Laundry Day and So Much More!

Nothing makes me happier than some clean laundry!

If you've never considered using a barbed wire fence as a dryer, you should try it!  Every fence on the compound was covered in laundry this morning when I arrived at the orphanage.  Perhaps you can see another row in the distance.  Friday after school is wash day and I'll tell you, all hands were on deck.  Every able bodied scrubber was hard at work cleaning the Kenyan dust off 89 school uniforms.  It was a true example of teamwork...some scrubbing, some rinsing, some twisting and others delicately (I think) hanging the clothes on the fence.

I ran errands all morning preparing for the arrival of my three friends from Fort Wayne (Denise, Deanna and Jenna) and two other new friends (Becki and Jodi) from Texas and Michigan.  In addition to their help with painting the orphanage, the 16 members of the awesome and wonderful Colorado team will be helping at the orphanage four mornings next week.  That's 22 wazungu pitching in to make a safe and happy home for almost 100 girls....quite a sight to see.  (Do you need a Swahili review session?  mzungu: one white person, wazungu: many white people.  mtoto: one child, watoto: many children.  You know, I thought the same thing..."Couldn't they just add an 's' and call it a day?")  

I traveled with Phillip, our crazy-great driver, to Eldoret today to pick up my friends.  Since Eldoret is his home, he invited me to stop and meet his family...which was such was a thrill.  

His wife welcomed me with chai tea (good but not quite as good as Mocha Lounge...whole milk and whip cream, please) and I met his three children, Mercy, 21, Victor, 11, and Dennis, 9.  We visited in his three room brick home for an hour or so...talking about everything from Barack Obama to Angry Birds.  Fun afternoon!  

Last stop was the airport in Eldoret, I was so happy I almost cried (okay...well, I did cry).  You know, when I saw my friends stepping off the plane (from my hiding place in the gift shop, which is strangely the only location you can view the deplaning of the aircraft), it was just like a little piece of home arriving special delivery just for me.  :)

The good news is all five friends arrived in tact and in a pleasant mood after a night at the luxurious Nairobi Tent Camp.  I'm sorry, did you say "bowls filled with roses?" and "hot water bottles to warm your bed?"  Not mention a ride in an open to Range Rover to view animals this morning?  Lucky!

The bad news is one bag got left at the airport.  :(  Darn!!  Of course, these kinds of things can happen when you have eleven bags and five travelers.  We'll need to sort it all out tomorrow...and share a toothbrush until then.

Tish