1 month in

We have survived a month in Kenya! Actually, Kijabe is a very comfortable place to live, with great scenery, good internet, and a temperate climate. The transition is still ongoing, but at least at this point the children are sleeping at night and eating regular meals. We started Swahili classes a few weeks ago with Edward, who has taught almost all the missionaries on station. The language is “simple” compared to disaster languages like English, but it’s still a totally new language and we’re progressing slowly. I have had a few meetings with the hospital housing office regarding house maintenance issues, and now we have hot water running to our kitchen!

The plant and animal life in Kijabe is truly amazing. The flowers are bigger, and bloom all year. There are monkeys swinging through the trees every day (and sometimes into our kitchen to grab bananas!) and over one hundred different bird species just flitting around. Our town is on the side of a mountain, so we have a spectacular view of the Rift Valley out in the distance. We have done a few hikes in the forest next to town- hopefully we will acclimate to this elevation soon.

This week I am heading back to Nairobi to pick up some chairs that we ordered from a carpenter we found on the side of the road. Having local drivers show us around and get us the local prices is key. I’ll also load up on some grocery items not available in Kijabe.

Next week there is a cleft lip and palate team coming to operate at AIC CURE. The former ENT here at Kijabe had done a facial reconstruction fellowship, and had built a comprehensive cleft program. I only saw a few cleft patients during training, so having a team of cleft experts coming over will be a great learning experience for me. I think there will be teams coming often enough to keep the cleft program running while I get up to speed.

We have been spending Sunday morning at the Rift Valley Academy worshipping with the boarding students and staff. It is amazing to be in a room full of mission-minded people worshipping together. The children’s class for Henry and Owen is also a blessing.

Thanks for reading,

Bryce and Mary Beth