Vienna in the rain

It was raining again today. We went for Breakfast at our favourite cafe - Linda had an egg with her roll and I had a latte to start the day. We then went and visited another Christmas Market, before going back to the Hotel to pack the cases and then leave them in reception for the day. It was still raining so we took the tram to the Rathaus.


I am confused  - not difficult I hear some of you say, but when you go the zoo and go to the Elephant house you see elephants or the monkey house you see monkey - but when we went to the Rathaus I  didn't see any rats! Well apart for a few  drowned ones – there was  not  even  ratatouille on the menu.


After walking through the Rathaus and the Chrismas market we went to Cafe Griensteidl for coffee. It was very expensive especially as Linda wanted a cake as well. It got even worse - you had to pay to go to the bathroom as well.


After this we got on another tram, which was very packed, and went for a ride and I found her another Christmas market - but this one appeared to be closed probably due to the rain. We then went for a walk and found my favourite market near the museum where they do the berry punch and so I had a cup of this - before we walked to the Opera house.  There are a lot of old buildings in Vienna and some are very beautiful.


 We needed another cup of coffee and really to use the bathroom – so we went to the Cafe Mozart and got caught out – the coffee was nice, but you had to pay to use the bathroom – and Linda will not pay under any circumstances.


It was now 3.30pm and still raining so we went back to the hotel using the underground and finally able to use the bathroom without paying! We collected our bags and then was going to get a tram to the underground station – but it was going the wrong way – so we walked.


We got the underground to Wien Mitte – and from their the S-Bahn to the airport. We arrived with plenty of time to check in and have a snack and coffee before we boarded the plane.


It took about 2 hours to get back – and then we landed back in England.


 I haven't even been to Starbucks today!!


You can see some photo’s here

Birthday in Bratislava

Today is Linda’s birthday but I am not allowed to say how old she is.   She spent half of her birthday in Austria and the other half in Slovakia. When she woke up this morning her first question wasn’t about presents or birthday cards – but could I switch the computer on so she could do her farm as her crops would be ready for harvesting!
I did remember to get her a birthday card and even brought it with me – my reputation will be in ruins! Although it was one she had made and I just added the envelope.


The Hotel breakfast was too expensive so we went to a local cafe. Linda had tea and rolls with honey, I had boiled egg with rolls and honey and a coffee. It was very nice and a lot cheaper than the hotel.


After this we found another two Christmas markets to look at in Vienna – they were both different but Linda didn’t buy anything – she must be ill! After this I had another surprise for her – we were going to Bratislava for the afternoon. It is only an hour on the train and it was a pleasant ride. It was raining in Vienna and it was raining when we arrived in Bratislava.


We arrived about 13.40 and it is about 20 minutes walk into town and we got wet. We saw the castle on the hill and then went into the old town – and another Christmas Market for Linda – she has now seen hundreds! Slovakia is a third world country – there is no Starbucks, so we had to go to a local cafe overlooking the main square. It was called the Scokocafe Maximilian Delikateso and Linda had a latte and I had a cappuccino. It was quite nice and relaxing. We then had another wander around the market and Linda had a garlic and cheese crepe to fill a gap. We then walked back to the railway station to catch the train back to Vienna – it was still raining.
We got back to Vienna about 5pm and then as it was still raining we used the underground to get back to the hotel. 


We did some reading – I was reading Lord Moran’s book on Churchill  and the ending was sad – Churchill died! Lord Moran was his doctor and gives a different perspective on Churchill's life. Linda is going to read it next, as she has finished her book, but she will be asking me questions every five minutes as she will be confused by the politics mentioned in the book. At the hotel we had a rest, checked in for the flight home tomorrow and there was even time for Linda to plant some raspberries.


About 8pm we went to the Christmas Markets, it was still raining so there were not so many people there – which meant you could see the stalls better. I had an apple punch, but it was not as good as the berry punch yesterday. Linda had a cake and then we shared some garlic bread. We wandered around and bought some gingerbread to take home.


It was then back to the hotel and Linda wanted to sit in the lounge and have a cup of tea and look at the Christmas tree. I didn’t get her a birthday cake – but did arrange for some apple strudel for her, which she enjoyed.


It was then back to our room to look at our photo’s, although most are quite grey and for Linda to harvest her crops.

You can see some photo's of the trip HERE

Birthday In Vienna

Linda did not have a clue where she was going. The only information she knew was it was a 3 hour flight, it was cold and they took Euros. Those who were putting their money on Prague or Paris were wrong. We had to leave home at 3.30am as it was a 6.45am flight from Heathrow on BA. We should have gone to bed early – but did not. I had booked in online and printed out the boarding passes so Linda was still unaware at the airport as with hand luggage we went straight to the security check. 


As it was 5.30am nothing was open – apart from Starbucks! As we were hungry we had a coffee and Panini each. I fancied a skinny muffin, so I asked Linda to go and buy one and she asked “what flavour would I like”. I said “raspberry” and what did she come back with “blueberry”, but  “I asked for a raspberry”. The reply, “oh these looked nice” – I will never understand her.
She then sat looking at the departure board and tried to work out where she was going – not very successfully. She did eliminate New York, Dubai, Toronto and Brussels and was thinking Barcelona or Sweden (Prague wasn’t  an option). The Vienna plane was showing the gate number and as I hadn’t moved she eliminated that as well.


However I knew there was plenty of time and therefore didn’t rush.  When we got to the gate, she realised we were going to Vienna and was excited as she has never been there. I have, as I stopped over for a visit when I was in Albania.


The plane wasn’t very full and it only took 90 minutes to get to Vienna ( I had slightly exaggerated on the 3 hours). We had a strong tail wind and used a fast jet stream according to the pilot. Its about 2 degrees here and a small bit of rain. We got the tube into the centre of Vienna and then had a walk around. Linda soon needed a cup of tea – and so we stopped at a cafe – and then she saw the cakes. that was it, she was hungry and a cake would fill the gap. She decided to have one with chocolate (of course), a vanilla mouse on banana and chocolate cake. I did try a small part, just to ensure it was suitable for my beloved. It was very good.


Its quite expensive here especially with the pound  virtually at parity with the Euro. We had a wander around the city, found the Rathaus and several old buildings.


We are staying at the Hotel De France which was built in 1872. It is a first class hotel, free internet (Linda was very keen to find out about this – as she needs to check her farm), free mini bar and a nice big room. Breakfast is €26 per person, so we will do with the €2 croissants across the road. We are on the 6th floor and have a nice view of the north side of the city.  As we had been up for many hours, we decided to have a snooze.


The reason I had chosen Vienna, apart for it being a romantic location for my beloved’s birthday, it has several Christmas Markets. Now Linda likes these- so I made a good choice. It was dark when we went out to visit the first one. It is in front of the Rathaus, rumour is they are going to hold ‘I am a Celebrity get me out of here’ here in 2010, it will be ideal all those rats in a house – save catching them in the jungle.


