Hello!
First, thank you
to all of you who responded to our first email. We were so encouraged by your
words, and we got more than just a few questions. So, in an effort to get in
the habit of this whole blog thing, we thought we’d start posting now, to give
updates and provide a place to communicate with you. Let’s try to keep the
dialogue going in the comments section; you can also subscribe to get email
updates every time we add a new post.
Below are the answers
to some of the most frequent questions we’ve been asked, in case you were
curious but hadn’t asked yet! And please, keep the questions coming—it is
important to us that everyone who wants to know is completely in the loop. The support
and generosity of our friends and family through this entire process continues
to blow us away.
Are we going crazy right now?
A little! But we are working steadily. BUT NO, we are not too
busy to hang out! If you want to see or talk to us, let’s make that happen! We
are working steadily on the “stuff” so that we have time for the people who
really matter. Keeping in touch, even as we start to say goodbye, is keeping us
grounded and making us remember not to be totally overtaken by the logistical
tsunami we have found ourselves in. While we are trying very hard to keep
focused on the goal of serving people well in another country, we are still
very much invested in our relationships here as well.
When do we leave?
Our tickets should be
coming soon. They are for July 9 from San Diego to Nairobi via Chicago and
London. We will be spending some time visiting Nana & Papa before we go. We
will clean out our place and move out mid-June to hopefully have it ready to
rent by July 1. Which leads us to…
Our place/stuff
With the incredible
generosity of Rob & Julie Collins at Cal West Property Management, we will
be renting out our house. It is important to us right now that we have a place
to land at the end of the 3 year contract. We love our condo and the community
it has placed us in.
Photos and other fragile
irreplaceables are stored at my parent’s house in La Mesa (thank you Mom and
Dad!). We are trying to keep enough things so that our move back will be smooth
(basics like beds, dishes, etc.); these are going to Kirk’s childhood home in
Grass Valley (thank you Kirk and Vickie!).
We will be selling the
Subaru (any takers?? It’s 2010 Forester and we are just looking for Blue Book)
and parking Kirk’s car in Watsonville to await our return (thank you Bob and
Ann!). We are thinking about eventually buying a car when we get there so that
we have more freedom of movement—especially so Audrey and the girls can pursue
many of the relief agency leads for volunteer opportunities. In the meantime,
Rosslyn has campus vehicles that we can rent.
Our house over there
Part of Kirk’s
compensation package includes housing on the Rosslyn Academy campus. We have
been assigned a duplex on the lower part of campus with a washing machine and
basic furnishings. We have been instructed to bring sheets, towels, and basic
kitchen supplies (like favorite knives and pans) and find the rest when we get
there.
 |
| One of the three duplexes on lower campus. |
The transition team has
given us LOTS of information about the logistics and what to pack. In addition,
we have a host family that will put sheets on our beds and supply us with food
for our first day so we can get more easily settled. They will take us around
town and help us navigate grocery shopping etc. The amount of support we are
being given in this transition never ceases to amaze and reassure us.
We have
also been given tools to understand and deal with the emotional side of this
move as well…but that is another post!
The weather
The Nairobi area
basically experiences three different seasons, sometimes all three on the same
day: hot, rainy, and cold (Cold being relative—similar to fall and spring
weather in some parts of North America).
Even though we will be
right on the equator, Nairobi’s altitude of 5450 feet (think Denver, Colorado) does
lead to chilly temperatures, not the “perpetual unbearable heat” of popular
stereotype. From the transition packet:
The
low 50s (F) in the cold season may not sound too bad, but if it is raining or
cloudy it can feel quite cold if you are not dressed for it. Most homes here
are built from stone and cement, with tile or cement floors, so you will
probably feel colder than in homes you may be accustomed to (especially if you
are used to having wall-to-wall carpet under your feet.) The hot season in
Nairobi is still not as hot as you might imagine Africa to be.
Elsewhere in Kenya
(lower elevations especially) the heat can be quite intense. Kenya’s “cold
season” is typically June to September. Kenya’s “hot” season is typically
December to March. There are usually two rain seasons: the longer rains in
March to May, and the shorter rains in October/November. A general idea of the
climate is:
December
thru March -- mainly sunny, warm and dry
April
thru May -- mainly rainy and cooler
June
thru September -- mainly dry but cloudy and cool
October
thru November -- rain, long sunny periods, warm days and cool nights
Keeping in touch: Mail
We have heard that mail
to and from North America typically takes 7-10 days and that packages may take
a bit longer to arrive. Many people have already offered to send care packages
(THANK YOU!) but, we have also heard that mail is crazy expensive…so more on
that as we learn more. Our address is pretty awesome; email us if you’re
interested!
Keeping in touch: Calling
Once we are settled,
Skype will be the best and cheapest way to keep in touch, but if you want to
try calling our cell phones, shoot us an email, and we’ll let you know the process
and our numbers (as soon as we have them).
Hope this gives you a better idea of what we are up to. We will be posting more in the future. Feel free to ask additional questions in the comments section or email us!
