The week started off with an adventure: my bus arrived in Mombasa at 9pm, when all the public transportation to the south coast had stopped running. Thankfully my Baba is ever-resourceful and after meeting me at the bus station commandeered a passing matatu, convincing the driver to change directions completely and take us the hour drive to home. When we arrived in Msambweni I instantly started to get choked up. All of my cousins had stayed awake for my arrival and gave me the warmest welcome ever: I was home.
Some highlights of the week:
Meeting my new baby sister Sakina for the first time
Giving big love to my little guy, Suleiman
Eating the freshest mangoes, handpicked by my cousin Abee
Enjoying Auntie Tima's chapatis all day, everyday
It was truly wonderful to spend time with my Kenyan family. It's so amazing to me, the love that can grow in a year. Fifteen months ago we hadn't yet met, and now they've taken up permanent residence in my heart. Leaving them to return to Nairobi was SO hard: Suleiman's goodbye shouts of "I LOVE YOUU DADA MOLLY!" (dada means sister in Swahili) melted me. The good news is I'll be visiting them for a weekend in July, and spending another week there in August-- this is the first time we parted ways and known when our next meeting would be, making things infinitely easier.
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