Africa... here we go again

So I am aware that I didn't actually get to a word about Africa in my last post and that the title is quite misleading. However, I dare you to upload all those photos to such a long post using this thing. It has a terribly user-unfriendly interface.

Anyway, we woke from our flight just in time to land and go through customs. It took forever! So once we finally got through Alexis' whole family was there to meet us (except little sister Solange aka Soso who stayed back with big brother Patrick's little girl Alexa). The drive back to their house took an hour on winding, bumpy roads that are barely wide enough for two small cars to pass each other let alone big trucks. I wished that it was light out so that I could see the landscape (and oncoming traffic). The last bit of the drive was the craziest. Their house is on the top of a steep hill with a crazy path heading up to it. Once we got there I met Soso, Alexa, and Charlotte (a girl my age who helped out the family around the house). I was welcomed so warmly by the Nyandwi's that I immediately felt like part of the family.

The next few days are still a bit of a blur. We mostly stayed around the house as the weather was pretty crumby and I was terribly jet-lagged. I did a lot of sleeping... tagged along as Patrick ran errands/worked all over Nairobi... and ate Mrs. Nyandwi's amazing food (this included succulent beef, chicken and goat covered in delicious sauce, sweet potatoes, spicy chiles and my favourite millet porridge for breakfast).
Matatu; Alexa

So after the cloud of jet-lag cleared, it was time for little Alexa to be baptized. As Alexis is her godfather and she is his namesake, Patrick had planned to have her baptism while we were in town. The day began with no electricity so I got to enjoy the delight of the bucket shower. And I'm not even being sarcastic. After several days of luke-warm showers under zero pressure, I thoroughly enjoyed the scalding heat of the water Mrs. Nyandwi had heated for me on the stove. We headed to the church late in the afternoon with Alexa looking like a little princess. Patrick had asked me to do the first reading. I was so touched. I have never been so nervous in my life and I don't remember a word of what I read. After the church we went to a reception and ate delicious African food and drank lots of delicious African wine and delicious African beer. I met a whole bunch of family friends including this adorable little girl named Kenza who took photos of me and told me that I'm too light.
Alexa and Mama Tina; Alexis with his new Goddaughter; Kenza and me; Alexa cuts her cake.

The next day was my birthday and the whole team (minus the two girls who were still in Europe) arrived bright and early in the morning to celebrate with me. After getting everyone settled at their hotel just down the road from the Nyandwi house (and letting them nap until mid-afternoon) we went to Karen to use the internet and stopped by the pub for beers and chicken gizzards (which I discovered that I do not like). Our favourite mode of transportation in Africa was the 15-passenger van known in Kenya as a matatu. Shawn (one of our film-makers ) and I got experience it at its best when trying to get back to the hotel. It was around 4pm and the whole world seemed to heading home. After waiting forever we got crammed into a matatu. I think I had about 6 school kids sitting on my lap. Thankfully Shawn had gotten into the front seat so he could ask the driver where we were supposed to get out because I couldn't see a thing.

That evening we all went up to the Nyandwi house for a birthday feast of barbecued goat and all sorts of other goodies. I got a big card with little notes from everyone and had one of the most memorable birthdays of my life.

Alexis and Patrick barbecue the goat; Mrs. Nyandwi, Soso, Tina, Alexa, Alexis; Shawn, Megali, Matt, Dr. Nyandwi.