The Rathus was all lit up, the market was awash with little cabins and lights, we were having a romantic walk and there was a lovely Christmas tree – and the words of wisdom from my beloved’s mouth ‘that looks like the tree on my farm!’ I was speechless.


The market was very busy, with lot of people pushing and getting in the way. We bought some  gingerbread and nuts and had a wander around. One stall was doing garlic bread so we shared that walking along. We then left that market and went to another one, it was more quiet. We bought some fruit punch and Linda, not realising it  had alcohol in it, tried it – the look on her face was priceless. I enjoyed it and we bought some sausages and sauerkraut to go with it.


We then had a wander around the centre, seeing the museum and the old buildings and then I saw a star – and I though this would be good to follow it. So we followed the star – and no it didn't go to Bethlehem – but Starbucks. It was resting overhead – so it was natural to go in and have a latte!


After this we wandered back to the hotel through the streets and then watched some TV and Linda did her farm.

Free at Last

We have been to the Mountaintop today – Mt Le Conte 6593ft in the  Appalachian Mountains which is in the Great Smoky Mountains National park, but on the Tennessee side. Its Thanksgiving here so we decided to go for a scenic drive through the mountains. Its actually a depressing drive as the speed limit is either 35 or 25 mph and although there are a lot of bends it is rather tempting to floor it and go a bit faster – but as there were Rangers around I resisted the temptation.

We had to go via Cherokee and amazingly the coffee shop was open, so I stocked my flask up with a latte for the drive. Although it is only 35 miles across the mountains, it takes about 90 minutes to do it, for two reasons, the speed limit and secondly Linda wanting me to stop for her to take photo’s.

It was a pleasant scenic drive and we ended up in Gatlinburg on the other side. The town was very busy with a lot of cars and people, it was $10 to park – so we didn’t stop. It didn’t have Starbucks either and Linda didn’t like it as it was very tacky.

We drove onto Pigeon Forge, which wasn’t much better, but you didn’t have to pay to park. Its linked to Dolly Parton and Dollywood is here – although we didn’t visit it. We had a look around town, a country music store was open so we paid a visit, it was ok, but you can download them on ITunes these days and its cheaper than buying the CD’s. Linda needed a cup of tea so we stopped to get her one. No-one really drinks hot tea around here, so its difficult to find a cafe which sells tea – but we managed to get her a take away.

We then drove back again over the mountains, not stopping for so many photos on the way back. It was snowing as we went over the top roads, although not very heavily. It had suddenly turned cold. We we went to Bryson City on the way back, apart from the grocery stores it was all closed. We stopped at Deep Creek and walked up to see the waterfall and take some pictures and then it was back to the chalet.

We stayed in for the evening, as Linda needed to do her farm – she was getting withdrawl symptoms! We had pasta for tea and used up our left over veggies with it.

I have discovered what Linda has in common with HM Queen – they both never carry any money with them. Every time Linda wants to buy something she never has any money – and I have to pay. I saw a good sign in the Indian village –’vegetarian is an old Indian word for bad hunter’.

We were up early today as we had to leave the chalet and pack the car up. We were thinking of going on the train ride from Bryson city – the good old Great Smoky Railroad and then decided that we wouldn’t – it was quite expensive and we could drive the same route. Having gone north yesterday- it was ‘go west’ today – and we had a scenic drive to Fontana Village – there were very few cars on the road. It was a slow drive as the photographer wanted to stop for pictures of the views.

You can see the pictures here. After seeing the Fontana dam we drove around the roads looking for somewhere to stop for a drink – to no avail. We did see a McDonalds but couldn’t lower our standards. We were driving along Highway 19 when we saw the train, and watched it for a while. In fact I was watching the train too much and didn’t realise I was on the wrong side of the road – until a car was coming towards me – so I got back on the right side.

We then stopped at Nantahala Outdoor Centre – where the train stops, but we were there first and got in the restaurant before the crowds. We were slightly hungry and so shared a sandwich between us. Linda had a cup of tea so she was very happy.

We then drove back towards Cherokee as our hotel was on the east side of the mountains. The Tribal Ground Coffee shop was open – so I filled up the flask with a latte – it was rude not too! I haven’t had a Starbucks since Tuesday morning – so my arms are shaking a bit – but I know there will be some on the route back to Atlanta tomorrow- ‘I had a dream and it contained a Starbucks!!’

After we wandered around the Indian Reservation – avoiding any arrows being shot at us – we drove east along Soco Road  to Maggie Valley – it could be named after Mrs Thatcher – who knows. Its in the middle of nowhere but has lovely views of the mountains. We are staying at a Best Western as it does free breakfast – and more importantly for Linda free internet so she can go on her farm. She has harvested her roses today – and now planted some raspberries which will be ready in 2 hours. She is meant to be packing, but its all out on the bed and she is watching James Bond.

The room has two queen beds – so one each – a night without someone nicking all the covers.  We had a drive around town, as no-one walks here – and Linda saw a craft shop – and that was the last I saw of her for about 30 minutes, she only re-appeared when she wanted some money to pay for the bits she had selected.

We went to a local cafe in the evening for dinner, I had catfish and Linda a cheese sandwich, it was very nice. As we had internet access I was able to book in online for tomorrows flight.

So the holiday is very nearly over – we have had a good time, seen some wonderful sights - ‘its awesome’ – ‘Have a nice day!’

How Long? Not Long!

We have arrived in the Smokey Mountains and staying at a wooden  chalet by the river. It is very peaceful apart from the river running in the background. Linda has even managed to drag herself away from Farmville to feed the ducks by the back door.

On Monday Linda did her favourite activity (apart from Farmville) and went shopping. I managed to find her a Walmart and she was in there for over 2 hours looking at the products. It all looked very similar to Asda for me – apart from the prices were in dollars and not pounds. However, she found a couple of pairs of jeans she liked and a few other things. After this we went to Borders and had a look around reading the books and deciding which to buy, in the end I didn’t buy any but Linda did.

The car is very good – although it keeps drifting towards Starbucks and the ‘drive in’, it must run on coffee as opposed to petrol. Its comfortable to drive and has plenty of room, the only problem is that most of the roads are 55-60 mph which is quite slow. Although there is not a lot of traffic on them. On Monday night there was no managers snacks so we had to go to the Landmark Diner for dinner again. I had the T-bone steak, which was very nice, and Linda had a cheese ravioli dish – which was very cheesy. Then it was back to the hotel as someone needed to check the farm.

We were up early on Tuesday morning as we had a long journey – How Long? About 4 hours! We were going to leave about 9am, but it was about 9.30 before we left and out onto the highway. We travelled about 70 miles and then stopped at Commerce and the outlet stores. It was meant to be a quick stop, but Linda wanted to go in all the stores and see the bargains – so we were here for nearly 3 hours and Linda needed to have a cup of tea so we had to stop for that as well. We did managed to find some nice winter coats – so it was productive. It was then back on the road again, via Starbucks, as I need to fill up my flask with a latte.

