This past Thursday Jeff and I celebrated 4 years of marriage. We wanted to be intentional about taking some time to spend together and just enjoy each other’s company. We decided on lunch and some shopping, since we don’t go out after dark here.
We hired a taxi to take us to the closest town. This is the way that we get around here because we do not have a car or our Kenyan driver’s licenses. We had the driver drop us off at the mall, which consists of a couple of restaurants, a grocery store, and some other shops.
We had lunch at an asian restaurant and it was very delicious. The place is actually quite nice, but they were in the process of installing windows so it was rather loud. We still had a great time and are used to such inconveniences, this is Africa after all. Oh, and we are pretty sure that the place uses the Fruit of the Loom logo??
After lunch, I went to the choo (restroom) and was so excited to see toilet paper provided that I just had to take a picture. I didn’t even have to pay for the toilet paper! It is not common to have toilet paper provided in the restrooms here, so I usually carry some in my purse.
Our next stop was the grocery store. It is the closest thing to a Walmart here and we can actually find almost anything we could want there (if you are willing to pay much more than you would in the states to get the types of things we are used to eating/using). For example, I was really wanting to get a nice soft towel to use (ours are stiff and rough here from the way we do the laundry), but Jeff didn’t think we should spend $20 on a towel! And I don’t blame him! We had a nice stroll through the store, just taking our time and discovering new items. If you know me well, you know that I love going to Walmart and just taking my time, so it was very enjoyable.
We then went to the other restaurant that is in the mall for dessert. We splurged on Cookie Sundaes and they were so yummy! We spent time talking and laughing and just relaxing together. Then it was time to call our driver to take us back home. We ended our night with cookies for dinner and a movie.
So it was not exactly what our past anniversaries in the states have looked like. We didn’t go out to dinner and a movie (because the closest theater is hours away, and dinnertime here is after dark). We didn’t go stay at a fancy hotel, or go to a Braves game and Six Flags (which is what we did for our first three anniversaries), but we had a great day spent together and that is what matters.
We love our life here and wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. We are thankful that God has given us 4 wonderful years of marriage and we look forward to many more! Our life together has certainly been a crazy and amazing journey so far and we are excited to see what the next chapter of our life will hold. Please join us in praying about what God would have us do next, as our time here is drawing closer and closer to an end. Thanks and God Bless! - Tasch
