Hello Family and Friends:
“Another one bites the dust”. I think I’ll write a song and use that line. Maybe I’ll even sing it. Not!!! A few things happened this week. Went to Nairobi on Tuesday to pick up another fellow from the US. He is here to help with maintenance. I am pretty good at breaking stuff and having extra parts when I take something apart but I’ve never excelled at the re-assembly part of the job. So I asked a fellow I worked with at General to come to Kenya. He worked at the Wyoming plant for 32 years and retired a couple of years ago. He should be able to fill in some of the gaps I have.
So on Tuesday we picked him up at the hotel and then went to the US embassy to get my new passport. You have to pass three security check point to get into the US embassy. Once inside, all us residents are directed into a waiting room where it usually takes between 5 and 10 minutes before you see a US representative. If you are a non-US citizen, it takes hours to see a US representative. So, one of the many advantages of being a citizen. After picking up my new passport, I had to go to the Kenyan immigration office to get my new passport stamped with my work visa and pick up my alien card indicating I’m in the country legally. It is always a good break to go out of Magadi during the week, makes the week seem to go faster. I didn’t have a difficult time at the Kenyan immigration office, the guy I was with has a high school class mate that is an official in the office, so he just calls and everything is taken care of. So when Debbie comes over, it should go very smoothly to get her paperwork completed.
Had more meetings with the management people here to prepare them for the changes in census. Most of them understand that the changes are necessary and are willing to accept them.
On Saturday we (Andy, Mike and me) went on another cheap safari. We went to the same place I went in March during the rainy season. Yesterday instead of having water lapping at the bumper, there was dust. I couldn’t believe the change. It was so dry and the dust was so deep on the road. But we still saw a bunch of zebra, giraffe, ostrich, gazelles, kudos, wilder beast, baboons, dig digs (I think i've told you before, this animal looks like a miniature deer), and again some of the most colorful birds I’ve ever seen. The city by this area also has bananas, mangos, papayas, maze and all sorts of other vegetables. It's quite the place. Also attached a pic of a Maasai warrior. This is a stage of a young man's life where he transitions from a child into a man. They have quite the dress and they color their hair.
We also stopped and looked at one of the abandoned Maasai villages. The huts are interesting. I attached some picture of one. They are all built the same. They have a bed for the wife, the children and a storage area. They are made out of sticks and coated with a mud that is a mixture of cow manure and dirt from termite hills. The women are responsible for making the houses while the men tend to the flocks. The reason there is only a bed for the wife is because Maasai men often have more than one wife!!!!! I attached a pic of a termite hill. See if you can figure out which one it is.
Well like I said I’ll attach some pic. I hope you enjoy them. I have certainly enjoyed seeing the pictures of the grand kids that Debi has been sending as she has visited Krista and cherry. Feel free to send pictures I like seeing all of them.
Church was good as usual. I’m always impressed by the caliber of people in the branch. They have a good understanding of the gospel and strong testimonies.
Love you all.
Paul/dad
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