Coming home

Having battled cold, hail and rain at the Cherry Blossoms festival this year, the warmth and heat of Nairobi city is a welcoming relief. Like every visit, I am hit by the overwhelming development of the city I once was so familiar with. Construction of apartment building dots every neighborhood and the congestion of cars edging to and from downtown is a sign of an every growing city.

This morning, I had a hearty breakfast of Farmer's Choice sausages. I savored every bite and was disappointed when they were all gone. But that was quickly replaced with the satisfaction of eating chapati (like naan) and ndegu (split peas), nduma (a type of yam), and fruit salad with mango, banana, passion fruit, pineapple, and pawpaw. YUMMY!!!!

 

What is great is the inspiration that is everywhere - from the beautiful flowers and trees, to the fabrics, metalwork, woodwork and beadwork made by local artisans. The colors, textures, lines all blend in wonderfully to create a picture words cannot explain. The picture below is one of the several African set ups my mom has around the house. This one is of 3 gourds and a sisal basket holding dried flowers. I love the patterns on the gourds and the texture in the basket.

I took some pictures of various flowers and trees. The beautiful nature in this country is wonderful. God is such an amazing creator.

 

 

 

From all this I am getting so many ideas for various projects I could work on. Its like my mind is being opened to see things as I would never see them before. It's both exhilarating and overwhelming at the same time.

My layaway on this trip was in Istanbul, Turkey. I am disappointed in myself for not taking more pictures but I will do so on my way back to USA. I was so impressed with the decor of some of the restaurants in the airport. If the airport is just a taste of the country and culture then Turkey is definitely a place to visit. I thought it was ironic though to have the English telephone booth.