the Annabelle Shirk adventure (as titled by her)

from Annabelle. . .

Oct 7, 2014

I went hiking. It was fun. We walked our* dog, Emma. We love her so much.

I like school. There is a merry go round on the playground. I am in Kindergarten. I love it so much. There is a swing set on the playground. I love it. I climb bars on the playground. The bars are fun.
It is a big playground . I love school so much.

It is fun to be in school - so much. At school I have read to self, read to someone, work on writing, and word work.

My favorite color is blue.

I lost a tooth.

 belle's first selfie

 resting on the walk up from school

1 less tooth

*Emma is our neighbors' dog, but already much loved by the girls. . .

My day. (by Madeline)

October 7 2014

        Today was really fun ! We did writing first at school. After that we get

to do read-to-self , work on writing , or do word work which is doing

activities with words.

We also went on a hike. It had a great view. We took a few pictures.

IT WAS AMAZING !  Afterwards,  we saw a exploding sunset !

It was an awesome way to end a day!

-Madeline

  

**pictures from Madeline's camera

Stories

speaking. . . .

Language lessons started this week, and I'm pretty sure that Edward is one of the greatest teachers ever.  Mid-lesson a Swahili word sounded Japanese, which led us down the rabbit hole of Sakura (cherry blossoms), konichiwa (good afternoon), ohayo (good morning), and whether there are African-Japanese.  The joy of lessons is that learning comes in many forms and with much laughter.  

plumbing. . .

The other day some plumbers from the hospital came to work on a broken washing machine faucet.  I asked how they managed to fix it (I had tried for a while but couldn't figure it out).  He said "it was a gift of God."  I thought he was being vague or humble, but later on I asked Arianna what she thought. She said there was one worker. . .then two. . .then three. . .then someone who looked like a supervisor showed up. None could remove the broken pipe and then suddenly it was fixed. . .they decided it was a miracle.  

searching. . .

Last night I went to Nairobi with a wonderful Kenyan driver named John to search for our missing bag.  He took me to departures, where I visited the KLM desk and told them the problem.  A sweet, sweet lady named Rosalyn printed out a slip and then walked me a 1/4 mile outside through the rain to the other terminal where baggage was located.  She pointed me to the offices to receive a visitor badge, walked me in the employee entrance, and ultimately found the bag herself and brought it to me.  By far the most over and above awesome customer service I have ever encountered.  

driving. . . 

On the return trip we drove through the pouring Nairobi rain.  Flying bugs we're appearing in the headlights, which it turns out are flying termites that only come out in the rain.  John then tells stories of catching and frying termites as a child.  John Denver comes on the classic country radio station that is his favorite, and we drive the hills of Nairobi listening to Rocky Mountain high.  

Small mercies. . .

In the chaos of a move to another continent, we have seen small mercies in abundance. . .

in our last wedding  in NJ being full of laughter and golden light, a perfect farewell to the career that has carried us for 10 years

in a friend willing to fly to Baltimore to ease the exhaustion of our last 20 hour drive before our flight and remind us of the love and care that surrounds us

in surprise visits from busy friends to send us on our way and hugs that brought laughter and warmth during long hours on a plane that followed

in each of our bags weighing exactly 49 lbs when we checked in at the airport

in the girls' walls painted the perfect shade of lavender in our new house to match the new blankets I had brought from the States for their beds

in the only large scrap in a bag of fabric being deep purple and enough to cover the bulletin board in their room

in a family moving from Nairobi 2 weeks ago and leaving the exact four beds we needed for our new home in Kijabe -  that fit the rooms like they had been made for us

in friends we met 5 years ago for a photo-shoot welcoming us and guiding us throughout the first overwhelming shopping experience - sacrificing precious hours to give peace of mind, saying "who knew, then, that we would get to do life together?"

in the only large white refrigerator at the Nakumatt (and last of that one in the store) being the perfect size for the space in our new kitchen

in the frame for the white board left in our home being the perfect width to stretch the canvas brought from home to hang in our new living room

in the hospital retreat being days after we landed so I can see the hospital in full, its structure and vision, and see the wisdom and kindness that will surround me

in our curtains, carefully packed from home, being the perfect size for our windows despite my lack of foresight to measure

in the bag of jumbo marshmallows left on the upstairs shelf that we ate while we unpacked

in meal after meal to welcome us and homemade cinnamon rolls and zucchini bread  to allow us to focus on settling and not on food

in our house being one of few that will get unlimited internet so we can upload and download pictures with ease

in the girls sleeping through the night perfectly in our move and seeming unfazed by jet-lag so they could start school our second day in Kenya

in the ancient blinds we found in the back of our kitchen cabinet and the tapestry needle I threw in our bag at the last minute to restring them so we have perfect light and privacy for our room

in a birthday party when we had been here less than a week so my girls feel a part of this world here, and scraps of ribbon and a silver beaded belt to make party appropriate costumes at the last minute

in birthday hats and signs and balloons for Belle, when I had not even figured out which day her birthday would fall

and finally, in a letter, written 27 years ago to my mom as a second grade assignment. We were told to write 20 years in the future from wherever we were. I was a few years off, but after we bought our plane tickets, my mom pointed out the date at the top -

September 24 . . . the day we arrived in Kijabe.