We were driving up the scenic route. Driving is easy as its an automatic, you just put it in cruse control and sit back, relax and try not to fall asleep. The roads are virtually straight so you don’t even have to steer much and there is no traffic to overtake. I have found all the country music channels and programmed them into the radio – so we can listen to them as we drive along, as you can imagine Linda is really thrilled about this.

We went through the Chattahoochee National forest, although you couldn’t see the wood for the trees! and then into the Nantahala National Forest – more trees and finally towards the Smokey (or smoky) Mountains and our destination Bryson City, which is on the Nantahala river – or one of its tributaries. We wandered around the town, although apart from the train, there is not that much there! We went to the bakery to get some bread – but it only does cakes.

We then went to find our accommodation, which is nearby. It is a chalet by the river and has some scenic views up the hills and you can see the 11am train go past. We settled in, Linda is happy as it has wireless internet and so she can go and check her crops. Although it is intermittent and some times you have to go out and stand on the porch or the car park to get a signal – but she must do her crops and animals.

I was just sitting on the porch in my rocking chair and reading my book listening to the river and nature. Evidently, this is bear country – but we haven’t seen any yet for me to introduce to Linda. We had found the local grocery store and bought a few items for dinner and breakfast, Linda had seen a pecan pie for desert. We had chicken and sweet potato and it was quite nice and filling – what a great chef I am!

I was corresponding with someone in Australia who was getting up for breakfast and we hadn’t even had dinner. On Wednesday we just rested around the chalet, enjoying the peace and quiet, Linda did make some friends with the local ducks, and I said invite them in, the oven is on – but she didn’t. Of course she had to go on Farmville before we went out – just to check her crops.

In the Afternoon we went into town and wandered around, we saw the train come back and Linda took a few pictures – in fact you can see  them here  and you can see where we are staying at River Birch Cabins

After this we went for a drive into Indian Territory to the town of Cherokee, where there are real live Injuns. It has mostly gift shops which sell the same thing, but as it is the end of the season then its all reduced. It had a reasonable coffee shop so I was able to fill up my flask for the drive back. It is very remote up here – not a Starbucks in sight!

In the evening we ate the rest of the chicken and then did some reading and after Linda had exhausted Farmville I was allowed to get on here to update the blog. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day so everything is going to be shut as they are all eating their turkeys – although one called ‘Courage’  won’t be on the table as it was pardoned by President Obama – obviously doesn’t have enough work to do if he can find time to worry about turkeys!

The weather is dry and mild and the sun was out today.

I’ve been to the Mountaintop

We didn’t actually go to the Mountaintop  but we did go to the Martin Luther King district. However, we did find out that  President Carter and us have something in common.


On Saturday we took the train to the King Memorial station and then it was a 10 minute walk to the King Centre (http://www.thekingcenter.org/ and http://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm). The old Ebenezer Baptist Church is sill there, but we couldn’t go in as it is still being renovated. There was a tour of his birth house which was free so we got our tickets. It was a 15 minute tour, although the house was quite large, especially for the 1930’s and had three bedrooms upstairs and several rooms downstairs.


It was just past noon on January 15, 1929, a son was born to the Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr., in an upstairs bedroom of 501 Auburn Avenue, in Atlanta, Georgia.


We visited the King Centre and saw the displays, but it was quite limited in the information it provided. Both MLK and Mrs K are buried in the grounds of the centre and you could see the tombs and take some photo’s – so we did. I did quite well – I only bought one book there on his writings.


We walked back into the centre of Atlanta which was about two miles and there was not much traffic or people around. Downtown is deserted at the weekend – and not a Starbucks in sight! We went to Underground Atlanta, which is a place that has shops and restaurants but its underground. Linda must still be suffering with her cough as she didn’t buy anything or even go in many shops.


We then got the train back to the Lennox Centre – and wandered around the shops. We found another centre – and there was a Starbucks – so we stopped for a coffee. Linda was getting bored with all these shops and wanted to go back to the hotel “so I can check my farm” she said.
The complimentary transport picked us up and dropped us back at the hotel. The driver was quite talkative although he was complaining about foreign policy and that the Government shouldn’t be spending money abroad but at home. Typical American – the world stops at the US borders.


It was a bit of a disaster today – no managers special, so we had to go out for dinner and spend money. We went to Landmark Diner and ordered garlic bread – although it should have said ‘garlic loaf’ as it was not just one slice! They gave you a Greek salad for free – and this was enormous. In fact we were virtually full up before the main course had arrived. I had blackened grouper fish and Linda had chicken with cheese – it was very nice but the portions were too big and we couldn’t eat it all.


We then came back to the hotel and I did some reading, whilst Linda focused on making sure her crops and animals were ok in Farmville.


On Sunday we had breakfast and then sat and listened to the church service on the TV. It is raining so without a car it is difficult to go out anyway. The good news is we are picking up a car at 2pm. Breakfast is mainly bagels with cream cheese or jam, there is a chef who cooks omelette for you and plenty of juice and tea. Linda likes to have the fresh waffles with maple syrup and plenty of tea – the only problem is I then have to find lots of restrooms  for her as what goes in normally comes out!


The Baptist  preacher on the TV was quite interesting preaching on Grace and Pauls book to Titus and had three points to his sermon. About midday we decided to go out, it was still raining but we got the chauffer to drop us off at the Lennox centre as we can get the train from there to the airport We wandered around in the dry and then got the train. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the airport but that was fine – plenty of time to watch Top Gear on my Ipod.


We picked the car up – its a Chevrolet  Equinox automatic in white. It took a few minutes to remember which side of the road to drive and then we were off.


President Carter, 39th President of US is from Georgia. His family were Peanut Farmers and he has a Presidential Library (http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/  in town and it was on the way back to the hotel – so we stopped. It cost $8 to get in, but it was actually worth it.  The exhibition took you through his life from a young lad to his time in the Navy, to being President and then life after. He was President from 1977-198 and was replaced by Ronald Regan. He was involved in the Egyptian-Israeli talks at Camp David in 1978 and subsequently won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.


There was a copy of the Oval Office that you could look at, although you weren’t allowed to sit in the official chair. The Carters have  spent one week a year for the last 25 years working for Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses in third world countries, the same organisation we worked for in Thailand after the Tsunami. 


The car I have is very nice to drive, plenty of room and seems to head towards Starbucks on a regular basis. On arriving back at the hotel – Linda hogged the computer doing her farm. We went out for dinner and the portions were a bit smaller tonight, Linda had chicken with jacket potato and I had a T-bone. It as going so well – and then Linda saw the cheesecake – and of course had to have a bit!


It was back to hotel for Linda to harvest her crops she had planted earlier on Farmville!!



