I thought I would do a post about our weekend staff retreat and then tell you a funny story about mixing languages.
Last week we had a half day of school on Thursday and a full day off on Friday. We have a staff retreat every year in the first few months of school, and this weekend happened to be when it was scheduled. We had the opportunity to go to a beautiful retreat center about an hour outside of Nairobi called Brackenhurst. This retreat center is geared toward missionaries and is amazing! The property is comprised of hundreds of different types of plants that attract different types of birds. There are beautiful brightly colored flowers, and everything is just so green! The retreat center is set right in the heart of Kenyan tea country. Kenya is the largest exporter of tea in the world, and this area is where a lot of it comes from. There are rolling hills of bright green tea plants as far as you can see. While at the retreat center we got to go on an excursion to see the tea farms and learn a little bit about their history. We visited with an older English woman who has a beautiful property and house right in the middle of her tea farm that was started by her grandfather in the early 1900's. She told us all about the growing of tea and how you have to pick it a certain way, and then explained the entire process of how you go from the tea leaf to the tea bags you buy in the store. It was so fascinating. I seriously could have listened to her for hours! I think the most fascinating thing I learned is that all tea comes from the same plant. Black tea is made by chopping up the leaves and stem and then heating it to a high temperature. Green tea is just dried the way it is and is not chopped up. White tea comes from only the bud of a new leaf that is forming on the plant. It was all just so interesting. She also prepared a wonderful lunch for us and even had homemade ice cream for dessert made with cream from her cows. A man who works for her gave us a tour of the land and took us into the forested area that used to be what the land looked like before tea was brought there. After the tea farm visit we just mostly relaxed and ate delicious American style food at the Brackenhurst cafe. I decided to try their version of the "Philly Cheesesteak." It was of course nothing like the cheesesteaks in Philly, but it wasn't terrible. I also got to skype with my cousin Emily while I was there and that made my week. I haven't gotten to talk to her for quite a long time since neither of us live in Lancaster anymore. Overall it was a super relaxing weekend and I will be going back the first chance I get!Ok, on to the funny story. So in Kenya we use British English which can sometimes trip us up. For example, the trunk of the car is called the boot, french fries are called chips, chips are called crisps, and napkins are called serviettes. Now, the one that trips us up the most is that pants are called trousers, and underwear are called pants. This makes for some very awkward situations if you use the wrong term...of course I did this the other day. You would think that after living here for a year I would remember, but somehow I forgot. I was rushed yesterday as I was getting ready for school, and I had to write our house-help a note to do laundry for me (yes we have someone do laundry for us, but it is not because we are lazy. we are giving them a job and helping to improve the economy.). I wrote on the note, "Please do the laundry in the basket next to the washer. Line dry towels, shirts, and pants. Put other clothes in dryer." When I got home from school I went to see if there were clothes in the dryer because sometimes our house help doesn't fold and put stuff away if she doesn't have time. To my surprise, my khakis were in the dryer. My first thought was "Why did she dry my pants in the dryer?!" It was only at that moment did I realize what I had done. I pretty much burst out laughing in the laundry room and then went to search for my "pants" which had been line dried. It was quite a cultural experience, but it made me laugh. Hopefully, if you ever go to a former British colony, you will remember this story and save yourself the embarrassment :)
One more funny story before I finish up. I have three students and they are all so awesome and soooo funny. My coworkers are always talking about what these three girls say. They get sarcasm so well and use it even better. Yesterday, one of my students was so tired she couldn't keep her eyes open. I decided to take all three girls outside to run a few laps on the basketball court so that they could wake up. This student was angry that I made her stay awake, so she just walked in circles and glared at me :) After returning to the classroom and doing some work, that same student started to fall asleep again. My teacher's aid asked her if she needed more exercise. She said "I don't need exercise, I already ran!". I replied with "You didn't run, you walked!" to which she responded "It's called slow motion baby!" I pretty much just laughed for 5 minutes. I am so grateful for students who make me laugh!
Prayer Requests:
- Please be praying for me for some decision making that I will need to be making soon (I will e-mail some of you specifics about this).
- Please pray for better financial situations this month. Last month I had to get our dog spayed and it took a quarter of my paycheck...this month should be better.
-Please be praying for my friends who are serving in missions all around the world (Germany, China, Mexico, different parts of the US, and others). Pray for transitions for them and their kids if they have them. Also pray for good friendships and relationships to be built in their host country. I know from experience that relationships can make or break a missionary.
- For Kenya- we have had a lot of grenade attacks in different parts of Kenya recently. Pray for peace.
Verse of Encouragement:
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9
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