Gonga - they are trying to get my dads attention. It means "grandfather" in Kikuyu
Take (insert drink or food name) - instead of eat or drink, they say, "would you like to take tea or bread..."
Auntie - they are referring to me
Muzungu - white person in Swahili
Smart - pretty
Kuja - means to eat in Kikuyu
Decker - is a bunk bed
A Shave - is a haircut
Top up - they want you to add more
The first day someone arrives, they are a visitor and are not to do anything but take tea and bread. If you have been there, like we have for a couple of days, we are expected to wait on that person.
If you cook dinner, everyone else does the dishes.
The power goes out more than once everyday and stays out for 2 hours at a time sometimes. Because we are in the mountains, it gets very cold at night- about 50 degrees and gets VERY dark. You are not able to see your hand in front of your face. There is no heat or air here. If you are going to shower, you must turn on the water heater, which runs off of electricity, so that you can have hot water. Last night, the power went off while I was in the shower. There went my hot water and all awareness of where anything was. Imagine, standing naked in a 50 degree bathroom, with ice cold water falling on you, you're not able to see the hand in front of your face, and you've just lathered your hair with shampoo. Good times... when I came out, I was breathing smoke and shivering because of the cold.
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