We stepped out of the plane into the fresh night air. A cool breeze blew as we walked down the steps to the tarmac then on to the waiting buses that would take us to the international terminal. We were finally in Africa! Those first few moments out of the plane were a bit surreal and kind of dreamy. Then survival mode kicked in... Which bus do we get on? Are all the kids with us? We were packed in like sardines, holding tight to the hand grips as the bus jolted to starts and stops. I held on to the hand grip above my head and Timo held on to me. Once inside the terminal, we found the visa line pretty easily but quickly realized we had missed the applications we were supposed to fill out before getting in line. We backed out of line, found those, got our bearings, and filled out all 5 before heading back into the growing visa lines. We were bracing for a long wait but just as the kids as I were getting started with the alphabet game using the signs around us (and had noticed that several of them had pictures of cheetahs), we were told that any of the lines could be used for visas which sped things up tremendously. Turns out the signs are merely suggestions. We got our visas then claimed our baggage. Several of our bags took a real beating on the journey but they were all there and nothing was missing. Customs was no problem and as we walked out we were immediately met by our Rosslyn representatives.
Unbeknownst to us, another incoming Rosslyn family had been on our plane and it was taking them longer to get through. We eventually learned that they had lost a piece of luggage and it was evidently a bit of a hassle to get the appropriate paperwork filled out. We were so glad to be off the plane and finally here, we didn't mind waiting. They had brought 2 small buses for us - one for the luggage and one for the people. When the luggage bus pulled up to load the luggage, it evidently parked with a couple of inches hanging over the "zebra crossing" which gave the local policeman cause for alarm. There was some talk about the driver having to go to the police station but it was all worked out and we were eventually on our way home. We were in the passenger bus as all this was going on and when our children heard talk about the zebra crossing, at least one of them had pictures of zebras crossing the road in his head. Actually, this is what Kenyans call the crosswalk. ;)
We got to our new home a little before midnight and, after some brief exploring, were all in bed by 12:30.
Jet lag hasn't been too bad. We decided ahead of time to hit the ground running and had made arrangements with our host family to pick us up at 9:45 the next morning for church. Michael and I woke up early and enjoyed exploring a little more around the house. We were planning to wake the kids up about 9:00 in time to get ready. Michael has an old alarm clock that he has had for a looong time. It has served him well through the years on two different continents. It has a switch so it can be used on 110 or 220 voltage. We thought it only appropriate that it should go to a third continent with him. He pulled it out that first night and set it up by our bed. When I finally picked up my watch the next morning, I was surprised and a little alarmed to see that it did not match what his clock said. I asked him to check his watch and sure enough, the clock was not right! It was already 9:35 and the kids were still asleep! We rushed to get them up and ready. Fortunately our hosts were running late as well. Kathleen struggled through the morning. She had had a hard time going to sleep the night before but she survived. It was a cool drizzly day which I'm sure helped to keep us all awake 'til we got back home. That evening, after recuperating with naps, we went over to the superintendent of school's house for dinner. Michael actually did the driving as we followed our host to his house. In Kenya, you drive on the left side of the road and the driver's seat is also opposite from what we are used to. We all laughed when Mike turned on the windshield wipers when he tried to hit on the turn signal. :)
I wasn't brave enough to try driving until Wednesday. Whew! I can do it, but it takes so much energy to focus on everything. Thankfully, we are in a part of town where the traffic is not too bad. The first shopping center I drove to was a new one for us and the parking spaces were so tight. I had to get out and let Michael park the car for me! At the second place, I had a delightful experience at the "green grocer" (produce mart). The man who helped us gave my children bananas, found me the best produce, and sent us home with some passion fruit to try. :)
That same evening I drove us over to the school to meet someone. As we approached the front gate, I rolled down my window to speak to the guard and he said something to me in Swahili. I was so nervous already from driving (there was more traffic that evening and I had to avoid several bikes on those narrow roads) and then I had no idea what he said. He immediately saw that I was confused and said "hello." I explained why we were there and he told us to go on through. Another guard spoke up and explained to me what the first guard had initially said. Then he told me how to respond. I practiced with him and then tried again with the first guard. They were both all smiles and so kind! Now I know how to answer "How are you doing?" in Swahili. :) Emotionally, tho', I was done. After we got through the gate, I had to take a few minutes to just cry - stress, gratitude, joy... I think it was all mixed in there.
We've accomplished a lot in these first few days. Our Rosslyn host, Carole, helped us get cell phones. (This is the first time ever that Michael has his own cell phone!) She also showed us where to shop and helped us get our first groceries. She took us to the school and gave us a grand tour and has been great about answering our questions and helping us get settled. We are all unpacked and have ventured out on our own a few times.
I'll write again soon about some of the similarities and differences we've noticed since being here.
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