Ambling in Africa: Termites for Breakie and Caterpillars for Dinner

The sounds of birds singing their beautiful morning song greeted me this morning and reminded me of the delicate balance between insects and birds. There's a story about Chairman Mao asking all the people of China to kill a couple flies a day as a response to some kind of diptera outbreak. Once the campaign started it wasn't long before birds began to die of starvation.

And so it is with that thinking that I continue to live in tentative harmony with the insect population of Africa - all of which have been uninvited house guests at one time or another. Max tussled with an overgrown Preying Mantis the other night who in the end thought it best to seek refuge in a dark corner of the bedroom. Another sleepless night for yours truly.

And it is always with surprise that the November long rains bring along millions of winged termites that fill the sky in search of my coffee cup that sits provocatively under the kitchen night light. In Nairobi, windows don't actually close tight. They keep the monkeys out - but not my winged friends. Each morning, after a rainy night I empty my coffee cup of these winged bastards and go about my day. In some parts of Kenya - folks remove the wings and fry them as a delicious treat. No thanks!!! I would never "knowingly" eat insects.

That brings me to Caterpillars for dinner. While attempting humility - I must admit that the grilled chicken breast on pasta with a gorgeous garlic Parmesan cheese cream sauce was a triumph of my culinary skills 😁 However!! and unfortunately -- I ate before Essie and without my reading glasses on. Essie sat down as I was finishing and shrieked as she looked at her plate. Caterpillars (or sometimes called maggots) were all through the pasta. It was the damned flour from the sauce -- discovered once we opened the plastic flour tub. "Did you put it through a sieve" she asked? Huh? Why would I do that? Well something new I learned about living in Africa. That said, the next day I felt so healthy and alive. I jumped tall buildings with a single bound - ran faster than a speeding bullet!! I'm guessing it was the extra protein -- but crawled on my belly all day for some inexplicable reason.

Climbing Higher

Many thanks to Sam and the rest of the folks at Blue Sky for organizing a trip to climb the walls at Hell's Gate. Surprisingly, the climbs proved no contest for this hardy though lightly skilled group of intrepid climbers. In truth, what seemed impossible melted away quickly as we learned new skills and reached new heights. Just like life n'est pas?

As happenstance would have it - the universe saw fit to provide an opportunity for my dear friend Florence and I to get together and enjoy some climbing. She is a fantastic climber being strong and graceful in equal measure. Where I teeter on the brink of constant disaster ..... Flo is one with the cliff face moving with a confident easy fluid motion. Well done!! While she now lives and works down in South Africa - it was a treat to spend time with her and other friends.

Fabulous Progress at Majengo & Kibera!!!

Yesterday, Essie and I made our way to Majengo and Kibera to drop off the monthly food for the kids. In truth, we have given little to Kibera but continue to support in any way we can.

I would like to thank both George and Lisa Cyr for their generous contributions this month. It's humbling that our efforts have made such a difference in so many kids lives.

I was a bit shocked by the progress at both schools. Jeff has been very busy expanding the Soweto Junior Academy adding a kitchen, new classroom and more importantly a computer lab. This is just fantastic!! While a computer lab in every school has been mandated by the National Government, it is another thing to actually get it done.

I also really liked the move from wood (for cooking kids food campfire style) to using a propane pressure cooker. Like the rest of the world, Kenya needs to stop cutting down trees.

Jeff stands proudly in the new Soweto Computer Lab!! Looks Awesome!!

And Malezi school continues to expand. The managing team are now working to add a High School over the next couple years. I have to say that the changes during the 5 years where I have been associated with the school -- are simply amazing. Grace and Andrew have done an outstanding job.

Pictured below, Essie chills with Dennis - a particularly bright young fellow that has come up through Malezi. I would say that he has a pretty good shot at rising up from poverty and becoming a happy contributing member of society.

Where dreams are great and opportunities few - Malezi is doing amazing things to help those dreams become reality.

Unfortunately - I am well into my personal finances in supporting food for the kids so - if you would like to donate to The Majengo Kids - The Kibera Kids - or Jake's Education:

E-interact -- laynemahon@live.com or Paypal -- laynegmahon@gmail.com

I promise the money will be well used as I already have plenty of scotch in the cupboard ....😊

Time for a Vacation!!!

Next week I leave for what should be an interesting trip to the Middle East. I'll be visiting and exploring Jordan and Saudi Arabia and unlike Lawrence of Arabia - am hoping for a trouble free - conflict free vacation. I'll be sure to share my thoughts on the two countries!