You can see our photos at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/simon.werrett/Atlanta09

I had a Dream

Well we are now in Atlanta, Georgia – the place where Martin Luther KIng Jr was born and subsequently lived and preached.


The motorway was clear driving to Heathrow and we were able to check in with plenty of time to spare. Linda needed to re-register her IRIS account so she can get into the country quicker instead of queuing at Immigration. We found Starbucks and it was time for a coffee whilst Linda wandered around a few shops. The plan was leaving at 14.05 and so we boarded about 13.30. 


We were flying premium economy and as I had booked in online 24 hours earlier we had the front seats (the front seats of our cabin – not the front seats of the plane – the pilot needed those.)


It was a very smooth flight and we arrived about 6pm Atlanta time (they are 5 hours behind English time). Linda had watched some Harry Potter rubbish on the plane – and I feel asleep. Atlanta airport is very strange – we landed at Concourse E – passed through the very cheerful (not) immigration sections, waited 30 minutes for our bags and then you have to go through customs and give your bags back again. You then go through a search area, back into the main airport and take the train to the exit where you again wait another 30 minutes for your bags to arrive.


As we were arriving in the evening in Atlanta we had booked a Best Western Hotel near the airport. Another courtesy bus was going that way – so he gave us a lift. Linda said ‘Will the hotel have internet’. I said ‘yes’ She said ‘that’s good – I will be able to use Facebook to check my farm’. 


She has become addicted to Farmville on Facebook and keeps going on about her animals and harvesting her crops. My laptop finally gave up the day before we left and so I had to bring Linda's – so she keeps wanting to use it – which has delayed the writing of the blog.


The hotel was ok – no-one was smiling or saying “have a good day”. The only place to eat was Macdonalds so we ended up with a chicken burger and fries for our meal. We were both tired but tried to keep a wake for a while and go to sleep American time – which we managed but I still woke up at English time.


We were moving to the Wingate by Wyndham Hotel at Buckhead in the north of the city until Tuesday morning and we took the metro to go there. It was then about a mile walk from the Metro Station but at least there was a Starbucks on route – so we had to stop for an Egg nog latte.


Our rooms weren’t ready as we were early but they have complimentary transportation so had a ride in a Lincoln Limo to the Mall. Linda wanted to go shopping and visit Maceys! We spent a couple of hours there but Linda didn’t buy anything. We discovered that if you walked around the Food Court trying to decide what to eat – they gave you small portions to try for free – so I walked around twice trying anything – and then was full up so I didn’t need to buy anything – who said there isn’t such a thing as a free lunch!


Linda was  constant visitor to the Hershey’s chocolate stall where they were giving away free chocolates.


After a couple of hours we came back to the Hotel, Linda was tired so she had a sleep – must be her age and I did some work on the computer, unpacked and planned the next few days.
At 5pm the Manager has a ‘welcome time’ – with more food and snacks, all free. There were sandwiches, cheese, chicken wings, vegetables and a few other bits – so we don’t need to eat out this evening either.


We did go for a walk as we needed some cold drinks and water for the fridge. There are not many shops near here, but we found one so we are ok.

The return of the Mzungu

I have delivered 193 pencils, 165 pens, 30 crayons, 3 rubbers,13 football shorts, 1 school dress. 20 Bibles and 10 other books.

My church has provided finance to stock Linda’s shop and the college bought : 12 head towels, 120 exercise books, various tissue/toilet papers, 12 milking jelly, 12 inks, food stuffs, sweets, soaps, match boxes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, light bulbs, biscuits, shoe polish, paper, envelopes, pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners, cellotape, files and other stationary equipment plus a few other bits that don’t translate into English.

The official opening is going to be next week - you are all invited of course!

In eight days I have delivered 6 hours of lectures for 5 days, preached 10 sermons, 2 speeches at different schools and one prayer meeting (although I had to do that twice for those who were late!) and I am on holiday. I am feeling quite tired and worn out. It is still hot here, although it cools down in the afternoon slightly when it rains. It is the mozzie season so I have to use the net to sleep under, which I don’t like, but its either that or get bitten as I did the first night. I have dispatched a few mozzies but their friends just replace them.

I have done a couple of bible studies at the Town Church which were due to start at 5pm. On the first day I was there at 5.15pm and they hadn’t started, so the next day I arrived at 5.30pm and was just in time. The concept of starting on time is an alien one here. I have been to visit Betty’s (one of the lecturers) farm and meet her family. Linda went last time so they were asking after her. We had chapattis and tea, everywhere you go you have tea and never coffee. They make tea with sugar and milk, but I am getting used to it. We had had torrential rain, so the muddy roads were terrible, but Kemal managed to get us back to the main road.

The college course has finished and as usual the students were all appreciative. They seemed to enjoy it, probably too scared of me to say they hadn’t. We did the practical session today where they had to preach for five minutes on a passage from Joseph. It went well, they all did well and several tried out new ideas. I have one female student, who was on the computer course, but she had sat in on my lectures and submitted all the assignments and delivered a good sermon. I told her she was on the wrong course, she needed to be on the theological course not a computer one.

I have too many invites for the next the time I am here, all the students want me to visit their homes and families. The Principal took me to visit his home school today, its not far 40 minutes he said – 2 hours later we arrived! It was a rural school in the middle of nowhere, and all the children had to sit on the grass but the guests were under a wooden shelter. I presume this is in case it rains, but having looked at the way it was built, I am not sure it would provide much shelter from any rain! However, we had lots of speeches and then I gave a speech, which was well received. After it was all over I went to shake their hands, but they were unsure of the mzungu (white man) and until one shook my hand, then they all wanted to. The Principal said they won’t wash their hands for two days now! I suppose they don’t see white people in the rural part at all. It was a four hour round trip which with all that I have to do I could have done without.

The driver (Jemal ) is staying in town and the T-Hotel is just outside town so we have a system where he gets dropped in town and then I drive to the hotel as its safer to leave the car there. It’s a nightmare driving in the dark, trying to avoid animals, people in the road, motor bikes and cars without lights.

You will be pleased to know I have discovered the secret of the hot water, you need to have a bath between 6.30pm and 7pm and there is hot water. I even managed to get fish fingers for my dinner the other day, although they have run out of fish now. The breakfast is ok I just have coffee and scrambled egg, its less complicated that way.

I had a text from my wife today saying ‘Happy Anniversary,’ but I hadn’t a clue what she was going on about – so I texted back and ask what it meant, evidently its my wedding anniversary today, 16 years (you get less for murder!).

I have been so busy that I have not had time to go to the Internet café. I went tonight at 7pm when got back to town and it was closed. I hope to upload this and some photos when I get back to Nairobi. I also need to check in for my flight.

