Reality Check

HAPPY NEW YEAR from Africa!

       We hope and pray that this blog reaches you in the best of spirits!  We are so thankful to all of you that sent us messages, emails and cards over the holiday season, it helped us feel a part of your celebrations even though we are so far away!

Andrew's buddy from work and his wife, that we met in Nairobi

       We are home safely in Mbarara, Uganada after a wonderful vacation in Nairobi, Kenya.  My blogging hiatus was not intentional, but as you all know the festivities of the season can really become all encompassing.  Our first couple days away from camp were spent at Canada House, wrapping gifts, planning meals and just enjoying the time off.  I had a blast trying to be resourceful and make Christmas decor from the limited supplies I had...tape, floss and an old magazine...and it was all worth it when Theo walked out of his room and just stood there bright eyed and mouth open.  



A 3 month old giraffe that was very friendly

Our first taste of fast food in 3 months...heavenly!



We got to play with lions at the Animal Orphanage

       The overall trip to Nairobi was fantastic, with great food, big malls and real movie theatres.  The 17 hour bus rides were not our favourite, but at $35 a person you can't really complain.  Our apartment was better than expected, with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a swimming pool, a roof top patio and located literally right across from the mall.  We never felt unsafe and were protected by an armed guard from our doorstep to the doorstep of the mall.  Some days we went and toured, other days we just hung out at home, eating, reading and sleeping.  Our favourite outings included the animal orphanage where we got play with lions, the giraffe sanctuary where we got to feed the giraffes, and the village market where we got to shop the Masaii market and ride the water slides.  Theo's nanny Winnie had the time of her life and got to experience so many new things.  Overall this trip really refreshed us and got us ready to tackle the next 3 months.
 


Cheryl taught Winnie to swim

Cheers to a great New Year!

       This trip was also a reality check for us.  In the part of Uganda where we live, you are either black or white, rich or poor, Christian or Muslim; close to no middle ground.  You see, because we are white and our clothes do not have holes in them, most assume we are rich.  In the area of Kenya we were staying, it felt a lot more like Canada with a wide variety of different classes, races and creeds.  This was comforting for it felt like home, but it was also eye opening as we saw the clash between the developing and developed countries.  Kenya attracts wealthy tourists from around the world for its safaris, its child adoptions and its fine dining, but right smack in the middle of it all is the second largest urban slum in all of Africa.  What a stark contrast between those that spend $10,000 on a two week vacation and those that barely make $14 after two weeks of hard work.  This is a reality that I can no longer ignore. It is a reality that I must come face to face with and decide how my life in Canada will change.

~M



We even got to feed the monkeys!