Dad got out of the hospital before supper yesterday and came back plus a liter and a half of IV fluid and a couple boxes of pills. We were so incredibly happy that it wasn't as serious as we had originally thought. Today he seemed to be almost back to normal.
We went to Java House for lunch(totally overrated), then got a taxi to the Westgate mall, which seemed almost like an airport, with it's shininess, excessive advertising, and designer stores. Outside, there was a sort of craft market thing and I got a scarf and a purse/bag thing. We picked up tea and coffee for some people back home, and Evan and I stared at the 150 liter pots, wondering if we could fit in them. After that we walked the five minutes to Sarit Center(great when two large shopping centers are down the road from each other). Mom and I got our hair cut, mom because her's was getting too long, and me because the last haircut I had was absolutely pathetic. I now have an awesome haircut, because this time the hairdresser actually bothered to care what it looked like at the end.
Nothing much more to say. Oh, and Lamu tomorrow! The airline found a spot for us to fit. Three days isn't as long as I hoped to roast at the beach, but it's better than nothing. And cheaper than the five nights we originally planned on.
Smiles,
-J-
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
When you see cockroaches the size of a ping pong ball, it's time to go inside for the night.
Well, so it's my 100th post, and this definitely isn't what I wanted to write it about in such a milestone.
First and least importantly, I have a terrible coffee twitch right now. I don't even know how I'm typing without hitting too many of the wrong keys. I guess this is what happens after I drink two cups of extra strength coffee. People in Kenya like to make coffee so that you would have to dilute a mouthful of it to get a normal Tim Hortons cup of coffee.
Secondly, and somewhat more importantly, we don't know when/ if we're going to Lamu. I'm kind of disappointed, but it's for a good reason.
This reason happens to be that for the last three days, my dad hasn't been able to keep any food or water down. Today, after he threw up after every hour last night(and I heard every single time, because my bed was a couple feet from the bathroom) he decided to go to the hospital. This was a slight problem, because in the city of Nairobi, with something like 6 million people, there are lots of hospitals, and a lot of them are kind of sketchy. I didn't realize how much my dad usually does to keep things in order, but today, since he could barely move, Mom and I had to cover for him. He managed to make calls to the car rental people, the airline, and the place we were going to stay in Lamu. Mom made calls to several people concerning which hospital we should go to, and I arranged so we can stay here for a few more nights, got some credit for his phone, helped pack a bag for him, called a taxi, and fixed the safe in our room. This was all before 10am, along with taking a shower and eating breakfast. Dad is now on an IV at one of the hospitals, and managed to text us a few times. I attempted to teach Mom how to text, which was interesting considering how much she understands technology and my coffee twitch. Looks like me, Mom and Evan are at the guesthouse for an extra night, if not more, but I think that that's the best thing that could happen in our situation. There's lots of nice people here, the meals are provided, and it has a nice grounds with lots of places to hang out. Evan is kind of shaken by this and has been hiding out, but I think it's just because he's in denial about the fact that he actually has emotions. I know, because I'm like that, more so a while ago than now, though.
I think this afternoon we're going to take a taxi to Sarit Center and go to the bookstore and chemist, because they were closed yesterday. I'm so glad that by this point we've figured out how to get around and Mom is sort of comfortable with it. She'll never be totally comfortable with taking cabs, or driving in Nairobi in general. I've heard it said that Kenyans are easy going people... until it comes to driving. I must agree with that statement.
Maybe later I'll try to get Evan to help me make a cheesy superhero video. I feel like it, for no apparent reason.
-J-
First and least importantly, I have a terrible coffee twitch right now. I don't even know how I'm typing without hitting too many of the wrong keys. I guess this is what happens after I drink two cups of extra strength coffee. People in Kenya like to make coffee so that you would have to dilute a mouthful of it to get a normal Tim Hortons cup of coffee.
Secondly, and somewhat more importantly, we don't know when/ if we're going to Lamu. I'm kind of disappointed, but it's for a good reason.
