One of the best parts of raising children in the developing world is the easy access to affordable nannies! Though our first nanny was a flop, our new nanny is absolutely wonderful. Her name is Emily and our baby girl seems to have really taken to her. We pay her 8000 Kenyan Shillings a month (about $92) and she does everything from cleaning the apartment and washing our clothes to caring for our little one. She's from the countryside near the Ugandan border and is of the Luya community. She tells me that her father's second wife didn't care for her and her siblings very much and refused to educate them. She therefore only received a third grade education, but has managed to teach herself English, childcare, housekeeping and cooking. She's quite an impressive woman if you ask me! She cooked Kenyan food for us last night and, as Bryan can attest, I was practically licking my plate clean! Boy, was it good! I've also noted that she is very eager to learn and oh-so-humble, which in turn makes me eager to help her out in whatever little way I can (our former nanny was the complete opposite - a know-it-all...so obnoxious from my standpoint). This Saturday Gertrude's Children's' Hospital is offering a day course in Swahili/English on Pediatric First Aid. The course is 3,500 and goes from morning till mid afternoon. In addition to learning about Pediatric First Aid, participants are given tea, snacks and lunch, as well as a certificate of completion which I'm thinking will benefit Emily greatly should she ever seek employment as a nanny after working for us. At the same time that Emily's capabilities will grow, our little baby will benefit from a safer upbringing. Score!
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