Lovely Relaxing Weekend at Home

The weekend started out a bit more stressfully than it should have.  DW tried to return home in Fri PM traffic (not a good idea) to pick up J and me for a Fri night service and dinner at the synagogue.  There is a lovely Jewish community here in Nairobi with its own grounds, building, and even a new rabbi.  The Nairobi synagogue is apparently the only one in sub-saharan Africa outside of South Africa.  They have welcomed us warmly.  But getting there on Fri is just not the easiest thing to do.  Thankfully, we made the ~7km journey in just under an hour (I wasn’t kidding about the traffic). 

Dinner was potluck and homey.  J got very excited and fell down a few steps.  Within seconds, he had recovered.  The new rabbi and his wife seem like they could become friends.  Breathe.  Relax. 

On Saturday, we set out for Karen, a suburb of Nairobi, that is very lush and green and dotted with large single and multi-family homes.  A real retreat from the urban crush of Nairobi center city.  We had lunch at the gorgeous and delicious Talisman Restaurant that even had a play area for J.  Truly a heavenly spot.  (If you need any enticing to visit, we’ll take you to Talisman.  Reason enough to get on a plane.)

I also tried my hand and nerves behind the wheel for the first time.  If the switch to the left side of the road wasn’t hard enough, the roads are pocked with the damage left from heavy rains, the traffic is unpredictable at best and downright terrifying at worst.  I had to watch my mirrors just to be sure that I still had all four wheels on the road.  But at least I can take the car if I have to now.  DW will be away two days this week, so the car is at my disposal.

On Sunday, we hosted friends M/E & T for brunch.  Waffles and fruit.  For most of the day, our apartment ran on the power from the backup diesel generator until that ran out (fodder for another post entirely.)  We are cautiously eating salads again, taking all possible precautions.

I truly value these weekends that we spend as a family.  When we were back in the U.S. it felt like we were either prepping for DW’s next trip, he was away, or he was back but jetlagged and recovering.  It was very hard to collectively catch our breath.  Maybe I should just value that stressful time because it now gives me a better appreciation for what we have.