Smooth sailing, mostly
We've been here for almost 2 weeks now, and I'd say we're doing pretty well. We are unpacked, pictures are on the walls, we have all our major furniture and appliances...even found a waffle iron yesterday and feasted on waffles, eggs and bacon for dinner! Ethan was thrilled.
Traffic is as maddening as I knew it would be--no surprises there. We basically have to make our to-do list, and then cut it in half because it takes so long to get from A to B. I can't say it's fun, but it just means I do less 'shopping around' for things. You just buy what's available where you are that day!
The cost of electricity is crazy-high here. One person told me to plan on $400 per month. That terrifies me, as a notorious cheep-stake, so we're not using the hot water heater at all. The showers are equipped with these heating elements so that the cold water is heated directly in the shower-head. It's efficient, but I wouldn't call our showers long or luxurious! And giving Omara a shower is completely annoying. It's probably been the hardest thing to adjust to in Kenya--boiling water for dishes, washing hands and clothes in cold water, no baths. After our first electric bill, we may turn the hot water heater on for a bit each day!
The kids had a great first 2 days of school. They made it on the bus, made it to their classrooms, and then made it back on the bus, so I'm celebrating our successes. I just imagined Ethan wandering off the bus and never showing up in class! They both have great teachers and I am very impressed with Rosslyn so far.
I went in to the office most days last week, but didn't do much on my own. Denise, who is training me, leaves on Saturday, so I basically have 6 days left for training and then it's me and Lynsi, my partner who is also new, on our own. I think we'll be ready, though it does make me a tad nervous! Chad has been doing the lion's share of ordering furniture, getting it set up, and things like that. Thankfully that's winding down. He's done lots of talking with the nanny and the guards to learn greetings and phrases and words in Swahili. He's so good at doing that sort of thing, and he actually remembers what they teach him. Then he comes home, teaches me, and I'm doing good to remember it for 5 minutes! I don't know how I'll ever learn much Swahili. But even Chad is anxious to start a more serious program. Hopefully he can get that set up in the next few days.
So that's our lives in a nutshell. No regrets, enjoying the new things Nairobi has to offer (like sugar-snap peas and sweet corn-on-the-cob, mostly), but we are still awfully tired. I don't know if that has to do with the international move or just constantly herding 4 kids!
Traffic is as maddening as I knew it would be--no surprises there. We basically have to make our to-do list, and then cut it in half because it takes so long to get from A to B. I can't say it's fun, but it just means I do less 'shopping around' for things. You just buy what's available where you are that day!
The cost of electricity is crazy-high here. One person told me to plan on $400 per month. That terrifies me, as a notorious cheep-stake, so we're not using the hot water heater at all. The showers are equipped with these heating elements so that the cold water is heated directly in the shower-head. It's efficient, but I wouldn't call our showers long or luxurious! And giving Omara a shower is completely annoying. It's probably been the hardest thing to adjust to in Kenya--boiling water for dishes, washing hands and clothes in cold water, no baths. After our first electric bill, we may turn the hot water heater on for a bit each day!
The kids had a great first 2 days of school. They made it on the bus, made it to their classrooms, and then made it back on the bus, so I'm celebrating our successes. I just imagined Ethan wandering off the bus and never showing up in class! They both have great teachers and I am very impressed with Rosslyn so far.
I went in to the office most days last week, but didn't do much on my own. Denise, who is training me, leaves on Saturday, so I basically have 6 days left for training and then it's me and Lynsi, my partner who is also new, on our own. I think we'll be ready, though it does make me a tad nervous! Chad has been doing the lion's share of ordering furniture, getting it set up, and things like that. Thankfully that's winding down. He's done lots of talking with the nanny and the guards to learn greetings and phrases and words in Swahili. He's so good at doing that sort of thing, and he actually remembers what they teach him. Then he comes home, teaches me, and I'm doing good to remember it for 5 minutes! I don't know how I'll ever learn much Swahili. But even Chad is anxious to start a more serious program. Hopefully he can get that set up in the next few days.
So that's our lives in a nutshell. No regrets, enjoying the new things Nairobi has to offer (like sugar-snap peas and sweet corn-on-the-cob, mostly), but we are still awfully tired. I don't know if that has to do with the international move or just constantly herding 4 kids!
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