Before, when we lived in the States, I could run to the grocery store and back in about 15 minutes. I didn’t really have to plan much for meals cause if I didn’t have what I needed, I could just pop out and get it real quick. Same goes for if i didn’t feel like cooking, we’d just get some take-out of go out to eat. I don’t think the reality of how easy that was hit me until we left Nairobi…even there we were able to go out to eat and have “good” food.
Now we’re just dependant on meals at other people homes…..or my cooking. I’m trying to see this as a chance for me to expand my repertoire and planning skills. After Ian’s first store run into Thika for groceries we quickly realized that we didn’t have much to make much with!
So, when I was offered the chance to go into Nairobi with an expat Salvation Army couple who lives here in Thika, I jumped at the chance. Shopping at the real grocery store—Nakumat, you bet! I felt like I was in heaven. Aisle after aisle of familiar packaging and products. I walked down the tupperware/cookingware aisle just to admire the different storage options available. You’d never find me doing that at Winco. I’m all about speed and efficiency when I’m at Winco. A good Winco run is a weeks worth of groceries, with kids in the cart, and back at the house in 45 minutes.
I didn’t care much about time while browsing the gloriously wide and tall aisles of Nakumat. And, neither did Roy (Driver as Eli kept calling him…I tried to explain that he wasn’t a “hired” driver, but he didn’t seem to catch my drift) or Jackie my new Thika friends. Roy was even gracious enough to take Eli the ENTIRE time I was shopping. He must be a saint. I’d give that any day shopping at Winco….let alone on a rare shopping jaunt in Nairobi.
So, I filled my cart with things familiar and new. Those funny pork hotdog/sausage things are as close as I can come to breakfast sausages. I threw in a special drink for Ian—I scored big points when I pulled it out later as a surprise for him.
Anyhow, needless to say, it was not a 45 minute trip. Things just take longer in Africa….and everyone says it just in case you don’t remember that, or haven’t experienced it yourself first hand. We left our house at 8:30 and arrived back home around 2:30 ish. Course, sprinkled in there was a little stop to visit the Thika representative for the US Embassy (he lets us know if there are warnings/evacuations/etc) and then talk & chai for an hour with his family because that is polite, and then a scenic back road route (which was really appreciated because it allowed us to see a different side of Kenya), getting to the mall with the awesome grocery, grocery shopping, the line (it took Jackie a crazy amount of time because there was a price check and computer malfunction in her line), lunch, loading the car, a tour of Thika, drive through the Del Monte plantation on the way to the Training College where Roy and Jackie live and then we get dropped off at home. And that’s where 6 hours go. Even when Nairobi is just 40 km or so away. That’s 25 miles.
Anyhow, that is a lot of talk. Now for some pictures. I know that is what you all really like anyhow.
our "reserved" car
Ok, well, it is taking forever and a day, so you’ll have to wait until I post again in our morning hours for me to get some more pictures up. I’ll have an addition to the “Things That Are Not Child Safe” post then….