Tuesday 12th April
My dear friend Anne has come out from the UK to visit me…. my first ‘guest’ in my new pad. She acted as the latest ‘mule’ for getting bits out to Precious (and me), and have to say I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that came out….knickers (for me and more importantly the kids), vests, bras, boxers, tee-shirts, shorts, netball bibs, whistles, netball, marmite (definitely for me!) and books, books, and more books. Did have to chuckle though as she came through the gate at Mombasa… she’s only 4ft nothing, dragging two massive suitcases alongside her, abandons them when she sees me, and we do this dramatic (she’s big into her ‘am-dram’) and emotinal reunion in the middle of arrivals, and I think it’s fair to say, we haven’t stopped talking since!! Massive, massive thank you to everyone who either posted or delivered parcels and packages to Anne…… she was not in the least bit phased by numerous strangers knocking on her door with parcels, and packages being delivered daily…. not sure whether she was entirely honest when asked if she’d packed her suitcase herself and whether she’d been asked to carry anything by anyone else …….postive use of acting skills and all for a great cause [that’s me and the kids!].
Special thanks to Anna (whose daughter Isobel I reckon now has no clothes left) [clothes/underwear], Michelle [underwear], Lydia’s grandmother [netball/bibs/whistle], Jayne [books – for me and the kids], Lottie (Anne’s goddaughter) [colouring books and pens, Mr Men books, a beautiful card and letter to the kids, as well as the cutest photo ever of her], Robert (Anne’s son) [genuine Timberland watch] which I will sell out here and spend the money on bits for Precious, and my sister Jacky [clothes and books] who has clearly become an expert in finding unbelievably good non-fiction books at knock down prices in the charity shops around Teddington. All the clothes etc were shared about between the children at Precious on Monday …… rather rapidly and slightly uncontrolled (picture first day of Harrods sale), but have to smile when you see the kids, in complete and utter excitement and innocence, wearing everything they were given, (but over the outside of their clothes!), so great superman impressions seen with all the knickers/boxers that were given out! And of course there was absolute silence when the kids saw the new books, which we again had to prise from them as break time arrived. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Next mule is my son Chris and his girlfriend Fiona in May.
We’re now into the holiday programme with the kids, and interestingly over half the school were in yesterday (generally at Christmas and Easter, families go ‘up country’ to see other members of their family) although was pleased that most of my standard 6 are still here. Anne is coming to work with me every day, so yesterday (in deference to her being a music teacher) we all ended up making music with our kids. Anne had also brought out recorders (this is where the friendship starts to get strained)…oh, had forgotten how much I hate recorders and was quickly reminded of the boys learning this in primary school, enduring enthusiastic practice and a school concert where I discretely sat with ear plugs in – sorry boys, don’t think I told you about the plugs! Suffice to stay, Madam Anne and I were an awesome double act, and after one hour had the whole of standard 6 playing two tunes in an impromtu concert out in the yard showcasing the music we had all generated (Wacka, wacka [standard 5], drumming [st 1,2 & 3]- like a scene out of Stomp really as most instruments home made, We will rock you [st 4]) – brilliant!!!
Swimming every Friday is turning into the highlight of my week at the moment…. The first week was amazing… we weren’t quite sure how it would all work out as we knew the kids would never have been into a hotel or seen a swimming pool before. Anyway, standard 6 were just perfect….. it takes us about 15 minutes walk to get to the hotel, and we caused quite a stir wandering through and out of Shauri Yako (4 mzungus and 19 extremely excited and chattering kids), kids instantly lined up in pairs outside of hotel so we can walk in sensibly, all changed for swimming….well, not quite, most haven’t got anything different to wear, so were just expecting to swim in their school shorts, girls had leggings and tee-shirts (some with a little skirt over the top of the leggings). We’d raided our charity box at our accommodation and got some tee-shirts, as well as done from nifty bargaining down in Mombasa town and picked up some shorts for next to nothing. So kids suitably attired, and then 1 ½ hours each week of unbelievable fun, loud whoops and yells from Bekks and I (neither of us is known for a quiet and demure personality) as the kids manage to get their faces underwater, float, swim (did you know that Kenyan swimming is perfect arms but feet still on the bottom at all times!). By the second week Bekks and I had trawled Mombasa town and bought some swimming floats and rubber rings so were really able to push some of the ones who through sheer will power managed to swim a few strokes, and drilled them until they were begging to stop as they were so tired! And more, importantly, get their feet off the bottom of the pool, and just get them floating and relaxing in the water. Best bit though is at the end, when all of the kids…… and Bekks and I (still waiting to see at what age I grow up), go down the small slide into the water, and you know this week, some of the kids did a whole length of the pool – wish I could say it was down to spectacular teaching on our part, but think rather we have just unleashed such a desire in these kids to learn to swim despite a few minor near drowning incidents…. I jest!