Today has been very busy, I was leading the seminar day on ‘mentoring’ at the Kericho town church, it was due to start at 10am (although they had told everyone 9am) – and we started at 10.30. About 30 plus attended at some stage during the day, although strangely most people were here in time for lunch. It was a good crowd and they seemed to have enjoyed the subject, with some good questions. Lunch was provided – rice for a change with some meat. It was nice to sit on the grass in the sunshine and chat with them. I have several invitations to go to churches during my next visit.

Emanuel and Ian (Pastor Mutai's boys) wanted a trip in the Rav 4, and I wanted to leave a bag at the college ready for next time. So they came for a trip and we arrived at the college just in time for afternoon tea. The boys were running around, climbing trees and having fun. I drank tea and chatted with the students, it is still very hot today – and was even hotter in the kitchen.

After this we had to drop Betty home, and of course we were invited in for tea. Her sisters were working in the fields doing some weeding, I met her brother who is a traffic policeman in the Central Province. We chatted about Police matters and differences between the two forces. I didn’t hold it against him being a traffic officer. Betty then gave us a tour of her farm its about 5 acres, with vegetables and tea growing everywhere. They have a well to draw the water from. Betty is one of the lecturers at the College, and she is also the pastor of the local church near her home, and so we then went on a tour of that.

Her nephews and nieces wanted a ride in the car, so we had to go do the road so they could have the ride. As we stopped two old ladies asked for a ride as well, so we ended up taking them to the main road and the shop they wanted to go.

We then came back to town, but it was too late to go to the Internet Café.

There is no hot water tonight as I am back late. They have run out of fish fingers, so it is back to fish, although it has taken so long, they must have gone to the lake to catch it themselves! I have discovered that you can have chapatti instead of chips – which is another option.

Sunday: I was up early as I had to be at the 8am service. I can see now why we don’t start in the UK till 11- it’s a much more respectable time. I had to get up and wash in cold water and then have breakfast, before checking out and setting off for church. Although it started at 8am – most people drifted in about 8.45. After preaching and saying good bye to my friends I set off for the next service – and met Pastor Kirui in the next town. We followed him down some bumpy muddy roads and finally arrived there about 10.15. The service was in Kalejin and then I spoke in English with a translator. After that it was a quick stop at a local house for lunch - rice etc and then back to Nairobi. It took over four hours to get back.

I had a meeting tonight for a couple of hours re next years conference – and then it is time to pack my bag and be up at 5am to go to the airport. It is all go.

There are a few photo’s at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/simon.werrett

Warm Water

Finally at 20:48 (Kenyan time) on Tuesday 22nd September 2009 there was warm water, not hot, just warm – so I stopped what I was doing and ran a bath – you probably don’t need any further details. I checked at 21.30 to see if it was still hot – as I might have been tempted to have a second bath – but it was cold!

I have been busy at the college today, the driver picks me up, he is getting used to my schedule, and now knows to stop for the newspaper on the way to the college, its to his advantage as I leave it in the car for him to read during the day. He is from Nairobi and its too cold for him up here, whereas I am baking. I was in a t-shirt, he was in a shirt, jumper and coat.

We lost the electricity today at the college about mid morning and it came back in the afternoon, not very good for showing the video via the projector, but I improvised and went back to old fashioned methods and used the chalk and blackboard. I did have the Ipod if needed in the afternoon but fortunately the electricity came back. We had rice for dinner and peas cooked in gravy. They are missing Linda as they had no tea and were drinking hot milk. I bought them some from the local shop and so they have some tea to drink, last time Linda brought her own bags.

The students are very receptive and enjoying the studies as we are doing homiletics (the art of preaching for the uneducated). I am trying to teach them to evaluate different sermons and identify learning curves, however they seem to have a problem identifying bad points or areas for development. I went with them to a local church prayer meeting on Tuesday afternoon, it was held at a members house but as it was so hot it was outside. So we sat on wooden logs and had a prayer meeting.

It was meant to start at 3pm, but only a few people had turned up so then we had to sing a few hymns and a few more stood up. You knew when someone new was coming, as they had to walk past the cows and the cows would moo, better than a burglar alarm! I was invited to say a few words and then we had some prayers. As its Africa you can’t visit someone’s house without the tea coming out. So we had tea, no-one apart from me drinks coffee and then some other people turned up, a bit late – but this is African time. So I had to say my few words all over again and pray again, as they missed it first time, no tape here to replay!

On the way back we stopped at the local shops, the butchers, although the hygiene was a bit limited. They use old fashioned weights to weigh the meat, and then put it in a bag. They also had a café which served tea for 16p (much cheaper than Starbucks – although quality is probably different).

I then came back into town and went to the Internet café, but it was so slow I could do the blog but no photos. In the evening I had a meeting with Pastor Peter and was able to give him some bibles for the local people. He was pleased with them. We had dinner together, although the choice was limited, fish or chicken. They managed to really cook the fish, and it was slightly hard and burnt, I was fed up with chips, so had ugali instead.

The Last Meal

Linda produced my lunch on Friday and said to me ‘enjoy your last meal. This worried me, had she put arsenic on the pizza or did she know something else I didn’t. If you read this blog – then it wasn’t the last meal – if it doesn’t get published them maybe ……….

The journey to the airport was a nightmare, there was an accident on the mg11 and so the road was closed in one direction and not much movement on the other. My flight was at 19.15 and we left home at 14.30 and didn’t get to Terminal 3 till 17.30. It was a bad time to travel across London at rush hour – but we had no choice. It was down the A10, on to the North circular (A406) and followed this till it became the south, and then the A4 to Heathrow. It was actually 20 miles less than using the motorway, but more traffic lights, which seemed always to be red.

We finally got there and the plan was to have a drink before I went through security, but there was no time. Fortunately I had checked in online and so I could go to the bag drop. I am flying Virgin this time for a change – well not for a change the fare was cheaper.
I then cleared security which was not too slow, and had about 20 minutes before I had to go to the gate – just about time for a Starbucks.

I was reading in the Standard that the Prime Minster is going to have to make cuts to reduce the budget deficit and each department has to identify areas it can save. I will be applying this fiscal policy to the household budget and look forward to the suggestions from ‘er indoors’ and the Dog as to where they will be making some savings.

I am typing this on the plane as I have some spare time waiting for dinner to be served

The plane landed about 06.15 and I was through the Passport control quickly, but the luggage took ages to come. I then met up with my driver Kemal and we went to the petrol station. The petrol lorry had just turned up, which meant that it would be an hour unloading and so no petrol. David turned up and so I went to his house to see the new baby, and Rachel. The baby looked ok, it had two arms, two hands, two legs and two feet – and a head. It didn’t cry much – fortunately.

We left Nairobi about 10am in the end – and it was a 4-5 hour drive to Kericho, I was tired so I dozed for the first part of the way, until Nakuru. The road got bad after this so it was more difficult to sleep. Just before we arrived there was a thunder storm and this included hail stones, big ones. Of course no-one stopped driving, even though visibility was very limited.

