Welcome to Nairobi

Maybe you've heard of Nairobi, possibly a lot more lately due to two HUGE things happening in the past few months, but before I get into all that, I am going to start off with us still being in Laos, because that's where a lot of our biggest decisions had to be made to end up here in Nairobi.

Firstly our initial 2nd posting in the Foreign Service was supposed to be Accra, Ghana, but things changed and we had a list of 4 places we could go. Because we lost our post, we figured we'd get our first choice, and we did! Nairobi, Kenya.

While we were still in Laos, and after we found out we would be going to Kenya and how all the timing would work we found out I was pregnant with baby number 4, so everything we had planned had to be changed, in big ways. Instead of selling our car that we couldn't take to Nairobi ,we would ship our car back to The States. Instead of all flying to Nairobi in June, Mike and I would part ways for the summer (2 months in case you were wondering) and with the help of my older brother I'd drive across the U.S. to spend the summer in Arizona with my family waiting to have baby number 4. After baby number 4 was born Mike and the three older children would fly to Kenya, alone, so they could attend school and I would fly to Kenya at a later date. With a few bumps in the road, this all happened.

The kids and I didn't have the BEST summer, but it was nice. Both older kids got to go to summer camp, while Tess and I puttered about. It's nice to have a 2 year old who operates at the same pace as a 8-month pregnant lady, afternoon naps were a must for us both! I have to admit that I wasn't at my best this summer, with lots of yelling, T.V. watching and McDonald's eating, Mike couldn't come home soon enough.

The two weeks we go to spend together were fantastic! It was the summer I had in-visioned when I decided to go back to Tucson in the first place. Two weeks was just too short in my book, but I knew it was all we had so we made the best of it until Mike and the kids had to leave just a week after the baby was born.

Tess looks skeptical, but she is the happiest of them all.

Now we get back to the news that some people may have heard back in August. The International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya caught fire and through chaos, most of the international terminal burned down. Holy panic attack! Mike and the kids were supposed to fly into said burned down airport in just 1 week! Most women who've had a baby know it can be a total roller coaster of emotions and I was a hot mess. Panicking about how Mike would handle flying with all 3 kids, getting through an airport that was operating at less than 100% and not to mention be a geographically-working-single dad! You'd think I was having to do all that with how much I stressed about it. He really makes it seem like it was no big deal, but that's just because he's cool like that. I know it was very trying and couldn't be happier with my choice of husband/father to my kids! I'm sure if he had to do it over again, he would.

So, Ty, baby number 4, and I stayed in Arizona for 6 excruciatingly long weeks. Thanks to a few friends and mostly my mom and some other family, we got through it and even got all of our paperwork done with only 1 emotional crying fit to Mike and the wonderful nurses at the State Department.

With all the paperwork done, and Ty and me both cleared to fly, we jumped at our chance and arrived less than 2 weeks ago. A few days after I arrived Mike, in all his awesomeness, planned a welcome party for us to give me an opportunity to meet some people we'd be with for the next 2 years. It was planned for Saturday, September 21, early afternoon...

Now that brings us to the news lately. I imagine most people have heard at least a blurb about a shopping mall attack in Nairobi where 62 people were killed, scores more injured and a days long siege took place.

The shopping mall was named Westgate and Mike had told me we should go to this particular mall to get some grocery shopping done, because it was a bigger shop and had more of what I might be looking for. Now keep in mind, I've been in Nairobi 4 days and am extremely sleep deprived, you know new baby and jet lag, they don't mix all that well. We arrived at the mall late in the morning and got our shopping done, but after about an hour of wondering and feeling like I wasn't finding anything or feeling completely out of it, I asked Mike to just take me home. While I waited, somewhat seething, in the car while he ran back in for Ice, I watched the set up of a cooking demonstration. after waiting 15 minutes my anger was boiling over, but he finally came back and we headed home. Just after arriving back Mike started receiving phone calls about a shooting at the mall we were just at. Continuing to set up for our party, we monitored the news and he continued to get texts, emails and calls about what was really happening in the mall. Because of this, he ended up having to go to work and I hosted my own welcome party with the spouses of the officers who work with Mike. It was very nice that people still ended up coming and it was nice to be able to chat about what was going on with other people, especially since I knew no one here and would've ended up being alone during all of it.

Many people have commented about how unlucky I am to have just arrived and had this tragic attack take place, but I honestly feel lucky. Lucky to have left when we did, obviously, but more lucky and grateful that I was here to support my husband and more importantly to be here for my kids, one of whom is very well aware of what happened. No, I don't think they would've been at that mall that Saturday of the attack if I wasn't here, but it still would've happened and I wouldn't be here to take over the house while daddy had to work crazy long days.

In the end, I still feel panicky going into places here and leaving the house, but I know I have to continue to get to know Nairobi and not let these awful events rule the next 2 years of my life.