My delight with technology has now turned to despair as my computer, which has gradually been getting more problematic, eventually died last week (tell me how can you go from a computer that worked fine in the morning, to opening it up two hours later to find that there is no operating system on it?), and the only negative about my new place is I can’t get a strong enough internet connection with my ‘dongle’ so am reliant on the internet café for communication which is absolutely doing my head in as it is 30 minutes and two matatu jouneys away (although can occasionally get a signal here if I drift out and sit in the middle of the small car park here and ignore the very strange looks I get from my neighbours and the askari [security]). On top of that, my camera has also decided to go on strike, and the cooker blew up whilst cooking my first Sunday roast for Anne, Chris and Bekks (chicken, roast potatoes, veg, bread sauce [shipped over from UK], no stuffing to be had in Mombasa) but thankfully the microwave just about saved the day…. Must remember some paxo for list for the next mule.
Hilarious time yesterday….broke my long standing rule of not ‘beaching it’ (diving doesn’t count here as go straight underwater)…. Yes have been here since September and have not really done the ‘down the beach’ with all the other volunteers that occurs most days after work and at weekends. I think this has a lot to do with my friend Simmi back home whose final words to me last year are still ringing in my ears … “You’re on the road to 50 now, you’re living virtually on the equator for a year and if you lie out in the sun like you do when you’ve been on holiday in the past, you’ll come back looking like an old piece of wrinkled leather” – nice to have friends who say it as it is! Anyway, Anne obviously wants to get some sun whilst here, so off we trot to the beach to meet Bekks. Have swam in the sea, and then wandered back to pool bar to find Bekks trying to get some thorns out of a guys foot with a pair of tweezers. Her hands are shaking (was this to do with the state of the man’s feet?) so wants me to have a go….mmmmm, I really don’t do feet but come on Nicky, he’s just come out of the sea (that’s where he’s stood on something) so just get to it Nicky. Tweezers no good, so asking for a pin/needle…ah, yes badge acquired from barman, safety pin on back, sterilised, and digging starts.– well was going to give up after 5 mins, but by then whole crowd of people arrived…. (they were all South African) so was not going to lose face and give up….15 mins later, triumph! Hero of the day, beer bought for us three girls, and chat with all the crowd starts. The guy with thorny foot is the coach of the South African amateur golf team who are here in Mombasa for the annual African Amateur Golf Championship. And yes, you’ve guessed, the ‘crowd’ were the South African golf team, who were still in the aftermath of celebrating the SA win of the masters the night before, and who was part of their team a few years previous. Before we know it, Bekks and I are playing volleyball with them (badly on my part, but still having a go!), Anne is doing a shocking job of refereeing…. But oh how we laughed! Upshot is we are now officially invited to watch them play in the tournament this week and visit the nineteenth hole!
Just realised what a long blog I’ve written…..could be something to do with the fact that I’ve only just managed to acquire a laptop since mine died (yes, Cherry to the rescue yet again), and also am reading a fabulously funny book called ‘Spud’….. if you haven’t read it, then I thoroughly recommend it to you - it’s a diary of a South African teenager and it’s hilarious - I can’t stop myself laughing out loud at times…. Just as well I live on my own now!
Just about to go out into the middle of the carpark now to see whether I can get an internet connection and post this blog. Neighbours will be even more perturbed as have my bright pink kaftan on……. There goes that crazy British woman again!
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