Thanksgiving Feast
Hayden warned Trenton and I early on that Thanksgiving can be a tough day in East Africa. It’s the first major holiday that we miss and what makes it especially difficult is that it’s not celebrated at all in Kenya. We’ll miss seeing loved ones for Christmas and New Year’s, but still get to celebrate with the friends that we’ve made in Kenya. Brother Paul (founder of the BVC) told us before we left that his goal is to keep volunteers at their sites from Thanksgiving through the Super Bowl. Once you’ve made it past the Super Bowl he believes you’re virtually guaranteed to stay for the full volunteer term. I’m confident that us volunteers in Nairobi will accomplish that no problem.
This first holiday trial went pretty well for me. We met for work in Pangani as usual and were surprised with a meal out afterwards. It wasn’t the turkey and mashed potatoes I’m used to but sharing a platter of meat, rice, and veggies felt special nonetheless. We explained some Thanksgiving traditions to our Kenyan friends and went around the table sharing what we were thankful for. I was flying high until supper back at the Amani Center. Hayden, Trenton, and I had dished up all the food that was left and resigned ourselves to going to bed hungry. I also started hearing from family back home about the Thanksgiving gathering I was missing. For the first time since arriving, I felt homesick.
Looking over at Hayden and Trenton, it seemed like they were feeling the same way. This wasn’t going to be the way we finished Thanksgiving day in Nairobi. I pulled out my phone and opened up Uber Eats. Pizza Hut was running a promo on a pizza called the Big Boss. A little over a meter long and able to be delivered in less than 30 minutes. As soon as it arrived we were up in Trenton’s room watching TV and chowing down. Morale was back up and I went to bed feeling just as full as if I’d been back home.
Thank you to Pizza Hut for saving Thanksgiving!
I’m Thankful For…
- The texts, calls, and biweekly zoom calls with friends and family from back home
- All three of us volunteers staying safe, healthy, and happy (minus a couple of stolen phones)
- Living within walking distance of Karura Forest (the clean air is a nice changeup from car exhaust)
- The friends I’ve made in Kenya
- Our home and hosts in Nairobi
- The worksites that we get to spend our time at
- Having access to a gym, pool, and sauna right across the street
- The nearby KFC, working full time to keep me from losing too much weight
- The cheap little guitar I got to practice with while I’m here
- The weather in Nairobi
- Everyone here knowing English well (my Swahili still needs some work)
- The Kindle app on my phone
- Being able to stream football games, choir concerts, and cross country meets from across the world
- Another 6 months to explore and experience Kenya (and a little bit of Uganda and Tanzania)
One thing that you can count on in Nairobi is that plans will go sideways. I was suffering through a nasty bout of food poisoning and had to miss the second hike of the Altomatum. The third hike, Mt. Kenya, was canceled due to ice and snow making the summit impassable.
That wraps up the Altomatum challenge!
Next up: Kilimanjaro in June.
Thanks for reading!