Abu Dhabi has been blessed by rain these past couple of days and I'm ecstatic! It's made me nostalgic. You see, I grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, which my grandma used to call "Ulaya Ndogo" (Little London) due to the grey, drizzly skies. For several months of the year the rain poured and poured and poured. I had to walk back home to change my uniform a couple of times because I fell in the mud just as I got to the school gate. I went on to misuse that "I fell in the mud" excuse several times when I was late for school until the teacher started to look at me suspiciously. When I started high school, I changed to a school farther away and I had to use the bus. Walking to the bus stop was a miserable affair. Umbrellas were no use since the wind would whip the rain into you from the sides. The bus itself is another story for another day, Kenya Bus Service!! Aaah! Good times!!
I love Nairobi. My family moved there when I was one month old. I've heard it called City in the Sun, which is true for some of the year, but what I miss the most is the rainy days when we would light a fire in the living room and bask in it's cosy warmth. Most Nairobi houses have fireplaces. It can get pretty cold. We sensed when comfort food would be needed in our house and at first sight of a grey cloud that soup pot would be on the fire. We would throw in meaty bones, carrots from the garden, celery, peas and whatever other veggies were at hand and season with plenty of black pepper. Potatoes would be added near the end. Deliciously warming soup! I've tried to recreate that soup here but it never tastes as good. It seems lacking. Maybe some logs burning in the fireplace are the crucial, missing ingredient!
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