Life in Kenya is never easy. Luckily, my glass is nearly
always half full and you have the joy of reading some of my most amazing
experiences. That being said, this is not one of them. As the holiday seasons
approach I had been dreaming about making pumpkin pie. Unfortunately you cannot
get canned pumpkin in Kenya and doing it the old fashioned way would be too
expensive. Buying propane for my gas stove is one of my biggest expenses here
and I can’t imagine what it would cost to bake a pumpkin for hours followed by
baking it in a pie crust for another hour. I put in my request and my mom
confirmed it was in my next care package!
I was hoping to make the pie for the thanksgiving feast a
group of us Peace Corps volunteers were throwing in the Kakamega rainforest.
Baking has always been fun for me, but even more so when you get to share it
with someone else. Pumpkin pie always feels like thanksgiving to me. As Thanksgiving
Day approached I had not gotten notification of the package. On my way out of
town on the 22nd I made a special trip to the post office and asked
them to check my mail box and then check the stack of boxes in the back room in
the chance that a little thanksgiving miracle had happened. No luck, and my
Thanksgiving apple pie turned out just fine.
Fast forward to December 14; I finally got notification that
my package arrived and I made arrangements to get to my nearest post office. I
get there in time for the man to tell me my package has been waiting at the
post office since November 11th and because it has been over a month
he would have to charge me extra. How much extra? Let us just say that the
total price for customs and “other” fees amounted to $45 American dollars! When
your Peace Corps monthly stipend is about $200, you can imagine that I yelled
and argued with him for over an hour. I
contemplated leaving the package with the post office, but didn’t want to give
him the satisfaction of scalping my American treasures. Besides, my mouth was
watering for some pumpkin pie!
I always get a little sad around this time of the year. I
miss the Christmas traditions, the time with the family, and wondering if there
is going to be snow… then freaking out about Seattle being shut down for
becoming a ski resort for public transportation. I am going to have a wonderful and hopefully
snow filled Christmas with my Peace Corps family on Mount Kenya this year, but
deep inside I cannot wait to be back in the arms of the people I love,
celebrating, and eating much cheaper pumpkin pie.
Love you all. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New
years!
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