After returning from Thailand, we embraced a normal routine at home. Normalcy is good, especially after it's been absent for a while.
Last month we finally had a weekend at home, with everyone together and without Eli on call. The rains had still not come, so a hike to the waterfall (which was virtually nonexistent) turned into a rock hopping excursion up the riverbed. We'd never explored up the river before and it was delightful to do so. We live in such a beautiful corner of the world.
Our mango tree was drooping with mango perfection when we came home from Thailand. Our tree is famous on our compound for growing the best mangoes around, and we're always able to share the abundance with many people. I'm actually not a huge fan of mangoes, but mango pie and mango crisp are the exception. I made a mango pie for Pi Day and I daresay it was delicious!
Then the rains came, right on time, which was a marvelous and gracious gift of God. East Africa has a long and ongoing struggle with drought, and many people's lives revolve around the rains, so it's never taken for granted when the heavens open and water the thirsty ground.
There are many signs of rainy season, but one of my favorites are the rain lilies. These pink flowers pop out of the ground all over the place, bringing sudden and simple beauty to the whole compound.
Another sign of rainy season: Usiku can be found curling up in a cozy place. He's often found in a windowsill or underneath the car, but he also takes turns in his basket, which usually stays under the couch on our porch. We bought this on the roadside in Nairobi to offer this friendly creature a cozy place to hang out. The boys were ecstatic to get a bed for the cat, veritably promoting Usiku from "compound cat that hangs around our house" to "pseudo pet" of ours.
Also, during rainy season Usiku can often be found on the lap of one of these two. Kai and Olive love loving on this cat!
Rainy season or not, regular shenanigans abound. Chameleons are discovered here and there, and sometimes rescued. We recently saved a big Jackson's chameleon from being eaten for breakfast by a gabar goshawk in our oleander tree, and our colleague recently saved a chameleon that he found on a hospital bed in the hospital - chameleons are promptly killed by Kenyans who hate all reptiles with a passion. We never tire of admiring these fascinating creatures and trying to teach others that they're harmless.
Perhaps the most normal sight and sound around our house are boys battling imaginary monsters and villains. The soundtrack of my life includes pretend blasts, war cries, whoops, and hollers. It hardly ever stops! But I love it. I know they won't be running around with swords and shields forever, and I'm soaking it up while I can.
I am thankful for every normal day. I'm also thankful for the times and travels that break up monotony, but I'm especially thankful for the regular routine right now. It's been a rarity this year and I am relishing some normalcy at home.
Buckle up. This is a long post about an international trip we took in February. It was a big trip with big memories, good and bad. It probably deserves more than one post, but I'm just throwing it all together in one. Here we go...
In February we had an incredible opportunity to travel to Thailand for a medical missions conference. We'd been to a similar conference five years ago and it proved wonderful on several levels. This time around was the same in many ways, specifically that we were surrounded by other people serving in similar ministry contexts, meaning that camaraderie abounded and we felt completely understood by those around us.
Medical missions is a small world, and it's amazing how easily people bond and feel like long lost friends when they're all in a room together. Making connections with others who understand this unique life we live is always encouraging and comforting. Furthermore, networking with other people within this realm is always helpful. Eli gets ideas and exchanges email addresses and learns of resources he can use in our own little corner of the world. Oh, and Eli was able to get recertified in ATLS too, which was great because his current certification would have lapsed before we get back to the States. It was a huge gift to be able to attend this conference.
The boys and I tagged along because the conference provided a women's program and kids program so whole families could come. My own heart was enriched as I worshipped with other missionaries, singing familiar songs and studying Scripture together. Our boys were energized playing games and swimming every day while making new friends from around the world. It was an encouraging time for all of us.
The resort itself had extensive botanical gardens full of fragrant flowers and birdsong and interesting topiaries. The boys and I rented bikes and enjoyed exploring around the whole place. They particularly liked the dinosaur and King Kong topiaries.
