Made for Africa

Lily had her first birthday on the 4^th of this month and the best way to put her current status in life is THRIVING. In plant breeding terms, you would say that she is a “well-adapted variety’ to the environment.

Loves, loves, Africans

Lily has had an absolute love and curiosity for Africans since she was born. It has been a different experience than Jack who picks and chooses the Africans he likes. Lily, on the other hand, chooses to smile and laugh at every Rwandan security guard and motorcycle driver who stares at her. She teases and laughs with even the most obnoxious Rwandan women we meet.

The last time we landed in Houston, we made a quick pit stop at a Jack in the Box to get Jack something to eat. While we were stopped, lily was staring and teasing a woman outside. Jenn came back with the food and Lily was laughing hysterically at this woman who was interacting with her from her car. I told Jenn “how much do you want to bet that woman is African?” Jenn, didn’t really believe me and thought she was Texan, but when we got out of the car and asked her, we found out that she was from Ghana. Nuff said?

Lives for the rain

When it’s rainy season, it can be absolutely miserable if you aren’t really into the rain. But for Lily, she is ready to grin and let the rain drip down her hair and face. She loves just staring up as the drops fall on her face. Lily and I love the rain and it is fun just holding her as the thunderstorms roll in.

All the Rwandans worry about her getting sick, but she just gets wet…and then when we get home, we set up a warm bath and her life gets even better. She loves baths! There is no better way to offend Lily than to take a bath or shower without her. She will find out and will let you know in her own special way.

Always up for sharing…well most times

This girl is all about sharing. If she has food, she will stick it in your mouth. If she is reading a book, she will come over and hand to you to read with her. She will even rip up her favorite flowers and put them in my shirt pocket for me. She just wants people to feel like they are a part her world.

Tribe

This girl is all about her little “tribe”. If we aren’t all in the room eating dinner together, she is yelling like a drill sergeant and isn’t ok until everyone is present and accounted for. Sometimes when she is sleeping in bed with me and Jenn, she will have her hand on Jenn while keeping a foot on me just to make sure none of get tricky and sneak out.

She knows what she wants

I have been surprised at how much this girl plans out her own little life and sets it up accordingly. Jack was never that methodical in how he did things, but Lily is another story. Everyday there is something new with this girl. She is either yelling to have her brother pull her in her Rwandan chariot, climbing unsafe heights with the materials she finds around, carefully turning the pages of one of her favorite books in the corner, or simply drawing as if she is a 3 year old. Honestly, if there is any way to make it out in Africa, it is with the right plan and sticking to your guns. When she wants something bad enough, she creates her own hand motion and we know what she wants. We can’t just distract her like we could with Jack. When she wants something, she sticks to her guns.

Outdoors

Every morning she walks outside, her first item of business is to pick one or two Rwandan flowers from our garden. Most of the time it is one of the enormous pink flowers from a potted plant that seems to flower daily.

She is in on the birding as well. When they come knocking on our windows, she is right there asking to get up close and personal with our little friends. It’s one of the few times she will stay still and just observe their funny personalities. If we go out to the forest, she is not ok just being held, she is ready to go out on her own safari.

Eating dirt, slapping puddles, and running off into forests with her purple moccasins is a necessity. If the front door opens a crack, she hears it and starts screeching for Joy unless it is closed and then it turns into more of an angry shrieking for heads to roll.

Intensity

Life is in full swing when you are with Lily. If there isn’t movement, there needs to be something going on. She is just full of energy and sometimes the look on her face is like looking at a fierce little falcon, especially if you don’t share your food the way that she does. I can’t tell you how many times she has ripped my plate of the table or snatched a banana out of my mouth or just taken all of my Ikivuguto.

She loves laughing and making others laugh

She goes out of her way to meet new people wherever we go. That’s not enough though, she then thinks she needs to start flirting with them or teasing them. She will look like she is having a full-on conversation with some Africans and they will just eat it up and be laughing. She just smiles because that was her goal all along. She loves making Jack laugh more than anyone else in the world. Those two can get into a giggle-fit quick and it gets contagious.

Ikivuguto (Rwandan fermented milk)

In kenya we call it Maziwa Lala (milk that has slept). Jack and Jenn can’t really stand the stuff, but Lily and I make it a daily ritual. It just has the perfect thickness and sour flavor that makes you want more. It really isn’t sweet at all, but Lily absolutely loves it. She can chug the stuff and will come hollering if I am drinking it.

Overall, Lily is a girl packed with loads of emotion with an ample supply of grit and determination as well. It is so much fun to come home to hear her enthusiastic screams when she hears my voice. It’s like I’ve run into a wild party each day. When we were having our meeting with the branch leaders, she felt like she needed to butt right in and start yelling her own sage advice. Her big, confident, adventurous personality just blends in perfectly with the chaos and wild nature that really makes Africa, Africa.