterfly ultrasound" arrived the evening before my in-office ultrasound died.

Our water delivery system was undergoing some repairs so this pump in our front yard was responsible for providing clean (not potable) water to several families on our side of the station.

Commuting

A few weeks ago, our pastor asked what noun we would use to describe the year 2020. We've used a lot of adjectives over the past 12 months, but coming up with a noun was a little more challenging.

Part of my daily "commute"

Ultimately I settled on "well-worn path" (ok, I admit this contains both an adjective and a noun). This image describes my life over the past year...back and forth, home to work and work to home, the same 5 minute walk sometimes several times daily. And very, very little travel anywhere else.

Thanks, Google, for this visual aid - note the spike in travel in November which represents our 10-day family vacation!

A well-worn path can be comfortable. It can be a safe place to learn something new...like a new language, a new medical practice, learning how to do homeschool as a family. It can also be mind-numbing or even blinding. Look at the same beautiful view day after day, and there's a risk you may not see the beauty anymore.

Beautiful Kenyan landscape at a farm/giraffe reserve near Eldoret

These days, we're getting ready to depart from our well-worn path. Kris is back to teaching every day. We have two new families arriving and one departing, not to mention a host of short-term visitors coming and going. My work is about to undergo a major shift in focus from *doing* to *teaching*. If I'm honest, I was growing to like my path. Here's praying that the new path works out, too!

I used to walk through this area in the middle of the night, pitch-black, without a light because I knew the way so well. But here's a physical confirmation that times are a-changin' - construction material for two new houses being built on station.

Life, here

Let's just say, I've read enough reflections about 2020 to last me, well...a year. So, in the interest of doing something different:

I'm sure there are thousands of these lists posted around the internet, but oh well, here's one more!

You may be a North American living in a developing country if:

Your contacts in the nearest big city include: the cheese lady, the movie guy, and "grocery Kevin."

You see a dark cloud on the horizon and you immediately boil a kettle of water and get the food for your next meal out of the fridge for the inevitable power outage.

The previous approach only helps you about half the time since your longest and most inconvenient power outages are usually on beautifully sunny days.

You've learned to include the words "old-fashioned" in your Google searches for recipes. If they could make it in the 1800s, surely you can make it in your kitchen!

Old-fashioned "twist" doughnuts inspired by our reading of Farmer Boy this year

You carry toilet paper in your car/purse just in case (few public toilets, fewer public toilets with free toilet paper).

You've ever separated out the green and red sprinkles from a multicolor mix for Christmas.

You start and end every meeting  - whether with church members or government officials - with prayer.

You see a silver lining in the COVID-19 pandemic: all your friends and family now know how to use WhatsApp and Zoom!

You're grocery lists are divided up geographically (for us that would be the market; Eldoret; Nairobi; and Amazon - to be brought by the next visitor!)

Your wardrobe is similar divided up geographically: things I would never wear in Kapsowar, things I would never wear in North America, and...well, for me the only other category is scrubs.

Your neighbor receives an animal as a Christmas gift. AND your first thought is, "I wonder when they're going to eat that..."

This year: Member of the family

Next year: Christmas dinner

Your monthly bills include eggs and milk, which are delivered to your door on a weekly and daily basis, respectively.

Your child is supposed to memorize their street address for school: literally "Kapsowar Mission Hospital, Kapsowar, Kenya."

Okay, here's a list that slightly fewer people can write (or appreciate!):

You may be a North American OB/GYN living in a developing country if:

You routinely diagnose twins...at greater than 8 months gestation OR in labor OR after delivery of the first twin

Most of your patients have their first ultrasound in your office during their admission for late-term induction of labor, and you're getting quite tired of your ultrasound machine telling you "This date is outside the pregnancy window."

You scrub all your c-sections with one person - a hybrid assistant/scrub nurse - and at the beginning of every repeat CS you decide if you want suction, or a Bovie, or if you're spending big today, both. (You don't have that discussion for a primary CS as the answer is, obviously, none of the above).

You would fall right over if someone ever uttered the following words in your operating room: "Would you like a Bonney or a Ferris-Smith?" Instead, you often get to pick which Adson to use on the fascia...the tiny one or the slightly less tiny one... 

Wishing you a very happy 2021!!