This trip was not without hardship, however. In fact, the whole trip was immersed with "high highs" and "low lows" and not much in between. Something that was hard for me specifically was an inability to pull away and rest a bit, and perhaps even read a novel or two which is my favorite way to unwind. But I couldn't ignore my leadership responsibilities while we were gone. Every day of the conference I was emailing and texting for hours, sometimes staying up till midnight, to work on logistics for the Kenya field retreat which I'm in charge of. There were several pressing matters that couldn't wait until we got home. So my hopes of pulling away were dashed. It was not the worst thing that could happen, but it was still a disappointment.
A particular hardship happened on the very first day of the conference, which had Eli and the boys beginning their classes but which gave me a free day. Somewhere in between our room and the kid classroom, Caleb lost Nibbles. Nibbles, the beanie baby mouse that's his "comfort item" and which has basically been the 6th member of our family since 2018, disappeared into thin air. Caleb put Nibbles in his backpack before leaving, which I confirmed before we left the room, but by the time we got to the classroom it was gone. Caleb has social anxiety and struggles with transitions to new things (like a new class with new teachers and absolutely no one familiar in the room), so Nibbles is a crucial part of helping him cope. But Nibbles disappeared. Poof. Gone. Caleb was freaking out. I was freaking out. We've never lost Nibbles in the past 4.5 years. How could this happen? I left my crying child with the childcare volunteers while I retraced our steps. I ripped our room apart, I checked the dining room, I looked in Lost and Found, I looked in the other brothers' backpacks, I ripped the room apart again and retraced our steps again. Nibbles was gone without a trace. That first day, my free day before the women's program began, was lost to me. I spent time with Caleb trying to calm him down and helping him transition to the kids class. And I wept myself to sleep in the middle of the day, fearing what this meant for our socially anxious child. It was a rough day. Nibbles never reappeared again for the rest of the trip. We still have no idea what happened to him. The two silver linings through it all were that we knew we had another Nibbles waiting for him at home in Chogoria (so we just had to make it through the rest of the trip and then we'd get the backup Nibbles) and this whole experience forced Caleb to rely on God for comfort and to practice being brave and strong, which he did commendably (at least he did after that first hellacious day). Silver linings are a good thing.
The next few days were relatively smooth at the conference, but by the end of the week we ran into one of the lowest lows of the trip. Eli picked up a virus somewhere which completely took him out of commission for 72 hours. That man was unwell and he couldn't leave the room for that entire time. I would've started panicking if he didn't happen to have antibiotics on hand and wisely started taking them after no improvement at the 36-hour mark. Thankfully he turned a corner after being in bed for three days and he somehow walked his way back to attending sessions. The good news? He only missed one full day of the conference. The bad news? He missed the entire free weekend that we had together as a family. So he missed going on a planned bike ride with me and the boys, plus going on a full-day excursion to an elephant rescue center and visiting a Buddhist temple. The boys were particularly dejected that Daddy missed the entire weekend with us, but we found joy in the midst of disappointment.
At the resort, while Eli laid in bed, we made several trips to the fish feeding dock. It may not sound very exciting, but it was a thrill to these kids who discovered a giant catfish they affectionately named "Nessie" and who became the daily recipient of pilfered bread from the dining room. We literally stopped to look for Nessie before and after every single meal, and soon the boys' new friends were joining us too. I love how much such simple things can bring joy to kids.
Another blessing that came upon us while Eli was out of commission was an invite from another family we met who wanted to go into the city to get pizza. Again, it sounds so simple, but to Americans who live in rural Africa and can never go out for pizza, it was a taste of heaven! The boys and I tagged along and had a fabulous time eating at Pizza Hut with new friends.
The next day we went on a full-day tour and I was extremely thankful for other friends who joined us. We had travelled all the way to Thailand with a couple other missionaries from Kenya (one of which lives in Chogoria with us), and they both came with the boys and me, saving me from the distress of either trying to do a full day of tourist activities solo-parenting or cancelling the whole thing. The boys kept reminding me how bummed they were that Eli couldn't come with us, but we did have a great time in the end.
Our first stop was the Elephant Hospital at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. It seemed a fitting choice for a family that's passionate about wildlife conservation. It was fascinating to see an elephant getting a wound treated in its head, and another elephant being hooked up to an IV. We also had the chance to pet an elephant and see a blind baby elephant who's being taken care of at the center.
