Taking 4 children to the other side of the world is no easy task. I had purchased plane tickets that required only 1 plane change in Heathrow but we only had 1 hour in between flights. 
Unfortunately our plane left late from Denver and it was clear that we would not have enough time to make our second flight on time. But what I thought was wonderful was that our plane, which had several hundred passengers, announced that anyone going to Nairobi w
ould be met by an agent outside the plane. What could have been a difficult issue turned into a blessing. We were escorted to the ticket counter, booked on a different flight later that afternoon, given plenty of credit to purchase food and offered insight as to how to enjoy our day in London. As a result we had a wonderful experience taking the Underground to Picadilly Circus, visited Buckingham Palace and the parks by the palace and then returned
with plenty of time to get on our other flight. The children, armed with two digital cameras and a video camera, took plenty of pictures of our experience. That flight landed with just enough time Saturday for us to be whisked away 
to our shuttle from Nairobi to Arusha (we also picked up several boxes of exotic fruits and other foods to fill our famished family).
Most of the family slept on the bus ride from Kenya to Tanzania which was very surprising considering the state of the road. There was about 40 to 50 kilometers of very rough dirt roads while the primary road is being replaced. Once we arrived we were met by both Dr Mark Jacobson and his wife, armed with bananas and cheese pizza, who took us to our
new home for the next 7 weeks.
Our surprise at the accommodations we were placed in has not yet ended. A little history is in order to give you an idea of how surprised we were. We went to the Dominican Republic in 2004 to share a hand washing program with approximately 1500 children across 9 different schools and were provided housing by our church, Lookout Mountain. The housing consisted of a 2 bedroom upstairs apartment for my wife, 4 children and my cousin. It was next to a disco that went until 2 AM most nights and the windows were really shutters that only partially closed. The primary mode of transportation consisted of mopeds with the mufflers
removed for gas and performance reasons. There was a speed bump outside our apartment so that the mopeds would slow and then gun their engines once they were over the speed bump. The night quieted at 2 when the bars closed but the roosters (everyone had one) started at about 3 in the morning. We slept on air mattresses that deflated down to the concrete floor every night about at the same time that the roosters started.
So back to my surprise at the Arusha accommodations. Let’s start with pictures of the beautiful flat yard (we live on the side of a mountain back in Ever
green) that is about the size of a half a soccer field. We have never seen flowers as beautiful as the gorgeous assortment planted around the house and maintained regularly Monday through Friday from 8-4 by Elle. There are several banana trees that will have ripened fruit in the next two weeks. The house itself has a fridge, heated water and two bathrooms. There are 4 bedrooms and an office and a great room for entertaining. Christina is our cook who came highly recommended. The property is surrounded by a 2 meter wall of plants that have grown around a strong fence. We have a Masai guard who stays in his guard shack every night (we bring him dinner and a big thermos of coffee) and a gigantic 20 lb Star Tortoise that Jessica likes to feed salad. It isn't nice, it’s amazing! 
Kathleen loves it. Jessica has already stated that she doesn't want to ever leave! Although this may be because she has her own room in Africa unlike at home…HOWEVER did you know that our house in Evergreen will be listed for sale in the next couple days? We are planning on moving to the next house up the street.
