My Last Day

11/3/2012

I awoke feeling a little somber this morning.  I should have planned to stay for at least two weeks. :-(

After breakfast, Peter escorted me into town.  Center city is no different than any major city in the United States.  There are hoards of people walking to and fro, some looking very stylish and others disheveled.  I saw the tallest buildings in the country, along with the Hilton hotel where I almost ended up on my first night.  Peter also took me to the Basillica, which is a beautiful building in the same location as Archdiocese of Nairobi.

After our jaunt through the city, Peter drove me back to Buru Buru, where I met children of the Pontifical Mission Society.  After the children performed, Fr. Bundi presented me with a plaque to thank me for
 volunteering.

Click here to see part of the performance.

I said goodbye to the children after the performance and went back to the house to spend a few more hours with my hosts.  The atmosphere was so familiar, just like a family gathering back home.  The smell of food from the kitchen, jokes being made, and stories being told.  Fr. George called a tailor to come take my measurements for the dress he will send to me.  After he finished my measurements in the dining room, Fr. Celestino and Fr. Eddy got measured for suits while I talked to Peter and Fr. Celestino's assistant Mary.  Soon, Fr. George returned from listening to confessions and it was time for dinner and a surprise:  My hosts had only been eating with forks and knives for my sake...this time, Fr. Eddy and Mary dug into their food with their hands!  It took me back to my first night, when Fr. George told me that eating food with my hands would make it taste sweeter.  We all erupted into laughter as Fr. Eddy confessed that he didn't want me to think they were uncivilized...but now he could show his true colors. :-)

After dinner and photos, I said goodbye to Peter, Fr. George, and Joseph and departed with Fr. Celestino, Fr. Eddy, and Mary to a nightclub for drinks and dancing in Eastlands (the side of Nairobi whose residents are widely regarded as more down-to-earth than those from Westlands - also home to Holy Trinity).  The group made my last hours in Nairobi memorable.  I had a few glasses of wine, colorful conversations about dating, sexism, and politics, and danced with Fr. Eddy until the wee hours of the morning.  Finally, Fr. Celestino took me back to his home in the wealthier Westlands community, where I slept for a few hours before he came to take me to the airport.