well, I think I have just discovered the greatest diet in the world. it's called: go to Kenya and eat cabbage and rice and spinach for 8 months. since being here, I have lost 16 pounds, and Patrick (the hubby) has lost at least 30 (wow huh?) but all we've been doing here is eating the same way in fact more of what we do at home and we don't have a McDonald's or a Taco Bell or any of the other places that are killing us as we speak.
Patrick and I have been having a great time, but like the song says "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" so we wait for yet another beginning to stem from this beginning. (I hope I spelled that right). as we go home; we are looking at starting a new little family and settling in a rut (hopefully in Saskatchewan somewhere), we want Patrick to find a teaching job somewhere and buy a little place with a nice landlord/lady or our own little house so we can paint and do what we want to the place and have a nice little backyard or something (anything) that we can play in. we've been telling everyone here that we'll come back when God wants us to come back but the honest truth is that I'd love to come back with my family and show them off (when I eventually have one) and introduce experiences that I've had (London and Mexico and Kenya) with my children.
I miss Canada a lot and I look forward to seeing them again in about 23 or so days and getting my dad to buy me a bagel (toasted) with herb and garlic cream cheese and an Iced capp with chocolate milk. I am well aware that I might just regain all the weight I lost here in Kenya but I doubt it. The whole eating and exercising thing actually works! It’s a scary thing when something that Oprah says works, actually does; but it’s great. I’ve learned a whole bunch of new tricks including how to slowly eat so I don’t eat as much and I enjoy the food more. The only problem is that right now, Patrick’s Mom and Dad are here and they’re fast eaters so even tho I eat slowly, I tend to try to keep up with them (Patrick’s had like 2 plates and mom and dad are on dessert and I’m still trying to polish off my chapatti). I have been working hard at doing it, but it’s not easy. And even tho they keep giving me “githeri” which is Maize and cabbage and beans, it’s not great and because the big boss has me working so hard: it’s often easier to just bring a sangwich (Futurama Referance) so that I’m not leaving food to get too cold and getting the mamas mad at me for wasting food.
Today we had a ‘going away’ party for Patrick and I who leave in just over 3 weeks, and for Mom and Dad who are here visiting who go home in less than 5 days. Patrick and I were given things like a cookbook called “a Taste of PACE” (Pan African Christian Exchange) which has some pretty good recipes it looks like and we got this gorgeous mobile that I love (and kind of wanted, but there are things I wanted more and it got put on the back burner) and some of the girls gave me a ring (which is too small but I can put on a necklace when I get one or make one.) it’s so pretty and the beads came from Esther who was a visiting missionary here (which reminds me I have to ask Glenda if she has any pictures of Esther for the old scrapbook).
Things here have been good. I’m thrilled at getting to scrapbook all of my experiences and I hope I Have enough pages for everything I want to put in (if not, I’ll have to see if I can find somewhere to buy pages for the scrapbook) yes, I’m still scrapbooking, just when everyone thought it was safe to leave Michaels, here comes Ruthiboo: Mutant scrapbooker! My friend and fellow blogger Candace has been telling me about how she thinks of me whenever she sees African stuff at Michaels for scrapbooking and I told her if you see it, buy it! My sisters are doing the same thing and I told them that I’d pay them back but they’re all like “NO, you’re buying Kenyan stuff so let us buy the scrapbooking stuff for you.” They’re nuts, I’m not spending as much as they think I am here, not that I don’t want to believe me! I have 3 more things on my ‘list’ of things that I’d like to get but I don’t think I’m getting them. I want a drum, (250/=) and a pair of candle sticks (300/=) and a pair of ‘masai’ sandals (which I think are close to 2000/= on their own) and I wouldn’t mind a masai blanket which costs about 300/= but that’s last on my list anyway. I’ve kind of been hinting to Wendy that I’d like a pair and I’d like her to get them but if she doesn’t, it’s not a big deal. Patrick’s even told me that we might be able to get a couple of gifts for the two of us if we get the extra $1000 from Harbour, but I’m not holding my breath. Patrick has this thing about freaking out over money.
We have come to a country where everything is super cheap (like a dollar for a pineapple) and he still freaks out about whether we’ll have enough money. I’m telling you the stress isn’t worth it! I never stress about money. I never have money to stress about; but I never stress about money.
