Rural Kenya

Life "in the village" is definitely different than life on our compound.  We love spending time there because the rural setting is always gorgeous and because there's good company to be had and because the boys always find an adventure.  We recently had the privilege of visiting our househelper, Jane Rose, at her shamba and it was so wonderful to meet the rest of her family and enjoy time together there.

This is the view from their home.  I told you it was gorgeous!

Like most shambas, there were animals.  There were cows, chickens, goats, and even rabbits!  The boys had a blast running around and meeting all the animals and Eli received a lesson in cutting napier grass for the cows.

We were also delighted to discover that Joy, Jane Rose's daughter, had caught a chameleon and saved it for our boys!  This was exciting because she (like most Kenyans) was afraid of chameleons before spending time with the Horn boys and learning how to appreciate them.  I always consider it a victory when a Kenyan learns not to be afraid of a chameleon!

And of course we enjoyed chai together.  Asa is still the only Horn boy who will drink chai.  I wish Caleb and Kai would choose to drink it, but alas, that day has not yet come.  At any rate, they ate their fill in chapati and we all tried arrowroot for the first time too.

Perhaps the most exciting thing for the boys was playing in the stream and catching fish, tadpoles, and crabs.  They would've stayed there all day if we'd let them.  And they would've brought home a bunch of creatures if we'd let them!

It was such a wonderful day.  Kenyan hospitality is incredible.  We are honored and blessed every time we visit friends at their home.

This past week we ventured up to the mountain again, and this time we brought Jane Rose's children with us.  They had never been there and were excited to join us.  It was a perfect day for being outside and exploring.  Kenya is a beautiful country and we are so grateful to be surrounded by such beauty. 

We saw a variety of wildlife too.  Colobus monkeys and Sykes monkeys were in the forest, plus waterbuck and birds of prey in the valleys, and bushbuck on the hiking trail.  We didn't see any elephants this time, although fresh droppings were on the road as usual.

Most of Kenya is rural even though it's filled with people.  It's actually hard to find an area that's truly void of people, but the landscape is rural with shambas almost everywhere.  And it's beautiful.  Whether the shambas are filled with maize or arrowroot, or whether you're driving past tea fields or rice fields, rural Kenya is a lovely place.