A day of life in Lodwar

Here are a few pictures to help see what "everyday" kind of looks likes for our family.

Hum...well...this is Taylor slaughtering our first (and last) goat. Also pictured are Mary our house worker, Marco (well the back of his head anyway) and Thomas our 2 full time watchmen. They were impressed that a mzungu (white man) could slaughter! That is what you get when you marry a man from the south :) And yes, the girls watched and loved every minute of it.

Taylor hung this swing up in our compound. It is on a high branch of a huge acacia tree. As you can see it can go quite high! Look away grandmothers! 

This is the girls playing with one of our watchmen's baby and wife. Also pictured is Lyniah, our 7 yr. old neighbor.

The girls LOVE the 20 chickens we have. They spend hours playing/harassing them. This is Andi and Lainey with "Mrs.Fat"

This is a ververt monkey. They are described as "cheeky" monkeys that are very curious.  They come to our compound twice a day and are fun to watch but can be quite mischievous. We are minus one pet turtle because of them...

Lucy. I love this picture because my mom has a picture  of me that is almost identical, chicken and all.

Way to go girls! We collect eggs from our hens. We are allowing 2 hens to keep their eggs so the girls can see how this whole "chick hatching" happens.

This is the gecko that lives in my bathroom. He is only allowed to stay because he helps control the gnat and mosquito population. They are all over the outside of the house also.

Ahhh...sliced bread.... a modern luxury! It usually arrives to Lodwar under somebody's luggage or a cage of chickens strapped to the top of a bus from Eldoret, an 8 hour drive. It is usually smashed and must be "hand ironed" before making a sandwhich.

In loving memory of "Alissa Marie" the dessert tortise. Found missing from her enclosure in March. We suspect it was the monkeys. They had been poking around her cage stealing her mango peels...if we only knew they would be back later for more than just mango peels! 

Beef Samosas. This is a Kenyan food that is similar to an egg roll.  Not too bad, but also not too good for you as it is deep fried like most of their other favorites!

"The Watering Hole" All our drinking, cooking and tooth brushing water has to be run through this filter (thanks Moore Family, we use it everyday!) Once filtered, I refrigerate the water and then add ice and put it in the small water cooler, so we always have ice cold water available. The water straight out of the filter comes out at about 95 degrees. Not so refreshing on a 110 degree day!

We have borrowed a washing machine from some friends here but no drier. Yep,  "we let it all hang our here"!

Our compound backs up to the River Turquel. Its level stays pretty low, but it is fed from the mountains in Uganda. Every afternoon it is filled with laughter from kids playing. Across the river you can see some small mountains.

Kilpatrick Acamedy of Early Learning is in session!They love school ! Here they are finishing up our lesson on rain forest with a parrot art project.

Everyday at 4pm we go swimming in the only pool in town. It is right out the porch door! Taylor redid the plumbing and installed a new pump (isn't he awesome?) and we have been up and running for a few weeks. Andi and Lainey swim great with no floaties! Lucy is still "practicing" but she loves jumping in and going under. She has to be convinced into wearing the "floaties of shame". Love it! 

Our yard is an oasis in the desert. There is nothing else that even comes close to comparing it here in Lodwar. It is full of beautiful, tropical plants and flowers, birds and butterflies. 

More package ideas

Hey. We are soooo excited to be able to receive packages! There is already one on the way from Ruston, LA! Many of you have emailed me about what else we would like or need. So I have gathered a few more ideas of items to send. I hope this helps all who asked!

Canned Evaporated milk
dried fruit (apples, cranberries, rasins, strawberries,blueberries...these are great for snacks or using in muffins, pancakes or desserts!)
ziplock freezer bags
balsamic vinager
Worcestershire sauce
chlorine remover shampoo
pump hand soap
pecans
yeast
pepperoni
Luzianne iced tea bags
community dark roast coffee
real vanilla extract
almond extract
powdered sugar
dark brown sugar
flaked coconut (canned or bag)
wheat germ
cumin
chili powder
Nilla waffers (taylor loves banana pudding)

address

Taylor and Leigh Ann Kilpatrick

C/O Share International

PO Box 84

Lodwar, Kenya 30500

Turns out there is a zipcode.....depends on who you ask! TIA! (this is africa)

Packages and friends

Hey everyone. We have met an American couple that lives here, actually less than a mile from our house! Chad and Kera work with CMF and they have 3 sweet children Alias (boy) 6yrs, Aiden (boy) 4 yrs and Hannah 2 yrs. We went over to their house last night and had homemade pizza! It was wonderful! We loved talking with them and letting all the kids play. They were just as excited to meet us as we are to meet them. They have been here for 3 years and have never had another American family with kids live here with them. They have been so kind and helpful to us these last few days. One of the best things we learned is that we can receive packages here!!! Chad and Kera say they get them all the time. They think a box cost about $50 and large envelops are about $12. The boxes take about a month to get to Lodwar. You can send them Fedex, USPS or whatever!

Our address is:
Care of Share International
Taylor and Leigh Ann Kilpatrick
PO Box 84
Lodwar, Kenya 30500

Please do not include cash or electronics.

Some ideas:
Kool aid/lemon aid mix
dream whip
pudding mix
cake mixes
spices ( basil, thyme, parsley, cilantro, onion powder.....)
toys/games/puzzels for the girls
pool toys
sidewalk chalk
gatorade mix
parmesan cheese (sprinkle)
salad dressing mixes
meat merinade packets (jerk chicken...)
spice packets (taco, chili, pesto)
Kraft Mac and Cheese
goldfish
pictures and notes
whatever! suprize us...be creative! and just remember...if it can melt....it will!

I will think of more things later. Pretty slim choices here in Lodwar and food is not cheap! We are learning where to get items and who carries "monzungu" (white people) foodstuffs. Taylor is going to Nairobi next week and will do some serious grocery shopping there and fly them back with him. We have a deep freeze and are so greatful to be able to stock up! That is what all the other missionaries do here.

hope you all got to see the pictures my friend posted for me! Today we got a different kind of internet so we can upload photos and Skype! Yeah!!!