I love my family and friends, but I strongly believe I am a daughter of mother Universe. There are just things about my life I can never seem to find an explanation to. Really really beautiful mysteries they are. So today, I write about a wonderful family. The Choti family.
I finalized this post this having assembled my full size amazon delivered bed in my red room at a quaint little house with an address 235 S Wolfe St (send me random gifts okay? Lol). Nothing like Sherlock Holmes 221 Baker Street but love the fact that I now have an address. I clicked publish post seated at one of the reading rooms at Bloomberg School of Public Health having walked for 13mins from my new home (because we still haven't figured out home WiFi and finals are our current priority lol). The joy, singing and dance walking to school were all pure bliss!!!
So, on to the main story...
As at March 2021, neither of us knew the other existed. Our paths had never crossed. They lived on the northern hemisphere and the Michira family was somewhere in the southern hemisphere oblivious of the workings of the universe to acquaint us. I still don't have the details right of how my Dad and Dr Choti met so I will not tell their story. Somehow no matter how many times a story is told, if it is not mine to tell then the words never come to me so I will tell my part of the story and then maybe one day, they both will tell their part of the story.
Come mid-late April 2021, I begin my VISA application process and in all the planning, I ask Dad whether he knew anyone in the US so I could have a temporary place to hide out in as I looked for housing closer to school. He mentioned he had just met Dr Choti and would ask. Mark you, they had not met in person either (thank God for technology lol). So Dad reached out and Dr Choti mentioned he has an extra room.
I am filled with so much joy and humility at how mother universe has taken care of me. I had a home and family. I have never felt like part of the team as I did with the Choti family. Goodness the past 2 months with them were exactly what my soul and heart needed as a welcome to Nairobi - otherwise I might have lost it for real. I love family and I had that. I love God and that was present in the home. I love talking and by God, we talked as we did dishes - it felt more like a friendship than a host-guest relationship. I love the kitchen and there was so much time spent in the kitchen. I love laughter and we laughed so hard. My love language is acts of service and my heart melted at how effortless this was given by the Dr Choti family.
You know how back home you live with relatives and your cousins treat you like that? Hahaha you know what I mean. I didn't feel like that. I didn't walk on eggshells, I was home. Home. I mean home. Home speaking Kiswahili and Kisii. Home eating Ugali. Home going to the shamba once in a while. Home listening to bhabha following egesa FM. Home with marabuani and indigenous veggies that I can never seem to tell apart lol. Another home in such a beautiful neighborhood. Home 24hr flight from what I know to be home.
I will narrow down to two crucial elements that deeply touched my soul:
- Any member of the family (Father, Mother or daughter) always offering to pick me up or drop me at the metro station (wadau this is train station pia lol). Now this may feel like a simple thing to many or few of you reading this but for someone like me that is used to being the giver or logistics coordinator, it is a whole deal!!! My default setting is being independent and I had worked out the bus, train timings so well but somehow they still found moments to offer to drop me off or even wait at the station for me after school. I am indebted!
- Being a sounding board and almost second parents to me. I was to land at 12 am Mon, 14 June (I am not transitioning to US mm/dd/yyyy unless mandatory lol) but instead, there was a 1hr delay at the Chicago layover and so I landed at BWI airport at around 2am US time. He waited. Dr Choti waited. Again might be a pretty obvious expected act to many, but nothing moves me like someone giving of their time. Time to enjoy a good sleep with his family at home but instead is waiting at the airport for a complete stranger who had exchanged about 10 formal texts and nothing more. For the advise shared when something troubled me and the moments we prayed together, I am so grateful. For the times I tagged along to your grocery runs like a little child curious and wide eyed to experience US and for the times you brought me with you to Kenyans (more like Kisiis haha) in Maryland get togethers just so I could socialize, I will not forget.
The highlight of it all was the family prayer as I left them to come to Baltimore. It felt like Nairobi departure all over and I know for sure that I do have a home and family in the US. As bhabha said, "Dolly, don't miss me. Just visit." So I will not wait until I feel I have missed this family but I will visit as often as I can.
My heart and soul are full. Full of hope for humanity. Full of love and kindness that I hope to extend to strangers. Full of joy and full of peace.
So thank you so much God for this wonderful family. I know their act of kindness will be reciprocated for I am not the sole beneficiary. Thank you Dr Choti family for a roof over my heard, for food on my table, a space to study from, for stable internet to get through the classes, quizzes and assignments from home, and for the love shared. Thank you for making me feel so welcome. I will never forget your kindness. Most importantly, thank you for giving to the LORD! You are one of the many angels amongst us.
As I always say, there are wonderful people in the world yet to meet you and there are wonderful people you are yet to meet. Give trust, give love, give kindness. It always comes back in full measure, shaken together and running over. I am a witness!!
Forever love, D.