Just Another Saturday in Kijabe

I thought you might enjoy a little taste of our day to day life in Kijabe.  Today was a relaxing Saturday and the kids all slept late and then climbed into bed with me until 9.  It was so nice to have a day that was completely unplanned, easy and not at all rushed.

9:30am milk delivery - We have milk delivered to our door 6 days a week.  It comes to us in 2 liter coke bottles and is still warm when it gets here.  We then boil it, let it cool, skim the fat and put it in the refrigerator.  Some of our kids will drink it straight, but I think it tastes like a barn so I mainly use it for cooking.  I pay about $1 for 2 liters of milk.

10:30am We buy most of our produce at a nearby market, but there are some specialty things like strawberries, apples, oranges and grapes that we can only get in Nairobi or if someone comes door to door selling them.  Today was a lucky day for us because Samuel came with grapes - both red and green!  Grapes are pretty pricey here so they are a rare treat - $7 for two cartons.  Samuel also brought gum for the kids and gave them a quick Swahili lesson.  The boys love it when Samuel visits!

1:15 Peter came by and said he was going to butcher chickens today and needed to know how many he should butcher so he came by to take orders.  I ordered two.

3:00 Peter delivered my chickens.  They were 3-4 pounds each and cost about $6 each.  I could get them cheaper in Nairobi, but I haven't found that they are very good quality so I'd rather buy them fresh.  This brings new meaning to the words "Fresh, Free-Range Organic Chicken."  It doesn't get much fresher or more "free-range" than this.

5:00 A friend came by to keep me company and to help me get the kids to bed since she knew Erik was gone.  It was so nice to have extra hands during the crazy evening hours!

5:15 Rachel came by selling egg rolls, Samosas and tortillas.  I had just made some fried rice so I was so pleased to have some egg rolls to go with it and I bought some Samosas for a quick lunch later in the week.  The egg rolls cost less the $0.20 a piece and the Samosas are about $0.25 each.  Many ladies here sell baked items to the missionaries living here.  We can buy English muffins, mandazi (a Kenyan fry bread), pizza crusts, tortillas, egg rolls and Samosas. 

Throughout the day the kids were in and out of the house, playing with various friends and enjoying the freedom to run and roam and just be kids.  I'd have to say it was a pretty good day!