Things here are good (as I said two paragraphs ago) but eventually all good things must come to an end.
So farewell Kenya
I leave you:
Ruth Wanjiru Muriithi
Patrick and I have been having a great time, but like the song says "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" so we wait for yet another beginning to stem from this beginning. (I hope I spelled that right). as we go home; we are looking at starting a new little family and settling in a rut (hopefully in Saskatchewan somewhere), we want Patrick to find a teaching job somewhere and buy a little place with a nice landlord/lady or our own little house so we can paint and do what we want to the place and have a nice little backyard or something (anything) that we can play in. we've been telling everyone here that we'll come back when God wants us to come back but the honest truth is that I'd love to come back with my family and show them off (when I eventually have one) and introduce experiences that I've had (London and Mexico and Kenya) with my children.
I miss Canada a lot and I look forward to seeing them again in about 23 or so days and getting my dad to buy me a bagel (toasted) with herb and garlic cream cheese and an Iced capp with chocolate milk. I am well aware that I might just regain all the weight I lost here in Kenya but I doubt it. The whole eating and exercising thing actually works! It’s a scary thing when something that Oprah says works, actually does; but it’s great. I’ve learned a whole bunch of new tricks including how to slowly eat so I don’t eat as much and I enjoy the food more. The only problem is that right now, Patrick’s Mom and Dad are here and they’re fast eaters so even tho I eat slowly, I tend to try to keep up with them (Patrick’s had like 2 plates and mom and dad are on dessert and I’m still trying to polish off my chapatti). I have been working hard at doing it, but it’s not easy. And even tho they keep giving me “githeri” which is Maize and cabbage and beans, it’s not great and because the big boss has me working so hard: it’s often easier to just bring a sangwich (Futurama Referance) so that I’m not leaving food to get too cold and getting the mamas mad at me for wasting food.
Today we had a ‘going away’ party for Patrick and I who leave in just over 3 weeks, and for Mom and Dad who are here visiting who go home in less than 5 days. Patrick and I were given things like a cookbook called “a Taste of PACE” (Pan African Christian Exchange) which has some pretty good recipes it looks like and we got this gorgeous mobile that I love (and kind of wanted, but there are things I wanted more and it got put on the back burner) and some of the girls gave me a ring (which is too small but I can put on a necklace when I get one or make one.) it’s so pretty and the beads came from Esther who was a visiting missionary here (which reminds me I have to ask Glenda if she has any pictures of Esther for the old scrapbook).
Things here have been good. I’m thrilled at getting to scrapbook all of my experiences and I hope I Have enough pages for everything I want to put in (if not, I’ll have to see if I can find somewhere to buy pages for the scrapbook) yes, I’m still scrapbooking, just when everyone thought it was safe to leave Michaels, here comes Ruthiboo: Mutant scrapbooker! My friend and fellow blogger Candace has been telling me about how she thinks of me whenever she sees African stuff at Michaels for scrapbooking and I told her if you see it, buy it! My sisters are doing the same thing and I told them that I’d pay them back but they’re all like “NO, you’re buying Kenyan stuff so let us buy the scrapbooking stuff for you.” They’re nuts, I’m not spending as much as they think I am here, not that I don’t want to believe me! I have 3 more things on my ‘list’ of things that I’d like to get but I don’t think I’m getting them. I want a drum, (250/=) and a pair of candle sticks (300/=) and a pair of ‘masai’ sandals (which I think are close to 2000/= on their own) and I wouldn’t mind a masai blanket which costs about 300/= but that’s last on my list anyway. I’ve kind of been hinting to Wendy that I’d like a pair and I’d like her to get them but if she doesn’t, it’s not a big deal. Patrick’s even told me that we might be able to get a couple of gifts for the two of us if we get the extra $1000 from Harbour, but I’m not holding my breath. Patrick has this thing about freaking out over money.
We have come to a country where everything is super cheap (like a dollar for a pineapple) and he still freaks out about whether we’ll have enough money. I’m telling you the stress isn’t worth it! I never stress about money. I never have money to stress about; but I never stress about money.
Things here are good (as I said two paragraphs ago) but eventually all good things must come to an end.
So farewell Kenya
I leave you:
Ruth Wanjiru Muriithi
posted by R Sheldon at 3:23 AM
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