I have room 2 this time, evidently the Presidents wife was visiting and she needed room 10 for her staff. The hotel hasn’t changed, no hot water, nothing on the menu is available but they still just look and smile at you. It’s the only secure hotel in town, so I am restricted , if I could find somewhere better then it would be helpful.

They did have the football on and I saw the end of Chelsea beating Tottenham 3-0, so its 6 wins from 6 and top of the league, although it will be Tuesday before the report appears in the Daily Nation.

I went to a different church on the Kismu road on Sunday, Andrew, one of my students who graduated in March, had been there for 29 years as their lay pastor. It was good to go with him, and the service lasted about 2 hrs 30 mins. I spoke for about 45 mins, but before that there was plenty of singing from the children and the adults.

I was invited to Andrews for dinner and it was rice, meat and cabbage. It was very nice, I will be getting use to the rice, as it’s the colleges staple diet. On the way back to Kericho I stopped to have tea with Pastor Mutai and see his wife and the two children Ian and Emmanuel. They had been telling their mum to call me to make sure I would come today, but when I arrived they went all shy. However, they are doing well at school.

Today I have been at the college and started my lectures. I have twenty students from years 1-3 and then some of the 4th year come and listen – when they have no other lessons. I have downloaded some sermons and talks from other preachers so they get variety. There is also group work to do plus the inevitable PowerPoint’s to watch! It was rice for dinner today. It has been raining so the roads are muddy and the Rav 4 slides on occasions.

There have been power cuts recently, but I hope none this week, otherwise I can’t use the computer or digital projector for the students, and it will be back to the blackboard and chalk!

The internet is too slow to upload any photos.

Engaging with World Leaders – who needs G20

On Saturday we travelled to Kabarak University, where I was going to preach on Sunday. Kabarak University is a private Christian University established in 2000. The setting up of the institution was as a result of the forward vision of the Chancellor His Excellency Daniel T. arap Moi (the former Kenyan President (1978-2002) who wanted to set up a reputable Christian Liberal Arts, Science and Technology University. It was only on Sunday morning that we found out he would be present at the service and we would be introduced to him. This was made even more interesting that I didn’t have a pair of shoes to wear with my suite, as I had given them away previously, so I ended up wearing my safari boots.

When we arrived we had to line up outside the church, and then he arrived with his bodyguards and he spoke very briefly and shook our hand before he went into the church. I have a nice picture which you can see of me shaking his hand, the photographer didn’t have time to get one of Linda! (http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/simon.werrett folder final Kenya) It was quite nerve racking having to preach in front of the former President, but I survived. He sits right at the front, has his own special chair with a table in front. He was listening during the sermon as he referred to it later on in his address. The church was packed as all the Primary Students and High School Students have to attend and there is some with the local community. It lasts about two hours and there is singing and scripture readings. It was very organised and felt quite formal compared to the normal services in the community. Initially I was meant to speak at two services but the university students had finished for the term and so the services were combined. We stayed at the University guest house and had our meals there, it was back to rice and ugali.

We had driven up to Nakuru on Saturday and it was an eventful drive. It was my first time driving in Kenya and although they drive on the same side as we do in the UK, it was more interesting. The lorries drive in any lane they feel like, the Matutus drive across all the lanes as fast as they can, the people just walk or cycle out into the road, as if they own the place and cars shouldn’t be there and then you have to avoid the animals, whether they be goats, cows or Baboons. I felt like I was Lewis Hamilton trying to avoid all the pitfalls to make progress. Although I was not driving that fast, Linda kept asking me to slow down so she could take some photo’s. Once you leave Nairobi the road becomes a single carriageway and then with the slow lorries you need to do some overtaking, making sure first that no-one is overtaking you. It was hard work as you have to concentrate all the time, unlike the English roads where you can sometimes sit back and relax, or if you are on the M25 sit back and not move.

However, we arrived safely and as I am typing this in Nairobi it means we got back safely. We arrived in Nakuru about 1pm and as a treat for Linda I took her to the Lake Nakuru National Park on her own personal safari, with me as a guide. We were there for about three hours and she saw lots of animals and again took lots of photos. I think she is up to about 600 on the trip so far. I even found her a Rhino to watch and take several picture of – what a star I am!

Today (Monday) Linda has gone on another safari to the Nairobi National Park but I have stayed at the hotel as I have several meeting to go to regarding the FCPF Conference. We are flying back to cold England tonight – so this will be the last entry on the blog for this trip!

Finally escaped

I finally escaped today from the complex, but only to go with my wife, who currently resembles a lobster, to a local wildlife park – I was so lucky!! The Haller Park is famous – for guess what giant tortoises – so what did we get to see – tortoises, and it was very exciting.  If you are desperate to see what you missed I have uploaded some photos to the web site (http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/simon.werrett) as I would hate you to miss this exciting adventure, and I even had to miss my Swahili lesson to go with her – sacrifices I make.  Linda has been swimming and sitting in the sun and so she is currently very red and warm, I did warn her but she ignored me. I am not burnt at all, it might be 95 degrees but I will not take my socks off in the sun in case my feet get burnt and I think they match my crocs anyway. I had been sitting by the pool but ensure I am wearing appropriate clothing. The food is ok here, but  its very European and you could be anywhere in the world as there is no Kenyan influence.  We are glad to be going tomorrow, it has been good to rest but we are both bored now.

We went to Haller Park this afternoon by taxi, it is about 10 minutes from the Hotel complex. We had a guide to show us around and there were tortoises to see, and tortoises, and tortoises, plus three giraffe, two hippo, several eland and more tortoises. In fact the Guide could find any tortoises to show us, but Linda managed to find them for her, she must have a nose for it. She would then talk to the tortoises and stroke their  legs and heads. Imagine you are having a nice sleep from the hot weather and some red thing with two legs turns up and keeps stroking you and disturbing you and doesn’t even talk in Swahili – I would get the hump and move away.

Linda also got to feed the Giraffes again at feeding time, and I got the opportunity to take more photos of her with animals. We had a walk around the park, but it was too hot and so we had to rest. The restaurant was being refurbished so we couldn’t even rest in there for a cup of coffee.

When we got back to the hotel I was so hot that I had a quick swim in one of the three pools. Linda went to the gift shop and found some more items for the country house. We will soon have more suitcases with all her purchases coming back than when we went.

We are flying back to Nairobi tomorrow afternoon and then off to Nakuru on Saturday. I am driving this time – so should be entertaining on the Kenyan roads. 

I am writing this at 22.30 and it is still 84 degrees.

We have been informed there are now 24 hour Nakrumat (the equivant of Tesco's) and people are excited about it. However being Africa it means that it opens at 9am and closes at 10pm but is still open for 24 hours!