Then we met several elephants up close and even got to feed them a snack, watch them take their daily bath, and enjoy a show in which they showed off skills like throwing balls with their trunks, hauling big logs, and kneeling down when prompted. It was incredible to see these massive creatures demonstrate their intelligence. I found myself comparing the temperaments of Asian elephants to African elephants. I couldn't imagine an African elephant doing tricks and getting along so well with people. They are truly different creatures, perhaps like horses are different from zebras. At any rate, it was fascinating to learn more about this incredible species.
Before leaving, we took a quick elephant ride. Again, I was so thankful for our friends who helped with the kids throughout the day. Kai rode with Elena while Caleb rode with Nathanael, and Asa (who was in a mama mood that morning) could ride with me. It was pleasant and relaxing to rock with the rhythms of an elephant stride.
Our tour guide took us to a local restaurant for lunch where we tried a variety of authentic Thai dishes. There was a lot of seafood and I was proud of the boys for eating fried squid and other unfamiliar fare.
The last part of our tour day was to visit a Buddhist temple. We had never been in a place like that before and it was really good for learning more about Thai culture and religion, as well as prompting great conversations with the boys about what we believe and why. They were extremely engaged in the whole experience and I was impressed with their observations and questions. I'm so thankful we had the chance to visit this temple (as well as another temple on our last day in Thailand).
Eli was back on his feet in time for us to leave the conference and take a few days of vacation before heading home to Kenya. We went to a place along the Gulf of Thailand since our friend Elena really wanted to see the coast. It was beautiful and the beach was shockingly quiet and unpopulated. We spent the first day enjoying the paradise of the peaceful beach and ocean, me reading on a beach chair while the boys showed Eli all the crabs and sand dollars they were finding in the water. It was lovely. Definitely a high point of the trip.
The next morning also began on a high note. The sunrise was spectacular over calm waters and we took our time rolling into the day. It was a nice change of pace from the extremely full days of the conference.
We decided to rent kayaks and paddle our way across the bay to Monkey Island, part of a national park. It seemed like a doable distance for the boys and they were all on board with the idea. We've been reveling in the things we're able to do with our kids these days, things that have always been impossible before because the boys weren't old enough or strong enough to do them. But last year we tackled our first family bike ride, and we've been doing slightly longer hikes than were possible before, and then on this trip to Thailand we decided we could handle a family kayak trip across the bay.
It was a good idea. Really, it was. And it went fairly swimmingly the entire way there and while we traipsed around the shore of the island. It wasn't until the return trip to the mainland that we experienced yet another "low low" of our time in Thailand.
But although our kids seem to only remember the terrifying moments of that day, I want to remember the wonderful parts too. Because that's important to help balance out the memories.
So I'll post pictures of the happiness we shared that day!
I was so proud of Caleb for kayaking the entire way across the bay by himself. He was dedicated and he persevered even though it was hard work and even though his hands hurt from using the paddle. It was a huge victory! Kai was able to paddle himself about halfway before he realized he couldn't continue on his own with the wind pushing against him. He was really discouraged, but I was proud of him for realizing his limitations and receiving help when he needed it. I had him climb into my kayak and pull his own alongside us the rest of the way. It took extra time, but we got there and all was well.
Monkey Island didn't have a trail for us to walk around the island easily, so we just explored along the shoreline. We found a troop of monkeys, though, which felt like a necessity on Monkey Island!
It was still a gorgeous sunny day when we got back into the kayaks to return to the mainland. Kai wanted to try kayaking on his own again and I was proud of him for not giving up on it. Plus, the wind was to our backs this time, so I figured it would be easier for him. Eli and Asa and Caleb were behind us, and all was well. About halfway back, I turned around to see where Eli and the other boys were, and I saw with great unease that the entire sky behind Monkey Island was dark gray with angry clouds fast coming in. The sky in front of us was still clear and sunny, but something sinister was quickly coming up behind us and I knew we needed to get to shore soon to avoid being caught in whatever storm was brewing and headed our way.
