Today would be the most difficult day for John and I as we headed to the schools one last time during our trip. A few days ago, a team from Chapel Hill Church in North Carolina arrived at Beacon, and today, filled the school grounds of the Kindergarten in order to perform medical check-ups. The day passed quickly, and before long, the kids were being picked up from school. As they waved and hugged us goodbye, we also hugged the good friends we have made goodbye as we prepared to go home, but it was not really goodbye. At least, John and I told ourselves it was really ‘see ya later,’ because we were already talking about when we would come back and visit. Right before we left, one of the teachers handed John a large envelope. The smile on John’s face stayed throughout the whole ride home.
That night, we met her Jane and Ken’s daughter, Debbie. She is an attorney, but still is in school studying for her bar exam. As we squished together to have dinner at a very small table in the kitchen, I listened and tried to understand Debbie as she talked about legal situations, complex systems that should be more simple, and the state of government in Kenya. I was way over my head as I listened to her and John talk about Epic’s systems and how insurance coverage works in the IT world. As much as I admired their interactions, I prayed that I could keep up and learn as much as possible. In the meantime, Brian buried his head into the application process for acquiring a new passport, which all Kenyan citizens are required to do by August. Although it seemed like he was busy, Brian commented on cue whenever he was addressed. For the most part, I felt like a fly on the wall, but at the same time, this may have been the best night I had in Kenya.
The next day was a short one given our plane was schedule to fly out that evening. Jane, John and I visited the Masai Mall, grabbed coffee, and then had lunch with Jane before boarding the plane.
The Masai are an ethnic group that inhabit Kenya, and are well-known for wearing long red and black striped shuka’s for clothing. The Masai Mall was filled with shuka’s! To remind us of Kenya, we purchased shuka’s to use as blankets for the cold winters in Wisconsin.
Lastly, lunch and coffee with Jane was great. I did not become nostalgic or sad about leaving, because most of our conversation were plans on when we would see each other next. Yet, John and I knew it was time to go back to the U.S. Although this adventure is ending, another one is about to begin in Wisconsin.
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