Day at the Zoo

Jim and I took the day off to spend some quality time with the kids at the Zoo.

The Cousins

Here is one thing I find interesting! When we where young my dad was big on making sure we knew “where we came from” i.e. the village where his parents grew up, lived, died and are buried so we spent most of our Christmas with our extended families there. At some point I know most of my cousins, up to 5th and 6th cousins, I knew all my grandparents siblings and cousins that were still alive. Oh those good old days where some of my best Christmas memories. But there is always the other extended families who you meet in the village, they do not know you so have to ask you your name and whose daughter/son you are, then they ask you if you know them and of cause you don’t. They get so upset at for not knowing them forgetting that a minute ago they had no clue who you are. But tradition favors the elders and of cause if they tell granddad then I will be in more trouble for not knowing them only to find out later that the only way we are related is that they used to herd cattle with my grandfather when they were young. So now I try to keep my kids in touch with their cousins, and make sure that my nieces and nephews know my family and my kids know my siblings and their families. Right now just the first 3 of us have 2 children each with the three younger boys still “not in production” yet. I promise not to get mad if they happen not to remember me though.

Chrisitian, Zaria, Wadi and Cynthia at the back

My sister-in-law Phina

My sister-in-law and I finally got to spend some quality time together. Every evening after work we would sit, watch movies, talk about everything from being a woman, raising kids to husbands. I did get to know her for who she is. She cooked for us most of the nights and even after feeling sorry for me because I can not cook pilau and chapatti, made lots and froze them so that I did not have to miss Kenyan food. She has been there for my brother through thick and thin and God knows there have been a lot of those fluctuations. I hope we can get to share many more vacations as a family coz we all had a wonderful time. She is my nephews mother and she loves my brother and that is enough for me!

Touring Carthage and the Medina

I finally took my brothers family for a tour of Carthage and the Medina. Even the kids seem to appreciate the rich History of Tunisia

Being an Aunt

Aunt Phina

Aunt Prakah

Weeping for my country

“Najivunia kuwa Mkenya” Swahili for I am proud to be Kenya with two huge Kenyan flag sticker are what you will see on the bumpers of both our cars. All my life and more so as I have grown older and come to fully understand politics, I have been very proud to be Kenyan. I still am. That is why this ominous overtone of what could be genocide all due to greed for power leaves me weeping for my country. In my naiveté I was sure that this was the chance and the time for us Kenyans to prove that Kenya is in fact the poster child for democracy. The poster child that democracy is not just for the west but that even we sub Saharan Africans are capable of being democratic and governing ourselves with out being lectured by the west. This was not to be. So far 250 are dead including children and for what? Kenya is not just for Luos and Kikuyus there are many different races and tribes who make up this beautiful country so no one tribe can claim to own it; to own us. I can only hope though from far that those paying the ultimate price fighting for democracy do not die in vain.


Who would have ever imagined that such sad images would be coming from Kenya!