Disappointing news today as I was led astray by my wife and was looking at her looking at tortoises - I missed the pirates (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7966320.stm)

I see no Pirates

I am sitting on my hotel balcony and looking out to the sea, I am keeping watch for the pirates that allegedly lurk in these clear waters – but I have not seen any.  I have done some research and they all should have black eye patches but If I do see any I am not sure what I am meant to do anyway.  I can’t see any oil tankers either which is probably why the pirates don’t come this way or its too hot for them.  I was speaking to a source in Nairobi who said the Somali pirates were all buying up land around the capital to get rid of the money, I wonder if they want to buy any pens?

We are staying at the Voyager Beach Hotel in Mombasa which is very nice, but a bit too European for us.  We are all inclusive which means that we can eat and drink as much as we like, but we are now used to eating rice and Ugali and don’t really drink much either – apart from tea. The two things we do like are mineral water and Latte and  we have to pay for those anyway. However, it is a nice break, our room is nice and there are three swimming pools for Linda to use and I can also access the wireless internet.  It is interesting how we have changed over the years as when I first met Linda she would swim and sit on the beach all day long, now she gets bored after a little while and wants to move or do something different. I am still the same – can’t sit still for very long, unless its at the computer. 

We have been going to the Swahili lessons once a day and I am making some slow progress. I can say ‘wife come here quickly’   which is ‘Bibi  njoo hapa haraka’ and hopefully tomorrow I will learn ‘wife where is my coffee’!  The good thing is that they have the Daily Nation delivered here so I can at least read my paper over coffee.  The hotel complex is very big and most people never leave it, they come here for two weeks, eat European food and then leave saying they have been to Kenya or Africa without ever interacting with the locals.  I think we will survive three days – just.

On Monday I had checked in on line with Kenya airways and then printed out my boarding passes.  This meant you had to go to the drop bag desk at the airport. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and then went to the drop in desk, which was closed and there was no-one there.  So we had to queue and check in the old fashioned way. The airport was chaos and the security very lax and people were using cameras on the place at landing and take off, as soon as we landed people were on the phone and the air stewards just ignored them.  The plane was clean and they gave you a sandwich and drink for a 45 minutes flight which was good and the company magazine was very interesting and informative.

The hotel is outside Mombasa so unless you get a taxi it is very difficult to leave it. We have three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner in the restaurant.  We are eating a lot of salad and fruit  - more then our 5 a day, in fact 5 a meal so now I am in credit. There is no ugali here which is disappointing as I was getting used to it. Linda went off on her travels this morning and walked out onto the sand and ended up speaking to a local for ages, he was showing her all the sea animals you can find in the sand, she was gone about an hour. She has no pens left so she could not offer him anything  in return. We have taken up darts in the afternoon and played a few games as there is not much else to do here except to sit by the pool in the sun. It is about 90-93 degrees and at night it drops to mid 80’s.

One of my students decided to ring me at 07.20 this morning to see how we are and were we enjoying Mombasa. I was enjoying my first long sleep of the trip – till he woke me up! 

There are some photos at  http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/simon.werrett

Have you got a bible I could have?

This was the request not from one of the students or a church member but from a man who sells souvenirs at the T Hotel. In fact we did have a Bible to give him. We had had a previous request from a student and a pastor for a Bible and so that morning we had been to local shop and found some for sale. We needed two but felt led to buy three, and now we know why. Linda was able to give him a Bible, and he asked her to write it in it. Linda asked him why he had asked us for a Bible and he said he didn’t have one and wanted one.’ He told Linda he had seen the muzungu (white man) several times staying at the hotel and heard he was teaching at a Bible College and that he had been preaching at a church down the road.

Unfortunately Linda then saw he and his friends were lacking in some clothing, so I lost my socks, my only pair of black shoes and a T shirt. I now have no black shoes – not even for work and will need to preach next week at the University in a suit and walking boots. I did complain but was told his need was greater than mine. Linda has finally given away all the remaining pens, she has caused chaos doing this. She went shopping in the market place, and offered pens to people if they would have a photo taken and suddenly there was a queue a mile long and she had to be saved by our driver Ben. She has been giving them to all the staff in the hotel and even started to give away the Principals pens at the Graduation (hopefully he hasn’t noticed yet).

We are getting used to African time, which is about 1 hour after the time you agreed to be somewhere. Although when I used this principle at the Thursday Bible Study and turned up at 5.30 for a 5pm start (like they all had on Tuesday) they were all worried I wasn’t coming. They were all on time and I was the only one using African time! However, it went well and I was able to share from 1 Samuel 7 and the feedback was good. We had an invite from Pastor Peter Kirui for supper and he said he only lived a little way from Kericho, forty five minutes later we arrived. He has three children and several animals. We had spaghetti, rice, potatoes and meat for dinner, followed by tea. He does a lot of work in schools and has asked Linda to come with him and talk to the children next she is in Kenya. He was very friendly and drove us back to our hotel in the dark, which was fortunate as it is a long walk – about 37kms.

We finally have hot water, although it means getting up at 6.30am. The food has improved although the other night we nearly didn’t have any dinner as everything on the menu wasn’t available. I ended up with steak and chips and Linda with mushroom soup. We had put our valuable items in the safe, but you can only get them out at night as the man with the key only works nights! It appears no one has any access during the day. I have been so busy that I have had no time to visit the internet café or update the blog.

The Graduation Banquet was on Friday and I found out on about Monday I was the guest speaker so on Thursday night I had to write the course examination and then on Friday when they were doing the exam I was writing my speech for the banquet. I did get some words in from the famous Kenyan Barak Obama. I had finished my course in the morning by 10am and then had to mark all the exams, which I did sitting in the back of the car returning to the hotel to get changed for the banquet. The Banquet was meant to start at 2pm and of course it did! Linda has made some decorations for the tables and we finally got under way about 3.30. There was some singing, several speeches, which when they were in English were short but in the local language long. I did my talk and they liked it and one of the graduates wanted the original! After that it was the food and we were hungry by now, it was rice and meat – just for a change. Linda had bought them a cake which was then cut up and shared about. They were meant to have a goat and Linda had been looking for it and I told her it was in the oven! She later told me that had just bought some meat as they couldn’t find a goat to buy. After the food we chatted with the students and I helped with the washing up which was similar to the UK, but they don’t have a sink and you do it outside with bowls – a bit like camping. We had a video going through a projector and one of the Rev Mutai boys was fascinated by this and stood there watching it.

On Saturday we went into town initially and then visited our friends the Chuma’s who have just opened a small café – tea is about 10p a cup so a bargain, I even put my hand in my pocket and bought my dear wife a cup of tea. After that we went to the Bible College to help them sort out things for the Graduation Ceremony on Sunday. Linda was going to visit Bettys, one of the other lecturers, house for a quick visit, they would be no longer then an hour – four hours later they returned! I was helping with the electrics as they needed to set up the amp and speakers. The biggest problem was the field in which the ceremony was about 75 metres from the power supply. As health and safety doesn’t apply over here we had about half a dozen extension leads joined together with some other electrical wire they found and it worked – eventually. It appears all the local people who had leads donated them but not everyone took the cardboard off the plug so there was no connection – till I found the problem.

