I wonder what it will be like?

My mind wonders often to our "new" life in Kenya. I have a million questions and no one to really ask. Just simple little questions about daily life that I keep thinking about as I try to wrap my mind around a completely different life there with our kids. Even though I visited Kenya several years ago and know what it is like on the surface I still have a lot to learn about what it is like to live there. When we tell people about our plans they often have some of the same questions: Where will you live? What is the hospital like? What are the people like? Where will you shop? Where will your kids go to school? I think the thought of Africa causes imaginations to take over and visions of mud huts and lions prowling through the yard prevail. So I'd like to take this opportunity to put all of the mud hut and lion thoughts to rest. A little background to explain this pictures first . . .

About a year ago not long after we joined our small group at The Church at Brook Hills another family joined and immediately we had so much in common with them. He is a pediatric surgery fellow and she is a mom to their 4 children. We learned of their desire to go overseas in missions and we were instant friends. It has been so nice to have someone to really talk about this with instead of just surfacy small talk to people about what our plans. We were in the process of applying to World Medical Mission and then later choosing a hospital in which to work. We knew they were interested in Kijabe Hospital and it was also on our short list. So we ended up choosing to serve at Kijabe and they are still in the decision making process since they are a year behind us in terms of finishing training. They had an opportunity to travel to Kenya and Botswana very recently to visit Kijabe and another hospital. They were able to spend time in each place and seek clarity on where they were going to move. So I sent my friend with strict orders to take pictures of every single thing and, well, she did! So I have some great photos of their visit to Kijabe that helps me have a mental picture of our new home.

The photo at the top of the page is of the "sitaplex" (which means six-plex in Kiswahili) which is a new building with six apartments in it to house visiting doctors at the hospital. This is where our friends stayed during the week they were there. It is possibly where we might live but we don't know for sure. There are also other freestanding houses on the station that are a possiblity. So even though we don't know if we will call this particular place home I thought it is a good representation of where we might live.


Here is the inside. I don't know yet if ours will come furnished or if we will be furnishing it ourselves.

Before you pass judgement based on the window treatments please check out the view from that big ole window . . .

That is the Rift Valley you see there in the distance. I hear the sunsets are to die for.


Kitchen is next on the tour. It is way bigger and has tons more storage than what we are currently working with so I am excited!



This is the 2nd bedroom. Claire and I veto the John Deere curtains and Rhett and I veto our kids sleeping on a rail-less top bunk but both of those problems are easily solved.


The master . . .


This is our heater for those chilly and windy Kijabe nights . . .



This is the playground at the school (Rift Valley Academy). Claire is pumped about those swings!


Here is a shot of the grocery store in Nairobi where I will be doing most of my big shopping. My local shopping will be done at the "Super Duka" - how fun is that name? HA!



Here is the hospital . . .



And here is another one of Rhett's new place of employment.


So there you go - a quick tour of Kijabe.