Normality

Despite an awareness that the security situation here is potentially volatile, compound life is carrying on as normal!

Our children are not aware of the political events in the wider community. They have not noticed that we did not go off-compound this week. The go-bag is well hidden to ensure the children do not feel insecure and tomorrow we plan to go to church as normal.

We are pleased to say that all remains peaceful and calm. The most dramatic conflicts we have experienced this week have all been contained within the 4 walls of our home. They are mostly to do with Parker sibling disputes along the usual themes: who gets the biggest piece of cake, who needs which piece of lego to build their model, who should tidy up the bricks all over the lounge floor...!!!

Reassuringly, our daily routine continues to tick along.

Andrew has been flying and returned home safely in the evenings.

The weekly MAF Nairobi flight came up on Friday as planned, bringing with it some very exciting freight: all our school materials from England for the upcoming academic year!

Once I have had a few days to go through the Y5 and Y3 materials, we'll be able to get started with the new school year in early September...

This week at home-school, in our brilliant out-of-the-house classroom, Joel has joined us (his pre-school is still on their summer break). Joel has enjoyed making collections of objects beginning with different letters of the alphabet, as well as painting, gluing and basic computer activities. Meanwhile, Esther and Ben have had great fun learning about volcanoes and even greater fun creating a model volcano and making it erupt!

Mr. Kintu, the market-man, has continued to bring my fruit and veg orders from the local market to our compound. I text him my order and he comes a few hours later with the healthy produce (usually freshly imported from Uganda). Joel is a great help at bringing the goods back into the house to be washed:

On two evenings this week, we have enjoyed having friends to join us for dinner. And this morning, some of the other MAF kids joined us while their parents nipped out for an anniversary coffee at a hotel close to the compound: 

I have also been a little preoccupied this week with nursing a painful case of sunburn. We took the children swimming at a local hotel last week, before security restrictions. But I carelessly forgot to put on sun-cream!! Such carelessness, especially when living so close to the equator!!
Thankfully, aloe vera plants grow on our compound. The natural juices in their leaves are so wonderfully soothing on burnt skin!

Despite the normality of everyday family life on our compound, slight uncertainty lingers in our minds. This underlying theme is tiring and sometimes manifests as irritability on my part. A couple of mornings this week I have woken up at 4am with a vague sense of tension, causing my ears to be sensitive to the slightest noise, alert for any possible hostile sounds.
It is a strange state of affairs, to carry on with the routine whilst living with uncertainty: wondering if we should perhaps be more vigilant OR perhaps be more relaxed?? But for now, the news is good, the city is calm and we live life as normally as possible...