Nearly 19 years in East Africa and counting...

Friday, February 2, 2018

Idaho



The trip to Idaho for the post-Christmas-Christmas was possibly the shortest it’s been since we’ve been doing this. The schedule was a bit tighter given obligations in Nairobi, where Christmas/New Year’s fell on the calendar, and the fact that my leave time is going to be stretched this year given my need to return to the US for my niece’s wedding. And some other things.
everything we do involves lots of chairs
As such we didn’t have time to head to my sister’s great place up in the mountains. And we were unable to get the girls up on the mountain to do some skiing (which was one of my priorities for the holidays). I did manage to fit in a half-day ski near Boise, amidst other obligations. In retrospect it seems rather selfish. I do love it though. Next year will shall get the girls up on the mountain, for sure.
only a half day but well worth it
The short time that we had in Idaho we spent running errands, seeing family and going to the doctor. It’s just how it goes. We didn’t need to drive and change lodging as much as we normally do given the more reduced schedule. It sometimes gets out of hand and I don’t think people realize how challenging it was for us to fit in with the family for all the activities and so forth. Often the activities are not kid friendly (which complicates things) and when they can then they need to be properly equipped, further complicated by the fact that they change size each visit. It will get easier in some ways as they get older. At least that’s the hope.
our hosts

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Christmas in Indiana



We arrived in Louisville on schedule. The family was awaiting us, as they normally are. I’m the guy that carries the bags for the stars. The two little ones in particular tend to steal the show. As it should be.
happy to be out of airplanes and airports
We were soon at Priya’s parents’ house and getting settled in. As I normally say, it’s a very relaxing place to be. It does have its moments of chaos, as it is anywhere we go, but generally we can unwind and not feel that we need to be on the go all the time. It’s not that we are inactive while we are there, it’s just that the pace tends to be manageable.
it looks more peaceful than it is...
We had done a considerable amount of Christmas shopping online in advance of the trip and it had a marked impact on how much time we needed to spend doing last minute trips to shopping malls and so forth. I hope to do even better next year. It makes such a big difference in how stressful things are while on holiday.
new fedora
We did get a bit of snow while we were there. Not much however. Things got much colder after we left apparently. Living near the equator, as I have for the last nearly 13 years, I quite like the cold weather. Much easier to appreciate it when you don’t have to live with it, I guess.
turned out to be a bit of a competition
Something else we’ve done a couple of times now is go to a play at a place called the Derby Dinner (“Derby” obviously referencing the Kentucky Derby whose home is in Louisville as well). It’s a small theater in the round with a substantial buffet dinner. The talent (more the actors than the cooks) is surprisingly good and young and old always seem to enjoy it. This time we saw A Christmas Carol. And the food isn’t bad.
mum and daughter sharing a hug
Christmas was more or less as it normally is. We sang carols, the children had lots of gifts (too many, in my opinion) and put together gingerbread houses, had Christmas dinner and Christmas pudding, etc. We create too much noise when were there and we create too much silence once we're gone. Given our lack of traditions in Nairobi (and before that Bujumbura), these are their traditions. It’s a bit of a strange upbringing but it’s never dull.
my cute girls