Unfortunately our plane left late from Denver and it was clear that we would not have enough time to make our second flight on time. But what I thought was wonderful was that our plane, which had several hundred passengers, announced that anyone going to Nairobi w
ould be met by an agent outside the plane. What could have been a difficult issue turned into a blessing. We were escorted to the ticket counter, booked on a different flight later that afternoon, given plenty of credit to purchase food and offered insight as to how to enjoy our day in London. As a result we had a wonderful experience taking the Underground to Picadilly Circus, visited Buckingham Palace and the parks by the palace and then returned
with plenty of time to get on our other flight. The children, armed with two digital cameras and a video camera, took plenty of pictures of our experience. That flight landed with just enough time Saturday for us to be whisked away 
to our shuttle from Nairobi to Arusha (we also picked up several boxes of exotic fruits and other foods to fill our famished family).Most of the family slept on the bus ride from Kenya to Tanzania which was very surprising considering the state of the road. There was about 40 to 50 kilometers of very rough dirt roads while the primary road is being replaced. Once we arrived we were met by both Dr Mark Jacobson and his wife, armed with bananas and cheese pizza, who took us to our
new home for the next 7 weeks.Our surprise at the accommodations we were placed in has not yet ended. A little history is in order to give you an idea of how surprised we were. We went to the Dominican Republic in 2004 to share a hand washing program with approximately 1500 children across 9 different schools and were provided housing by our church, Lookout Mountain. The housing consisted of a 2 bedroom upstairs apartment for my wife, 4 children and my cousin. It was next to a disco that went until 2 AM most nights and the windows were really shutters that only partially closed. The primary mode of transportation consisted of mopeds with the mufflers
removed for gas and performance reasons. There was a speed bump outside our apartment so that the mopeds would slow and then gun their engines once they were over the speed bump. The night quieted at 2 when the bars closed but the roosters (everyone had one) started at about 3 in the morning. We slept on air mattresses that deflated down to the concrete floor every night about at the same time that the roosters started.So back to my surprise at the Arusha accommodations. Let’s start with pictures of the beautiful flat yard (we live on the side of a mountain back in Ever
green) that is about the size of a half a soccer field. We have never seen flowers as beautiful as the gorgeous assortment planted around the house and maintained regularly Monday through Friday from 8-4 by Elle. There are several banana trees that will have ripened fruit in the next two weeks. The house itself has a fridge, heated water and two bathrooms. There are 4 bedrooms and an office and a great room for entertaining. Christina is our cook who came highly recommended. The property is surrounded by a 2 meter wall of plants that have grown around a strong fence. We have a Masai guard who stays in his guard shack every night (we bring him dinner and a big thermos of coffee) and a gigantic 20 lb Star Tortoise that Jessica likes to feed salad. It isn't nice, it’s amazing! 
Kathleen loves it. Jessica has already stated that she doesn't want to ever leave! Although this may be because she has her own room in Africa unlike at home…HOWEVER did you know that our house in Evergreen will be listed for sale in the next couple days? We are planning on moving to the next house up the street. We thank God for all of our good fortunes and for the relationships we will be forming while in Africa.
So that's it for now but we will be updating more shortly. There are lots of health rules that we need to obey in Africa which includes sterilizing vegetables and fruits, lots of hand washing, no touching pets, etc that I feel we have been observing well. But still Zoe has gotten a little tummy bug yesterday and got sick to her stomach but seems better today and Stephen got a little bug as well last night and Kathleen feels a cold coming on. So please pray for our health! But also know we are working for the best hospital in this part of the world and have neighbors all around us from different parts of the world that are experienced in pediatrics, ICU, surgery, etc.
So that's it for now but we will be updating more shortly. There are lots of health rules that we need to obey in Africa which includes sterilizing vegetables and fruits, lots of hand washing, no touching pets, etc that I feel we have been observing well. But still Zoe has gotten a little tummy bug yesterday and got sick to her stomach but seems better today and Stephen got a little bug as well last night and Kathleen feels a cold coming on. So please pray for our health! But also know we are working for the best hospital in this part of the world and have neighbors all around us from different parts of the world that are experienced in pediatrics, ICU, surgery, etc.
Love,
The Little Allen Family
3 comments:
That sounds AMAZING!!! Have a wonderful time,and post your updates when you can. I love hearing about your families travels. Prayers for healthy people are coming your way!!
way cool! Have a wonderful & safe Thanksgiving!
Stevo and Allen family,
How are you guys doing? We saw your beautiful house in Africa. We think it is very cool that you have your own guard and a tortoise that hangs out in your yard. Please write more about your experiences and post pictures of the tortoise and your Safari trip. We also really want to see pictures of Stevo and of the guard. Fifth grade hopes everyone is feeling healthy and strong. We miss you a ton!!!!!
From, Fifth Grade
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