I am getting to know some villagers now and they stop and chat to me, especially the man whose wife owns the shop in the next field, he is a retired geography and history teacher but now just like to look after his cows. He has told me where his house is and to pop in for tea anytime. In fact I have so many invites for tea that next time I will not have any time for teaching. We left about 4pm and came back to the hotel, and in the evening the Rev Ronoh popped in for a chat and then we went to the Rev Chuma’s for supper. We had rice, potatoes and spaghetti. It was strange I have never had spaghetti on any of my previous visits but we had it twice this time. We spent some time with the family and then he dropped us back at the hotel.

On Graduation day we were at the college by 8.15 and started to help get things ready. This included carrying pews from a local church to the field and the Principal said I should be resting not doing that. I ignored him and carried on working, there was a lot to do. We needed to get the speakers up a tree so the sound would carry, so a student would climb up and we would pass the speaker to them, hoping they didn’t drop it on our heads – all risk assessed properly of course! After this I went and helped with peeling the spuds, no peeler just a big knife to use but they were impressed with my handiwork and Linda was impressed I hadn’t managed to cut myself.

The ceremony was starting a 9am according to the programme, but as usual this was delayed till just after 10 when the possession started. Linda had her camera and took over 150 pictures. She even had a word with the Bishop when he was giving out the awards and told him which way to face and what to do. The guests were seated under the canopies but every else had to sit on the floor. It was very hot so a lot of people sat under umbrellas. There was a lot of singing and then the speeches, I had been told that I would not have to do anything and was sitting there relaxing enjoying the event, when suddenly the principal introduced me and asked me to say a few words. The whole programme lasted over four hours and then it was food – rice of course.

After this we chatted with the students and there families and had our photo taken. The children all wanted to shake our hands so everywhere we went we would have them following us and shaking our hands – it was like being royalty. Then about 5pm it was time to say good bye and go back to our hotel. It was sad to leave as we had really bonded with the students this time and made some good friendships. They want us to return in September.

On Monday we came back to Nairobi and it was nice to drink Latte and have hot water coming out of the tap. We sat by the swimming pool and did some reading, Linda went swimming a couple of times. We then went out for a meal with friends in the evening. Its off to Mombasa in the morning – where it was about 93 degrees today.

There are some more photos at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/simon.werrett

One pencil, two pencil, three pencil zzzzzzzzz

We don’t count sheep if we can’t sleep, we count pens and pencils. We brought out 1160 pens, 1543 pencils and 446 coloured pencils a total of 3149 as well as 5 pairs of shoes, 3 balls, 17 jumpers, 6 dresses and   30 books plus a few sundry items. We have given every child in Mogonjet school a new pen or pencil plus pens and  books on assemblies for the teachers. We have been able to provide bread for the Bible College students every day as well as exercise books, study books and a new printer.

Linda has been walking around the street handing out pencils to every child she sees. She is known as the Pied Pencil lady of Kericho. I have been very busy at the Bible college teaching and it is also warm and humid which makes it tiring work. I have the digital projector working and there were surprised faces on the first day as they couldn’t understand how the image got from my computer to the wall. I have a Papershow device where I can write on the designated paper and it appears on the wall – this totally threw them. However the projector has been good as we can watch videos and I can use PowerPoint presentations, as well as write my notes on the pad and it is displayed on the wall – it saves on chalk. I have 11 students in the class from years 1 and 2, but the 3^rd year also keep slipping in as they don’t have any lessons.

We have the formal graduation meal on Friday and I was informed on Tuesday I would be the guest speaker, so I have another sermon to prepare this week.  In fact I have been so busy I have not even had time to go to the internet café for a couple of days.

On Tuesday I spoke at the church, it was meant to start at 5pm, but as usual no-one turned up till about 5.30pm, although the Pastor was even getting concerned at this stage.  I have marked the students homework and  returned it to them.

We have been living on rice and Ugali  at dinner time and are loosing weight slowly. We have been invited out for several meals which has been very nice, but it means we get rice and Ugali again! Linda isn’t too keen on the food and because it is too hot there is no chocolate to eat either. We were invited to the Principals house today for a cup of tea and dinner. He said it was not far – over an hour later on unmade roads we arrived. In his garden he  is growing tea as well as vegetables.  We ended up driving back in the dark, which was adventurous as you have to avoid the cars without lights, the animals and people walking in the road. Everyone driving in the opposite direction doesn’t know how to turn their main beam off (I should be grateful their car has lights I suppose) and so you get blinded all the time.

Linda has been keeping busy, she taught the students about Barak Obama on Monday and they liked her input and started asking questions about the (Kenyan) President.  She went for a walk outside the college and gave away  a few pencils and started talking to a man ( as she does) and he asked her where she was going. She replied the Bible College and he said ‘there was a white man who comes to the college twice a year and has been for there for a couple of years, his name is Werrett’  Linda replied “Oh I know him, he is my husband’. The man then insisted on escorting her to the College, introducing his wife enroute and showing her where he lived.

Linda has been out visiting several orphanages over the past few days, three in total and of course she is the Pencil Santa Claus leaving pencils where ever she goes. She went to one in Kericho run by Grace which has 21 HIV children and they all were neatly dressed and happy. They sang for her and had been kept off school especially for the royal visit. They keep their own animals including goats and cows. The children were very polite, clean and tidy. It is not supported by the Government. They have some sponsors who come out from England to support them, and then we found out they were staying in the next room to us at the hotel.

She went to Mogonjet schools and was mauled by the Kids who were pleased to see her. She was able to give out pens and jumpers to the children. She also took some photos of the science block and the new pharmacy. The primary classrooms are being used. On the way back she visited a baby home which had 45 babies  aged from a few weeks to four years. They have been abandoned by their parents and the Home looks after the. Fifteen of them were sitting on the grass, but when Linda tried  to take a photo one of them started to cry. They weren’t too keen on the Muzungu (white women)

We have been eating marmite sandwiches in the room in the evening as we have been too busy to stop for  dinner. Its surprising how useful a jar of marmite can be.  We did go for dinner last night and they gave us a menu. I asked for fish fingers – but they had none, ffish – no we have run out. It was easier to ask what they did have – which was steak or chicken. Linda ended up with vegetable soup.

Whilst you can’t sell coals to Newcastle or sand to the Arabs, Linda is bringing her own Tesco tea bags from England to Kenya ( where they were grown in the first place) and at tea time at the college she gets out her Tea bag sto use. She has even given some to the Principal and Staff, so they are probably think they have beautiful English Tea to drink, when in fact it is home made in Kenya!

There are pictures at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/simon.werrett