Moments of Life - Maisha

I was thinking tonight of several moments from the past days. I don't know of an equivalent phrase in Swahili, so I am sticking with just maisha, which means life.

• having a police officer help me move the car off the road by directing nearby men to Sukuma! (Push!)
• being told by a Kenyan "that's life!" and being humbled in realizing that my challenges are so small relative to those I serve
• drinking uji (porridge - like liquidy malt-o-meal) this afternoon in the support group for pre-teen kids that have all been HIV+ since they were born, laughing with them as we said "cheers" in as many languages as I could come up with
• singing songs I don't really know and somewhat out of tune with new friends
• making my new colleagues laugh
• being honored to hear someone's story

These have been some of the moments that give me hope. There have been challenging moments, too, especially realizing that there are not easy answers.

Photos of life in Mombasa:

Joyful faces of our kids, showing off the prizes of lollipops from the Education for Life workshop

Most days I take a matatu, or mini-bus like these to work. They conveniently stop anywhere on their route - which is hazardous for a new driver like me trying to avoid a collision.

Tuk-tuks are also available for a ride - 65 cents will get you most anywhere in town, & another group of vehicles to watch for while driving.
Behind the tuk-tuk, you see a hand cart, which men earn a living by transporting goods, an incredibly demanding line of work.

Most of our children live (with their guardians & families) in rental units that would be one room of these structures. If you look at the spacing of the windows, you could see how big one room might be. The clothes drying on the line made me think of everyday life.

Being on the coast, every once in awhile, there's a glimpse of incredible beauty and the wonder of creation.

Another image of life in Mombasa. Many people try to make a living selling items along the street. Here there are tomatoes on the bottom right and coconuts heaped in the bottom center.

My heart has been heavy this week as one of my cousins was laid to rest after a fight with cancer. My thoughts are with his mom, his siblings and his wife.

Life is so precious.