Tuesday...our last day in Kenya. Many emotions as we start the day knowing we are leaving our precious friends but anxious to return to our loving families who have greatly missed us. Bittersweet for sure.
As a special treat to celebrate our time together, what do girls like to do ?? Go for some pampering..indeed ! We headed to downtown Nairobi for some mani-pedi treatments. Sabina knew exactly where to take us. The shop was called "Tops Top." A side for the med to get hair cut, shaved or trimmed along with a shave. The girl`s side was buzzing with ladies. It was fun to see them braid, add extensions and do African hair. It would have been a hoot to see them style our hair...but we were not that brave !!! All 4 of us had a special lady or two attending to our nails. The girl I had was sweet and happy to serve me. She began work at 6 and labored all day until 7 p.m. Then had to ride a long 3 hours home ! Think about that daily schedule, only to begin all over the next early morning. We complain about our commutes but do we have 3 long hour ones ?
I soaked my feet in a basin of water. Cold water was first and they added hot steaming water from a tall thermos to mix. Yes...it was plenty hot ! In fact, my team mate, Luz looked over at me at one point and mentioned all that was needed was the seasonings as our feet were "cooking." When my feet were worked on for each step, one foot at a time was laid upon her lap. Amazing massage was given ! I selected a fun color and she painted each nail carefully. When finished, she took my sandals and went to clean them also. This incredible service cost me a mere $5.00 !!!! The girls that got both a manicure and pedicure only paid $10.00. When we told them what we pay in America they quickly converted the cost to shillings and could not believe the cost ! Facials, full body massages were very inexpensive also. I am sure those treatments would be incredible too. We assured the girls there we would surely return on the next trip back !
Lunch was next and we had worked up an appetite. We returned for the last time to one of our places that became a favorite for sure... Artcaffe. A special time of fellowship with a young friend and her dear baby made our time complete while eating a delicious lunch. A grilled chicken sandwich with rocket leaves, roasted peppers and fresh parmesan cheese. Sooooo good ! Of course, coffee had to finish off the meal for me. Artcaffe roasts their own coffee beans so a bag HAD to go home with me.
While in the "organized chaos" traffic as I chose to call it everyday, vendors would walk 3 lanes of traffic selling their wares. On this last day I was determined to try and buy this way. Hmmm...don`t need bananas, maps or sunglasses. Puppies were enticing to Julie but I told her to "be strong."...Ha ! The little white one was fluffy and would have been easy to take right in our car window to take home to Sabina. However, her dog, Tommy might not have enjoyed a new playmate. Okay...keep looking ~ The white and red roses definitely called my name. Beautiful in every way ! For a mere $3.00 I bought a bouquet of 16 red lovely roses to give my dear Dada (sister) Sabina as a treat on this our last day. As my confidence grew in buying from the car window, I was on a roll ! Next came the skirts. What a pretty one to take home with me. How much ?? $4.00 ?!?! Sold ! Wow..no need to stop at the store on the way home as you can get what you need right in traffic...ha ! This is a fun memory for me.
Sabina has a gift shop where we also shopped plenty. Found all sorts of jewelry, purses, scarves and even a cross for my "cross wall" at home. Happy to be able to support her business and bring back home treasures full of special memories.
Got back to Sabina`s house in order to pack our suitcases and have a quick bite to eat before leaving for the airport. We each had an extra suitcase to fill with items, due to taking over ministry gifts for the many places we visited. It did not take long to refill those with our gifts we had gotten. The 3 of us had so much luggage it did not all fit in Sabina`s car to head to the airport. When we had arrived it was only Julie and I. Luz had left before us with a stop in Uganda to visit family before joining us in Nairobi. Now as we tried to squeeze it all in..not working ! We needed to tie down the trunk but no rope. Sabina grabbed an outlet extension with a long cord and cut it with a knife. Hooray ! One of the gate guards tied it securely. We had to also place one of the smaller suitcases in the back seat with us. Sabina`s son, Kennedy drove so we had 5 of us in the small car and loads of luggage. We were stopped at the airport by security to take a quick search of the car. Kennedy got back in the car laughing as the guard told him we were plenty overloaded. I would imagine he was wondering just how many people were leaving with ALL that was in that car ! Dropping us off at the curb had to be quick. It was emotional to say good-bye but such a rich feeling of love between all of us shared, knowing we would return again to our friends. Now...on to the very long flights ahead of us but our loving families waiting for us on the other end !
"I will give thanks to your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness, because your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. " Psalm 138:2
Happy,
debi
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