Going Off The Grid...

"Lately I can't stand to hear other people talking, 
 So many empty conversations, what a waste of lips. 
 Lately I like to stand on top of the hill, 
 And look down upon the city, a heart pumping the roads,
 We rejoice at being connected, without touching, thank God for the internet.
 We stare at our screens all our lives, what a waste of eyes,
 'Till the electrical storm blows our fuses..."

Welcome to my first blog since April, which was written at that particular time to support some uploaded photos to Facebook following my latest visit to Kenya. 
The sole purpose of this blog is just to let everyone know that I will be "Going Off The Grid" for a while, from next Monday December 21st until Thursday January 21st.
Due to a combination of holiday and paternity leave I will be enjoying a whole wonderful month off work, and also off social media as I 'unplug' myself from the world to visit my gorgeous fiance and be there for the birth of our child. I am so excited at the prospect of impending fatherhood as I thought this amazing experience had passed me by. Being a dad may well have come to me late in life, but I'm going to cherish every precious moment of this amazing, little miracle that we've been fortunate to be gifted with.

Apart from one Christmas spent with my dear friends Ruth & Glenn Courtney in County Laios in Ireland, all my previous 48 Yuletide celebrations have been spent in England. So this year it is going to be especially exciting, as not only will I be swapping a cold British winter for a totally different climate in the dust and heat of Dunga beside Lake Victoria on the equator in Kenya, but more importantly it will also involve spending it with Nancy and her family...and with our little bundle of joy set to make an appearance somewhen around the turn of the New Year.

2015 has been a very tough year for me, both personally and professionally. Although some of my closest friends have an idea of some of the issues I've had to deal with, I don't think others really appreciate and understand just how much pressure I've been under. If this was entirely self-inflicted then I could have no complaints, but alas this hasn't been the case. I rarely suffer from self-pity, but it's been really hard trying to be so strong for everybody else all of the time, whilst most people around me have been totally oblivious to how I've been feeling, and what I've had to cope with.
I have sacrificed so much over the years, probably far more than most of you know, and it's been a hell of a struggle at times, financially, emotionally and spiritually, but despite these hardships I have continually proved to be a survivor, an optimist, and an old, hopeless romantic!

Throughout all these recent trials and tribulations there has remained one constant: Nancy. Never has a day passed when we haven't been in contact. Every morning, afternoon and night we share messages and these help me to get through the day. She has been my rock and my pillar of strength, and for someone so young she is incredibly wise. I sometimes wonder what she sees in me...I'm just so thankful that she does (whatever it is). So despite these struggles, I have the comfort of knowing that this year is going to end on a high.

As we come to the end of yet another year I would just like to thank all my friends, family and blog followers for all their kindness and love for what has truly been an interesting and challenging 2015.
I would especially like to thank my dearest friends Elona, Curph, and Chappers for their unconditional support, as well as thanking all my wonderful work colleagues at Mercer for continually asking after Nancy's well being and taking an interest in our story, and a special thanks also goes to Nicky Jones, who like Elona gave us such beautiful baby gifts. Finally, my eternal thanks goes to my precious girl Nanshu' for bringing me so much happiness and love into my life...Nakupenda Mpenzi!

So as I'll be "Off The Grid" I'd just like to wish everybody an amazing Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Please don't be offended that I won't be sending out any Christmas cards this year ~ it's nothing personal, just a decision I've made due to the fact that I'll be out of the country for the entire festive season...but those closest to me will remain in my thoughts.

Best wishes, stay safe & take care.

Steve Muskett

Kenya Revisited...

Welcome to my first 'An African Adventure' blog for quite some time...and it will probably be the last for a while too! After uploading all my photograph's to Facebook from my holiday in Kenya, I thought an update on here would accompany them nicely.

Unfortunately, my arrival was overshadowed by the horrific incident at Garissa University, and the consequences of this tragedy caused some of our plans to alter slightly. We had hoped to travel to Uganda, but with all the educational facilities being closely monitored with an additional security presence, as well as the onset of the very heavy rainny season, we felt it best to mainly remain in Nancy's home village, and limit our movements to local areas only.

