Filed under: Africa, Bathroom, Jesus, Kisumu, Priest wife, Shower, Toilet, connectionkenya, courage, funny, interesting, latrine, mama, michigan, missionary, religion
The shower
When my husband came back from his first trip to Kisumu, I asked him about the bathroom facilities. He explained that they were a little different than what we are used to here in Michigan. The shower is a gravity shower. The water is stored up on the roof in a large tank that has to be filled by hand. The young men will fill up buckets of water from the bore-hole, or a well as we would call it here in the U.S., and carry it to the shower and climb up on the roof and fill tank. The water is warm for an afternoon shower since it has been heated by the sun, but the mornings are cold.
The toilet, or latrine as they call it, is a cement slab over a pit. It is very deep. We were told 30 feet deep. There is a small rectangle opening in the floor. That is it.
Well I worried about the whole thing way too much. When I got there, I found it just as my husband instructed. (more…)
Filed under: Africa, God, HIV/AIDS, Jesus, Kisumu, Priest wife, children, connectionkenya, friendship, interesting, mama, missionary, orphans, religion
DOUBLE CLICK TO MAKE PICTURES LARGER
Pamela was one of the first women to share with me here about her life. The first time we talked I asked how she was doing. (Now you have to understand that that kind of question is foreign to Africans. No one asks how are you doing here. I did not know this at the time!) After she looked at me with surprise, she answered that she was sad. I ask why are you sad, and she responded that her baby son died several months ago from diarrhea. I was stunned! I then found out that her husband died before the baby was born. I was so touched by her pain. I felt stupid for intruding into her life. From that point on she would come and just hang out with me and talk.
She took care of us while we were there. She would clean our room and wash our floors. One night I saw the BIGGEST spider in the whole world in our house. (more…)
