Today I had a cooking lesson with my African ladies! Ugali and cabbage and meat and veggies, sounds easy, but let me tell you it is no easy task.
We started with the cabbage, our kitchen was a happy place to be, African music playing in the backround, one of the ladies sitting on a little bench cutting cabbage and the other preparing the other veggies and the meat. Oh boy, was I happy!
If any of you who read this know me, you know the kitchen is not my place, nope I don't do kitchen, I especially don't do cooking, and more than anything else I really don't do washing dishes, so I was kind of surprised by my curiosity for the kitchen.
I think it is because since I have been here, the smells,and sounds, and amazing dishes that come out from our kitchen have brought a lot of happy feelings to my heart, my mind and my soul. Oh the happy feelings!
So today I went to that little spot WAY outside my comfort zone, I don't speak Swahili and the ladies don't speak a lot of English, but I tried Swahili and they tried English and what a great trio we make.A smile really speaks by itself, and gestures are the same in every language. I am pretty sure though, if I were to stay here Swahili would come to me easily. The ugali part was the funny part, ugali is kind of like brigadeiros, you have to get it right and besides getting it right, you need strength, and well I am not a strong person, compared to these ladies I am a porcelain doll, they laughed and laughed not at me, but with me because I could not stop laughing either. It was so much fun, and I had a blast! I told them that I was taking them back with me, which made them want to hug me and if I could I would totally have them with me always, actually in a way they will be with me in my heart.
There are moments in my life I wish I could pause and today my kitchen moment was one of those moments.After, I just spent the afternoon copying Lisa's recipes to a computer file which I proudly named My Favorite Recipes, and I intend to try them all out. Maybe some will not turn out great(knowing me that will be 75% of the time) but I will have a blast that's for sure, maybe some BFF moments, because my best friend is like an excellent cook. I am glad I had this day today:P
And now I will say good-bye for the tea with the milk and the banana muffin are waiting for me, yes I hear them call my name!!!!
Good-bye
Tei
Very:)
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