Never a Dull Moment...

Back to the preschool this morning and it was wonderful! Such a welcome from the children, the teachers, and the grandmothers! It was so gratifying to hear the children singing and doing their reading, learning to sound out words phonetically, and then clapping enthusiastically for themselves and one another. I had the total fun of teaching them a song from my preschool music teaching days. Mary Martin's two granddaughters (here with their parents since Saturday evening) presented everyone with toothbrushes and toothpaste from their elementary school classes in Boston, gifts from the children there. The level of gratitude never ceases to amaze me, gratitude for even the tiniest things...and then I remind myself that these are children living in Nairobi's biggest slum, children who have nothing, children whose lives are being made immeasurably better by being at the Nyanya Preschool Center, and my heart is filled with hope.

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And now, all you bibliophiles out there, prepare to be green with envy. I was able to get "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" in paperback at a bookstore in Nairobi yesterday- the UK edition. Began reading it last evening...and it is promising to be as wild a ride as the other two. For those of you not yet hooked, I give this amazing trilogy my highest recommendation. Lisbeth Salandar is one of the most unusual and creative characters I have encountered in a long, long time.

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I have fallen in love with Oliver, the little son of our hosts here at the Wildebeest. He is the most adaptable kid, welcoming one and all to what is essentially his home. Of course, being two, he has his moments...and wails can periodically be heard coming from different parts of the compound. But he keeps himself quite entertained, enjoys the two dogs, Fatty and Barney, and in general, seems to like people of all sorts. What an amazing way to be growing up! Having people from all over the world as your usual milieu...seeing their comings and goings as a way of life...sharing life with people of all ages, speaking many languages, and learning to be comfortable with all of them.

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I'll be out-of-touch for a couple of days as we go to the Masai Mara for a wildlife "safari". I'm hoping to see many, many animals, though how many photos I'll actually take I don't know. I think I'll be too busy just watching. Anyway, we return to the Wildebeest on Friday late afternoon, so check here on Saturday and there should be something. Asante sana for reading this. From Nairobi, Kenya...