I arrived via British Airways at Nairobi International Airport around 9.15pm local time on April 1st, and unlike last time I breezed through immigration and customs. The problem was my internal flight to Kisumu to be reunited with my love didn't leave until 6.15 am the following morning! Never mind, there were a few coffee bars open so I patiently passed the time until I could check in.
The internal flight with Fly540 was interesting to say the least! No screenings on any departures board, no tannoy announcements...just one final reassuring check with a stewardess that I was actually on the correct plane!
Once I arrived, I was greeted by Nancy at Kisumu Airport, who had been given a lift by her kind brother-in-law Andrew, and our great friend Kerry tagged along for good measure too. I was so buzzing to see her after almost a year that the fact that I hadn't slept for over 24 hours didn't register with me at all...that was to hit me later. We returned to Dunga village, and her parents compound where I saw for the first time our brand new house which has just been built over the previous few weeks. It wasn't completely finished, but it gave us some privacy and I loved our 'love shack'!
After reaquainting myself with Nancy (you know what I mean!), she then proceeded to give me a fashion show with all the clothes I had brought for her. Thankfully, they all fitted well and more importantly to me Nancy appreciated my taste in choosing her clothes.

In the afternoon we jumped on the back of a motorbike and headed into Kisumu with Kerry, where we enjoyed a few beers (Tusker!) and some food. On our way back the rains started so we just brought some provisions for our house warming party, as Nancy had invited loads of her friends around. Despite the weather we all enjoyed a great time, although as I earlier indicated I was totally shattered so I retired early to bed.

Over the next two weeks I caught up with the rest of Nancy's family including her beautiful daughter Jojo, and started to revisit old haunts from my last trip to the area, namely Hippopoint, Dunga Hill Camp, and Redgate. We enjoyed a great night at Hill Camp where I caught up with Nancy's good friend, also called Nancy, and many beers were consumed with much fun and laughter. I also met Nancy's good friend Johnny Anderpants (?) for the first time who is from the US, as well as countless others during my stay...they are all very good and decent people, and I feel extremely priviledged to have been made to feel so welcome.

We also ventured to some new bars which was amazing to experience, as well as meeting new friends. Joe's Bar was a regular nearby waterering hole where I was introduced to Belozzi lager, as well as some milk stout, but the best suprise was a bar in Nanga called Skyweb.
I made the mistake of stating that I was a decent pool player (back in the day!), so my friends were keen for me to try my luck against some local talent (see attached photo).

I was a little rusty at first but I took on allcomers and generally came out on top. This included a match-up against the bar owner Ken as well as numerous other challengers. In fact by the end of the evening I was proving to be quite a celebrity, as photographs were being repeatedly requested, and it was a bit overwhelming at times to be totally honest.

Other new places we visited included The Rooftop, Le Pearl, and Caro's (the latter two both sharing amazing views and sunsets over Lake Victoria).
Towards the end of my stay Nancy's dear friend Samora arrived from Nairobi so we met him in town and went clubbing which was good fun...even if Nancy left me exposed to the clutches of some local girls who wanted a piece of me! I kid you not, but as I said to the three of them...I am a one woman man!
The following morning, Nancy, Samora and I walked to Dunga Beach where they introduced me to a very special local brew which I can't remeber the name of, but what I do recall is that the best way to describe it was fermented porridge which was extremely potent!

As my stay drew to a close the inevitable sadness began to creep in on both sides, but we did have plenty of time to talk and plan for our future together...so watch this space. Nancy's parents gave me some lovely traditional native vases to bring home, which drew compliments when I took them through customs on my way home, and saying goodbye to everyone was very tough. At least I got to meet the new addition to the family in baby Fifi, and I was pleased to see that Nancy's niece Lucille hadn't forgotten me, and it was great to see the pride on her brothers face when he showed me his new business which had just opened.

The journey home wasn't the best, as the internal flight was redirected via Eldoret resulting in my connecting flight being delayed. This meant I arrived back in the UK at 6am on the day I was due to be back at work, so as you can imagine I was very tired and exhausted once I finally arrived at work at midday. So much so that I am still struggling as I write this blog...but never mind, all the trials and tribulations were worth it to spend some precious time with Nancy.
An amazing adventure was experienced once again, and we will be reunited again soon, someday, somehow. Always and forever Nanshu' and nakupenda mpenzi.

Steve Muskett