Well, we did not make it to shore before the storm hit. The wind whipped all around us and the waves increased in size and began rocking the kayaks. It became difficult for us adults to paddle and impossible for the kids to paddle. Kai was initially adamant to keep trying on his own, but once it was clear we were going to be caught in the storm I shouted that he had to get in my kayak again so we could get to shore safely. I kept an eye on Eli and the other two, but it was impossible to hear each other because we were too far away from each other and the wind was too loud.
By God's grace, two men in a small boat motored over to me and Kai and ended up pulling him in his kayak all the way to shore for me, so all I had to do was finish kayaking myself the rest of the way. It happened so quickly that I wasn't able to fully communicate to Kai what was happening, but I gave him a thumbs up and started paddling after them. On top of his initial fear about the storm swirling all around us, this event which I looked up as favorable turned out to be one of the traumatic things for Kai because he wasn't sure what was happening and of course didn't know who these men were that were hauling him away from me. He and I both made it to shore safely in the end, but my poor son was really shook up and crying when I reached him again. He expressed how afraid he was, for ourselves and especially for the rest of our family who was still far out in the water. I remember telling him that they would be okay because Daddy was with them, and Daddy is wise and strong and knows exactly what to do.
I had started praying the moment I saw the menacingly dark skies behind us, and I knew that Caleb in particular would probably start panicking if caught in a storm, and that proved true. Eli later told me that Caleb completely lost it at one point, screaming for a solid 30 seconds out of fear. The kid was being blown around by the wind and got separated from Eli at one point, so I don't blame him at all for freaking out. We later learned that Asa was terrified also, even though he was safely in the same kayak as Eli, because he truly thought his brother was going to die and he wanted to jump in the water and help him but couldn't. These poor kids didn't have the awareness that Eli and I did - namely, that we knew we'd be safe in the end even though it was truly a scary experience. The parents never once doubted the final outcome of us being back on shore, safe and sound. But our kids, as we later learned, did not know that, and therefore suffered from real fear and trauma through this ordeal.
In the end Eli was able to get Caleb's kayak next to his own, and Caleb and Asa together held the two kayaks together while Eli paddled everyone back to shore. It took them awhile, but they made it and I was waiting for them to help haul in the kayaks back where they belonged (because the wind had drifted us further down the shore than we were supposed to be). I had sent Kai back to the hotel to find our friend Elena so he didn't have to stand out in the rain anymore with me. Unbeknownst to me, Elena (who'd been kayaking with us too) hadn't made it back to the hotel yet either and so our son was rushing around the hotel banging on doors trying to find her, all in vain, which heightened his stress.
The whole experience of kayaking back from Monkey Island was chaotic and harrowing. Eli and I laughed about it afterward because although it had been scary to be in the middle of a serious storm with our kids, we were all fine. So we moved on emotionally. We didn't register the lingering fear that our boys were toting around in their heads and hearts until bedtime that night. Asa lay sobbing on his bed, unable to shake off images of the storm that afternoon and unable to go to sleep for fear of nightmares. It was then we realized how deeply they'd been impacted by the experience, so Eli led a debriefing session with everyone, which is how we learned the full extent of their thoughts and feelings in the midst of the storm. To this day none of the boys want to talk about it. They get upset if they overhear us even mention it. Only time will tell if they'll be able to look back on that afternoon and remember the happy moments prior to the sudden storm. It was a very low low.
The day after that unfortunate event we headed up to Bangkok for a couple days. I have never been in a city like that before. It was massive beyond my imagination, metropolitan beyond my expectations, and didn't feel nearly as foreign as I thought it would. In fact, on our first day in the city, we walked to a Taco Bell. Yessireee, a very familiar-feeling Taco Bell!
I know what you're thinking - they went all the way to Bangkok and ate fast food??? Yep, yep we did. We're not your typical American tourist, however. We live cross-culturally full time and eat plenty of non-American food. (Plus we'd certainly eaten our fair share of Thai food already). Discovering there was a Taco Bell within walking distance of our hotel was one of the highs of our trip! Our friend Elena was all about it. She's a fellow Taco Bell lover. She's also a fellow Slurpee aficionado. Did you know there are a ton of 7-11s in Bangkok???
