Part of Their World

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Today was my favorite day in Mombasa, and possibly my favorite of the trip.

The morning was relaxed, with a trip to the internet café to get work done and post. Sarah and I opted against cold spaghetti (or cold anything else) for lunch, so we found a restaurant with chicken and chips. I also enjoyed the slow pace and the part where there weren’t a zillion of us. Several of the others found their way to the church for a kids production or something, and the rest were with us until we split for lunch. We meandered through the streets and alleys we have come to know, negotiating large puddles, goats, and piles of garbage.

Some packing was yet to be done, so we can leave tomorrow. Then, Sarah and I packed up the kids- all of them- to go to the beach. Our group consisted of Stella, Sidney, Rodney, Shirlene, Victor (from the school), Timothy, Andrea, Faith and the two of us. A group came right behind us, with Robertta, Esther, the other Timothy, Pascal, and then followed by the rest of the mzungus and George and Mama.

I hadn’t planned to swim, but put on my “swimming costume” just in case. I was looking forward to just spending our last afternoon together. It seemed we were all finally comfortable with each other. Sarah and I sort of split into two groups of just 4 kids, so I got to spend some time with Sidney and Rodney. They’re quiet in a big group, with a much different upbringing than the others, but are loads of fun when they open up.

Stella and I settled in on the sand and continued our conversation. We watched the kids play and talked of home. Sarah and taken all the boys out to the sandbar, and they were digging a tunnel to South America. (I mistakenly asked if it was to China, but Sarah reminded me we’re on the other side of the world.) When George came, he was shocked to see Stella. “She never comes outside the house! How did you get her out?” I said that was an incorrect statement, she goes outside to hang laundry. We said the same thing about Mama, though, that she also is rarely seen outside the compound or school. I know this was Stella’s first time to the beach, but I imagine Mama has been there a time or two, but not many.

After a while, and some photos being taken, the sandbar crew got kicked off. This was not before they dug deep enough for their holes to fill with water from the bottom, though. Unfortunately, the older guys who were playing football decided they wanted to play in the middle of the ocean, and filled in their holes to take over the sandbar. Sarah told them not to worry, they would find a new place to dig.

Pascal found some sort of line worm or something swimming, and built a home for it for me as a gift. The tunnels on the beach soon were deep enough to find water again, and the kids got distracted. I showed Andrea and the girls how we make sand castles in America, using the top of a 2-liter bottle as the mold.

Wayne showed up with a fork that he found on the road, and Sarah and I were trying to figure out what Scuttle called it on The Little Mermaid. (Any ideas?) Then the song “Part of Your World” got stuck in my head. As I was singing and drawing in the sand, Esther came to me with an odd request. Would I go swimming with her? Not just go swimming, but teach her to swim. Sure, why not?

I used to swim a lot as a kid, and I still really enjoy it, but I can’t say I’ve ever really taught anyone to do so. In fact, I don’t even really remember learning, it was just always something I did. But learning to swim in the ocean is hard. The only advantage is that you float better.

Irene and I got her to float and to trust herself. Victor was also getting swimming lessons nearby. Pretty soon, they were both swimming! Then, Rodney and Sidney came out the “deep” water (up to their chests) with Sarah to join in the fun. Rodney picked up on it pretty fast once I explained to him and showed him that his body was built to float. He figured it out, but still wanted his head out of the water. Eventually, he got kicking down and then we tried using his arms. His left arm was great, but his right arm got impatient and went too early and then got lost on the way back to his side. By the end of the day, though, we were all cold, but he was swimming.

Sidney was a different story. He is a textbook firstborn in the fact that he doesn’t want to do something unless he knows he’ll be able to do it well and be successful. There’s a lot of that in me too. He also was thinking way too hard and panicking once he tried to let the water hold him. My white skin might have had finger marks from him holding so tight. I tried as many different tactics as I could. Eventually, I asked him if he ever has competitions with his brother to see who can hold his breath longer. A big smile came across his face, with an enthusiastic “Yes!” So, we both practiced holding our breath, and then holding it with our face under water. Once he figured out he could hold it long enough to float, lying in the water wasn’t too far down the road. Sarah and I switched kids and she took Sidney and got him floating!

By then, we were freezing, so we headed back home.

They usually eat dinner around 9, which I think is ridiculous because it keeps the kids up so late. Tonight, we ate at ten minutes to 10. Yikes! It was a good last night, though. Everyone was a bit sad. The relationships here have been great!

Tomorrow is the long bus ride to Nairobi!

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