Starting my third week in Kenya and I have begun to feel a bit homesick for things back home. I miss seeing my friends, baseball, pizza, my bicycle and pancakes. I've really been craving pancakes lately and it is not like there is an IHOP anywhere nearby.* So what is a new expat to do? Make them from scratch and be happy. Not so fast, there is no maple syrup here, nor the log cabin imitation stuff. What is available is Google and the power of the Internet. Searching around, I have found a few recipes for homemake pancake syrup. Back on a role!
* International? Right!
Not so fast though, all the recipes call for vanilla and maple extract. I have seen the vanilla extract but none of the stores here carry the other stuff. Doh! All is not lost, I can get the ingredients that I need, though I will have to wait for a bit.
I have learned that the AMPATH expats rely on a regular caravan of things from USA via the regular back and forth of new trainees. If you can get what you need to someone coming over, life becomes less hard. So, I have been ordering some stuff and asking friends to send some other things to Indianapolis for eventual transfer here. It is not the most efficient, but it works.
Some colleagues from Indianapolis are heading out to Eldoret towards the end of August. So, I have enlisted them to bring me some luxury items* including the maple extract. Other friends from the New York area will help me get other things to Indianapolis and I'm really grateful for their help. I will make pancakes! It may take a few weeks, but it will happen. I will report back on my success.
* I have in mind a longer post on luxury items and the way we go about getting things to Eldoret.
Life is not all depressing, I have found things that I know I will miss when it is time for me to leave Kenya. Two things immediately come to mind, digestive biscuits and chilli lemon potato crisps. The biscuits are pretty well known and common. Quite tasty with a cup of tea (the chocolate covered ones are a new favorite of mine). The crisps are a local product and this is one of those things that people will definitely have to bring back to me after I have left. They have a nice spicy kick and go well with either a cold coke or a cold bottle of Tusker (a not so bad lager).
All-in-all things are not so bad and there is some potential.* Not that this makes up for missing my friends, but it could be worse. So I am keeping positive.
* I may have a lead on a shop in Nairobi where I can get my guitar amp.
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