Our time in Bangkok went without a hitch, praise the Lord. We went on a bike tour of the "Green Lung" of the city and it was simply lovely. We took a boat taxi to get across the Chao Phraya River and then followed our TripAdvisor guide all around the island. The highlight for the boys? Seeing monitor lizards in the wild, especially a 6-foot monitor!
I just loved biking outside. It's truly one of the most life-giving things I can ever do. I can't go biking in Kenya for a few different reasons, so this was a rare treat for me.
I also loved making a roadside stop for mango sticky rice! It was divine.
We were so proud of these boys for biking such a long way. We traversed a lot of ground, literally, and the entire adventure took several hours, but they were rock stars!
When we got back to the hotel room, everyone splayed out and enjoyed a well-earned "tablet break" and watched lots of shows to decompress. Well, everyone except me, who walked with Elena to an outdoor market to meander our way around the variety of vendors and explore the wares. It turned out that this particular market, Jodd Fairs, consisted of mostly food. And most of that food was seafood. I never imagined some of the seafood we encountered. Watching a man make octopus pancakes and watching people drink squid shots were the most memorable things we saw.
On our last day in Thailand we went to Ayutthaya, a historical park where you can walk around and see the ruins of an ancient kingdom that was originally built in the 1300s. Ayutthaya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and for good reason. The ruins are extensive and point to a remarkable political, economic, and religious power that lasted for centuries. We didn't know anything about it before going there, but we learned a lot and it was absolutely fascinating to see the extent of the buildings and imagine what life was like in this ancient civilization. It spawned a lot of good conversations with our kids too. I cherish all the questions that are sparked by experiences like this, and all the thinking and processing that follows. I am so so thankful our kids are having this global childhood!
We were able to see another Buddhist temple while visiting Ayutthaya, and Eli could be with us this time. Again, so many good conversations were had because of these experiences.
We headed straight to the airport after walking around the historical park all afternoon. Asa was particularly excited to get on the plane because he was curious if the Tooth Fairy would find him. He'd lost a front tooth that morning, and since we'd brought the tooth pillow along on this trip in anticipation of such an event (it had been wiggly for quite a while), we were prepared. What we learned is that if you lose a tooth right before traveling over international waters, the Tooth Fairy 1) still finds you, and 2) leaves combined currency! Asa received both Kenyan shillings and Thai bhat when the Tooth Fairy visited him on the airplane! He was pretty pleased.
It was a highlight, especially in light of the fact that Asa also got a nasty nosebleed in the middle of the overnight flight and couldn't wake up to pinch his own nose or even hold his head back. Eli and I had to clean up a bloody mess with an unconscious child in between us and then Eli had to wash a bloody snuggle blanket in the airplane bathroom (blech!). Shortly after that episode is when Caleb started showing signs of sickness. He was moaning and fidgeting on the other side of me for the next few hours, and by the time we got to Addis Ababa I pawned him off on Eli. "Tag, you're it!" (Caleb is not a trooper when he's sick). Ibuprofen helped him on the flight to Nairobi, but by the time we landed and had to spend an extra hour in baggage claim talking with the airline to find our lost luggage, he really wasn't doing well. Only ten minutes after getting in the car, he vomited. The silver lining is that we had grabbed the airplane puke bags and had them at the ready! But that was the beginning of a few days of sickness for Caleb. To say the least, we were very happy to just get home after all the travel drama.
High highs and low lows. Triumphs and travails. We made many memories in Thailand, and someday I wouldn't mind going back if there was ever a chance. I wouldn't mind seeing more of that beautiful country and I wouldn't mind redeeming some of the craziness that tampered this first experience in Thailand. But even if we never make it back, I'm thankful for all the wonderful things we did see and experience and for the ways it increased our understanding of the world and broadened our worldview. Every exploration of another part of the world has the potential for humbling ourselves and growing ourselves. And I think this trip did just that. I'm thankful.