In a stilted 7 year old hand, only learning to write, I told her "I got a new job today. . . I have a white uniform and special gloves. . . I'm heading for Africa. I figure it's best. Well, I have to go now. bye. Love, Arianna"

Simple mercies and reassurance, that in all the goodbyes and hellos, the confusion and transition, that all is as it was planned to be.

Day One Victories and Failures

Day one, victories and failures.  

Victory, girls had first day of school, both happy as clams.  New friends, lots of learning and playtime. Paid tuition, piece of cake. 

                 

Failure, no hot water for showers, not sure what we will do tomorrow. . .maybe get dressed and walk to guesthouse for showers?  (Wait, it's working!  Arianna has the magic touch:). 

Victory, Arianna's shopping trip (thank you Erik and Amanda!!). We have a functional and downright awesome kitchen.  Dove soap.  Magnetic kitchenware hanging thingies (always wanted those).  

Failure, plugged the kitchen-aid into the wrong outlet and killed it. . .first casualty of 220v power.

Victory, all of our bags made it to Kenya and we cleared customs/immigration in thirty minutes.  

Failure, one bag went AWOL somewhere along the way, maybe in the airport or the back of a van? 

Failure, internet setup, both wireless modems are ineffective

Victory, 3G working on phones now so we can communicate with email at least.

Big victory, iPhones unlocked and SIM cards cut and working.  

Victory, found wonderful ice cream.  Failure, it melted, can't plug the fridge in until tomorrow (freon settling and whatnot)

Victory, good time with wonderful friends and mentors.  We are following in great footsteps. 

Victory, setting foot in town and feeling instantly at home.  Absolutely no failure here:)

           Emma, our neighbor's dog

Sweet Home

I am sitting at a beachside cafe in New Jersey.  We drove up to shoot a wedding for a friend of a friend of a friend.  We plan to drive back overnight, pack the remainder of what we own, and move to Kenya on Monday.  Sweet home Alabama comes on the radio.  Surreal and strange this whirlwind of packing and goodbyes has been.  

Alabama had been a sweet home, as were Winston and Greenville and Atlanta.  As will be Kijabe.  

The sounds, sights, and smells will be different high on the mountain.  No mourning dove, no pine trees and azaleas.  Instead roosters, monkeys, acacias, and the St. Bernard-Rottweiler mix that will be our new companion.  

I wonder when I will hear sweet home Alabama come in Kenya?  How surreal will that be?  It will happen, and I will become nostalgic.  But hopefully, by that time our new home will be just as sweet.  

"I'm home anywhere, if you are where I am."  Rich Mullins

**in Birmingham, first leg of the trip to Nairobi, Hakuna Matata comes on the airport radio - quite appropriate:)

Hao Tong

t-minus 5 days until we leave.  We have been about to leave for forever, months of preparation, selling, and saying goodbye. And here we are - 5 days. My lasts have been punctuated with joyful depth and tearful wonder. . .

last parties in golden light with giggling children

           our last dinners with dear friends where I cling to aloha and not goodbye in intimate, layered,  
           easy conversation

last playdates filled with comfortable imagination and impossible games of pretend

        last stolen moments with my nephews savoring rambunctious smiles and satisfied laughter
           
               last hugs from sisters that seem only to reaffirm a love that crosses oceans

last weddings where I wrap myself in black formal gowns, transform, and savor the joy that comes with capturing well the beginning of the rest of a life together

my last shifts with unprecedented busyness punctuated with long hugs that spoke louder than words

           last moments of encouragement from mentors that became friends as they poured life and
           passion into my doctor's heart

last moments, satisfying in the way they engage the heart and gut and mind. . .

Tears have come in expected and unexpected waves, and I have thought often of the Chinese words "hao tong." By a twist of linguistics, it means "very painful" and also literally "good pain".   Pain comes with a shot or needling, but that hurt brings healing.  The rending of our hearts as we prepare to move to Kenya carries this dichotomy.  The certain good of deep friendship and the pain that comes in transforming those relationships into something new.

Every tear confirms that we have a built a life here that we love, that we are preparing to bring this part of the world to Kijabe and Kijabe to our nebulous corner of intricately woven relationships that refuses to have reasonable boundaries.

Five days, and we are ready to go - overwhelmed with gratitude for the friendships that have made these last moments so perfectly difficult.