This Global Home | Day 5: Kenya
Hi, I'm Sharon, and you can find me on a very slow tour of the 7 continents. First living in Malaysia for 10 years and now nearly 2 years in Kenya. I'm hoping if another move comes it will take me, my husband, and our five children to Europe. (Australia would be fine too) Fingers crossed.
An unexpected part of living overseas is the potential to move. Not "move overseas" but "move because the landlord's brother is coming back and wants to live in that house" or "our kids had to switch schools and now we're moving across town" type moves.
Along with this unexpected aspect of my life abroad, I've come to actually like it. Not the nitty gritty of finding-a-new-grocery-store in the new part of town, but of the making-the-house-a-home part. Among my expat friends I've found others like me. Moving means purging and the hope and expectation of finding gems in the market. Of taking pillows, paint colors, and porches and creating something new. It's a healthy viewpoint to not lose the ability to create when you move to another country- musicians still need music, gardeners need a bit of earth, and homemakers need to do their thing within the rooms and walls of the next version of "home."
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The weather in Nairobi is PERFECT. 75 degrees Fahrenheit everyday. It honestly helps with the bad roads, traffic, and high grocery prices. How can you get mad when indoor/outdoor eating temps beckon you onto your back porch every day of the year?
I have plans to add more outdoor furniture, but this set up, along with the weather means parties with 25-40 people are the norm and everyone finds a place to enjoy food and a conversation. On normal days my kids can be found at the little craft table on the back porch. Nothing says "Paint!" "Draw!" "Color!" "Do your homework!" like a shady porch and perfect temps. (That still doesn't guarantee homework completion, but it helps).
Our house isn't open like ours tended to be in Malaysia, and with the wooden ceilings that are in most of the house (not this part) it feels like a cottage. All cozy with corners and wooden accents. This dining and living space has just enough openness though to keep the claustrophobia away and bring in green and light with the big windows and french doors to the back porch.
Small but mighty. Five children and African red dirt that gets EVERYWHERE, means I had better like this room. And I do! Its the first time we've ever had a matching washer/dryer set! And you can't see it in the picture, but I brought my "accordion drying rack" from Malaysia and installed it way up high for handy indoor drying. (Wow- I wonder if 18 year old Sharon would've been as excited as 37 year old Sharon is about a drying rack?)
Here it is folks. The Achilles heel of this house. EVERY INCH of this house was painted the same color those cabinets are, and the cabinets are all that's left of it. And while I appreciate the forethought of whoever put in the swirly "S" shape cabinet pulls, it will be a fine fine day indeed when I finally get to tackle this kitchen. For now, I added open shelves above the oven and stenciled the wall to match the one in the laundry. (Go to
or follow on instagram @royalstencils. The stencils are super light. AKA- can be a great personal touch but not take up luggage space). I didn't even wash the dishes or close the stove lid. I don't even care. Moving on.....
I work part time as the Director of a small private guesthouse here in Nairobi. Our house is on the same compound as the guesthouse and for as long as I can manage, I hope to keep my office at home. See the twin bed? One of the things I've worked hard to do in our home is have as many legitimate beds (as in, not a sleeping bag on the floor) for guests to sleep in when they come. I have at least 6 beds without moving any kids around, and once we do that, I can sleep a family of 8 easily. (Looking at you Denise!) Add the sleeping bags and air mattresses and everyone can squeeze!
We chose one of the smaller bedrooms for the master and gave the kids the intended master. Its a cozy little room. We only tend to sleep and get dressed in our bedroom, so we don't feel we're missing anything. And honestly, it feels like a cottage-y hug at the end of every day.
You may think we're crazy for putting all five children in one bedroom, but the benefits far outweigh any negatives. The highlights are 1. Only one messy kid room and 2. Nighttime read alouds and tucking in all get done together. Loft beds from IKEA allow the 4 biggest to sleep up top and my 3 year old to sleep in a twin underneath. This post will be published during "birthday week" for my girls... so likely by the time you read this my kids ages will be Isaac 10, Isaiah 9, Immanuelle 7, Ivy 5, and Ira 3. Next year Isaac moves up to middle school and we'll move the girls upstairs. Until then, the magic of our nightly read alouds will hopefully create memories that stick with my kids long into the future. We took the doors off the upper closets because who has a need for closets that high? We cut a hole, added a ladder, some cushions, and some string lights. Now each child takes a turn each night with me as we read stories out loud. With all the rest of the lights in the room out, its quite the cozy spot to tuck in to a good book.
That's what it boils down to for me. Each of us in our corners of the continents, taking our little chunks of space, and creating, ordering, customizing, and putting our own personal stamps on it so that it feels as much like home as we can manage. Then we gather our family and friends into it so they can feel the shelter and care home provides, no matter where we find ourselves on this globe.