This reason happens to be that for the last three days, my dad hasn't been able to keep any food or water down. Today, after he threw up after every hour last night(and I heard every single time, because my bed was a couple feet from the bathroom) he decided to go to the hospital. This was a slight problem, because in the city of Nairobi, with something like 6 million people, there are lots of hospitals, and a lot of them are kind of sketchy. I didn't realize how much my dad usually does to keep things in order, but today, since he could barely move, Mom and I had to cover for him. He managed to make calls to the car rental people, the airline, and the place we were going to stay in Lamu. Mom made calls to several people concerning which hospital we should go to, and I arranged so we can stay here for a few more nights, got some credit for his phone, helped pack a bag for him, called a taxi, and fixed the safe in our room. This was all before 10am, along with taking a shower and eating breakfast. Dad is now on an IV at one of the hospitals, and managed to text us a few times. I attempted to teach Mom how to text, which was interesting considering how much she understands technology and my coffee twitch. Looks like me, Mom and Evan are at the guesthouse for an extra night, if not more, but I think that that's the best thing that could happen in our situation. There's lots of nice people here, the meals are provided, and it has a nice grounds with lots of places to hang out. Evan is kind of shaken by this and has been hiding out, but I think it's just because he's in denial about the fact that he actually has emotions. I know, because I'm like that, more so a while ago than now, though.
I think this afternoon we're going to take a taxi to Sarit Center and go to the bookstore and chemist, because they were closed yesterday. I'm so glad that by this point we've figured out how to get around and Mom is sort of comfortable with it. She'll never be totally comfortable with taking cabs, or driving in Nairobi in general. I've heard it said that Kenyans are easy going people... until it comes to driving. I must agree with that statement.
Maybe later I'll try to get Evan to help me make a cheesy superhero video. I feel like it, for no apparent reason.
-J-
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Awesomeness= hardcore swings
There is a strange sort of joy when you get to a place where you don't have to pay for how much internet you use, and you're a youtube addict like me. The screaming children next to where I have to sit to get this lovely free internet are a nice addition, too. *sarcasm*.
So, today we drove from 9am to 12:30 with only a 10 minute bathroom break in there. Oh, and a couple minutes here and there for Dad to pull over and throw up on the curb. Yeah, he got pretty sick yesterday, and then had to drive all morning today. We're heading over to the 'chemist' in a little while for a malaria test for him, anti-diarrhea stuff, and ibuprofen. Crucial stuff for us travelers.
There's a ton of little birds on the lawn here at the guesthouse, and it scared the crap out of me when all of the sudden the whole lawn of them decided to fly away at once. I, being the observant person I am, didn't notice they were there.
So, it's July 25th, and I'm back to Canada on August 6th. I have a whole month of summer left, and I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. I guess I'll go job hunting, yet again, for the third or fourth time. Hopefully this time I actually find a job. Well, a job that doesn't involve flipping burgers and coming home smelling like I was put through a deep fryer. There will probably be the making of pointless youtube videos, and the writing of songs to completely random things, like answering machines and mustaches.
Since there isn't much else to say, I shall stop writing before I start writing an ode to my shoe or something.
So long,
-J-
So, today we drove from 9am to 12:30 with only a 10 minute bathroom break in there. Oh, and a couple minutes here and there for Dad to pull over and throw up on the curb. Yeah, he got pretty sick yesterday, and then had to drive all morning today. We're heading over to the 'chemist' in a little while for a malaria test for him, anti-diarrhea stuff, and ibuprofen. Crucial stuff for us travelers.
There's a ton of little birds on the lawn here at the guesthouse, and it scared the crap out of me when all of the sudden the whole lawn of them decided to fly away at once. I, being the observant person I am, didn't notice they were there.
So, it's July 25th, and I'm back to Canada on August 6th. I have a whole month of summer left, and I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. I guess I'll go job hunting, yet again, for the third or fourth time. Hopefully this time I actually find a job. Well, a job that doesn't involve flipping burgers and coming home smelling like I was put through a deep fryer. There will probably be the making of pointless youtube videos, and the writing of songs to completely random things, like answering machines and mustaches.
