Poem

Poem written by Wendy about our family. Written from Joshua's point of view.

They say......but in fact

There are many rumours you may have heard

However I can tell you that most are absurd

They say we have a cockerel that crows each morning

But in fact it’s the Ibis that are just simply yawning

They say we have a goat that chews all it can find

But in fact it’s our dog Rhum who is really kind

She licks up sick and cleans the floor

She eats up leftovers and still wants more

She follows you around inside and out

And if you pretend to ignore her she might just pout

They say we have 2 bulls whose horns lock day and night

But in fact they’re my siblings who are often in a fight

It’s either one or the other who puts out the bait

And I just hide in my room until very late

I come out for films, Youtube and food

And other times too depending on the mood

Regardless of this, some rumours are right

My family is fab and most of us don’t bite

Let me tell you about them all, one by one

Then you’ll see my point before you have gone

I’ll start with my father who is a great dad

He stays chilled even when the rest of us are mad

He supports my mum and calms her down well

And even when he’s worked up he doesn’t really yell

My mum is a star and works really hard

And when she’s relaxed she can be quite a card

She is a great organiser and loves writing a list

And when she’s not in a meeting she is really missed

Because she is so thoughtful, generous and kind

And there are only a few things she really does mind

She can get stressed when she’s in traffic or tired

Or chasing my brother makes her feel really wired

 My sister is a true girl, into fashion and nails

And incredibly feminine, though surrounded by males

She can change her clothes on and off all day

And loves a romantic film, but kissing ‘no way’!

She is quite shy and can get in a mood

But she’s really talented and sings like a dude

My seven year old bro is a meat eating lad

He’s one of those who’s a mix of genius and mad

He can do great flips, climb trees and swim

And all his mates look up to him

He is a clever boy and gives a good hug

And is greatly fascinated on finding a bug

Little Roo is the last of the pack

His greatest skill is rolling over and back

He has a huge grin and observes all the action

And despite trying solids, milk is still the main attraction

It is all very exciting watching him move

And soon he will talk to us as he finds his groove

That leaves only me the first born kid

Who loves insisting his mum states her bid

For when I do snacks and help in any way

As I need to buy Star wars toys on EBay

 I’m good at art and playing on the drum

And I’m really thoughtful and great with Rhum

So as you can see our family is one to meet

And I tell you for sure that would be a treat

Come and see for yourself how fun we can be

But I still issue a health hazard from all of them but me

Guest blog from Wendy

I didn't know much about Nairobi before I came and even if I had started to build up a picture of what I thought it was like, there is no way I would have been right! My 2 weeks was definitely sharing  Libby's daily life rather than MAF's direct work so I can't share any aviation experiences! Some of my observations will have been commented on before, but being here has brought them to life so forgive me if you feel you have already heard some of it!

Even with the traffic I could not have correctly guessed how frustrating and at the same time amusing it could be. Libby tells me that I haven't even seen the traffic on a bad day! At every crossroads it is 'merge in turn',  but from every direction at the same time unless there happens to be a policeman directing the traffic which really helps.  Everyone wants to be first, but in doing so slows everyone down. The minibus taxis often decide to overtake all the traffic even whilst cars are coming in the opposite direction towards them. Then it stops in a place that blocks the queues in both directions. So we wait until the traffic moves forward  and then the untangling begins. Libby breathes a sigh of relief every time she has come out of the compound drive onto the road. She has managed to find a space in the traffic whilst a pedestrian wasn't walking in front of her car! I can see how the traffic is a cause of stress. You never know how long a journey will take. As soon as Libby drives into the school grounds  she has also driven into her haven where she can relax, chat to parents, get a coffee in the coffee shop and have a break from a traffic queue.

I was astonished as to how expensive everything is here. Eating out is the only thing that seems to be cheaper than the UK and fruit, vegetables and petrol (by a bit). The cheapest thing to buy here seems to be a bunch of flowers but unfortunately these aren't edible! There aren't the offers such as  'buy one get one free' or supermarkets' own brands that make a lot of difference to the cost of shopping in the UK. A lot of items such as cereal and meat are probably at least twice the price. Even coffee which is grown in Kenya is very expensive.

It has been a good two weeks of just mucking in with the normal routine. Waking up at 6:30 to allow enough time to get everyone ready before the 7:30 departure time. The unpredictable journey to school, chatting to parents, driving home, tidying the chaos,  picking the kids up before the homework, dinner and normal bedtime routine begins and then the whole thing starts again. There are challenges I am not used to, such as power cuts and the water nearly running out. However, it is the traffic that could take between 15 minutes and two hours for the same journey and the new very strict  traffic laws that casts a shadow over the day. Killing a pedestrian means life imprisonment and with pedestrians stepping out in front of the car on a regular basis, this is very stressful.

One thing that is wonderful is the community that has built up amongst the MAF people. Libby has a lovely group of friends who are very supportive and she is kept busy with Ruben, but also organising different MAF events. Another lovely characteristic of Nairobi is all the trees and flowers that are everywhere around the city. In places it feels like a city within a jungle.  Daniel and Libby's garden is also truly amazing and with the warm weather is a great source of enjoyment for the children.

I go home tomorrow and it will definitely feel cold and strangely quiet back in the UK and I feel privileged to have been able to come and experience rather than just hear from far away what their lives are like.

Finally- a blog

It is soooo hard to blog these days. Even fitting in going to the toilet can be a challenge. OK TMI for most people. I have written loads of blogs in my head and actually drafted half a blog, but not actually managed to post. What can I say, life is absolutely hectic with a baby. Life, for me at least, revolves around getting the kids to school on time (that means getting them all out of the house by 7:30am) and picking them up again. If I can cook dinner and do a load of washing too, the day is a success. By the end of most days I am mentally and physically absolutely wasted. The last two days I have been asleep by 8pm (5pm English time), so don't call me in the evening! Still life is fun, challenging and exciting and I wouldn't change any of it. Highlights of the last few weeks have been:

 -the ceiling falling down in two places after one of the compound workers put his foot through it. He was putting rat poison in the roof!
-4 days of guys trying to repair the ceiling.
-running out of water, gas and having no electricity all at the same time.
-a huge thunder storm
-seeing an old friend from Tanzania for 3 nights last week
-Bethany's 10th birthday. The theme was flip flops, so we got pedicures, decorated flip flops and ate flip flop cake.