Since there isn't much else to say, I shall stop writing before I start writing an ode to my shoe or something.
So long,
-J-
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The come back "Just like your mom," doesn't work on family outings.
Ok, after I stopped writing, I realized there really isn't much else to do. So, about the local wildlife... where to start...
There's a black cat that hangs out around the cottage. Dad figured out that it's name is Laptop, and he definitely lives up to that name. Laptop's been getting a lot of extra petting from me, because I've been having an especially good time stroking him evilly.
Also, there's a bunch of geese hanging out on the lawn. We asked what they we for, and they replied that they are more or less lawn ornaments. I think everyone in my family has been chased by a goose at least once. I never really thought of lawn ornaments as quite so scary(actually, garden gnomes coming to mind, I take that back.) Around lunch time, I heard a bunch of people screaming and laughing and looked off the deck to see a family running away from the psycho geese.
There's some colobus monkeys hanging out around the house and restaurant. They're of the good type of monkeys, the kind that are referred to as cute. They were sitting on our roof yesterday and they seem to be keen on having their pictures taken, because it seems like as soon as I pointed my camera at them, they would move so that they looked extra photogenic.
Now, of the evil monkeys, there's the sykes monkeys. When they come along, everybody tends to run to close the doors to keep them from stealing food and shiny objects. Dad tried to stare one down to get it to get off our car in Nakuru, and it sprang forward. It's pretty awesome, though, when a five pound monkey can make a 6' tall man jump back in fear.
Lastly, and the most terrible, is the tree hyrax. They look kind of like groundhogs, but at night they make noises like drills, saws, and shrieks. They are terrifying when you wake up in the middle of the night and don't know what the screaming noises are. In the week I moved here in fifth grade, I nearly had a heart attack from the strange sounds coming from the woods. Well, my overactive imagination had a part in it, too. I still can't hear them and be totally calm. Thankfully, I picked the room at the cottage with the slightly noisy water pump right next to it.
Tomorrow we leave here and go to Nairobi again for a night. Monday, we fly to Lamu, and get to spend five days by an awesome white sandy beach and a pool.
Bye,
-J-
There's a black cat that hangs out around the cottage. Dad figured out that it's name is Laptop, and he definitely lives up to that name. Laptop's been getting a lot of extra petting from me, because I've been having an especially good time stroking him evilly.
Also, there's a bunch of geese hanging out on the lawn. We asked what they we for, and they replied that they are more or less lawn ornaments. I think everyone in my family has been chased by a goose at least once. I never really thought of lawn ornaments as quite so scary(actually, garden gnomes coming to mind, I take that back.) Around lunch time, I heard a bunch of people screaming and laughing and looked off the deck to see a family running away from the psycho geese.
There's some colobus monkeys hanging out around the house and restaurant. They're of the good type of monkeys, the kind that are referred to as cute. They were sitting on our roof yesterday and they seem to be keen on having their pictures taken, because it seems like as soon as I pointed my camera at them, they would move so that they looked extra photogenic.
Now, of the evil monkeys, there's the sykes monkeys. When they come along, everybody tends to run to close the doors to keep them from stealing food and shiny objects. Dad tried to stare one down to get it to get off our car in Nakuru, and it sprang forward. It's pretty awesome, though, when a five pound monkey can make a 6' tall man jump back in fear.
Lastly, and the most terrible, is the tree hyrax. They look kind of like groundhogs, but at night they make noises like drills, saws, and shrieks. They are terrifying when you wake up in the middle of the night and don't know what the screaming noises are. In the week I moved here in fifth grade, I nearly had a heart attack from the strange sounds coming from the woods. Well, my overactive imagination had a part in it, too. I still can't hear them and be totally calm. Thankfully, I picked the room at the cottage with the slightly noisy water pump right next to it.
Tomorrow we leave here and go to Nairobi again for a night. Monday, we fly to Lamu, and get to spend five days by an awesome white sandy beach and a pool.
Bye,
-J-
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