Nairobi, Kenya – April 25, 2024.
Amaal, Sabrina, Afzal and I arrived on Wednesday, April 24th for a three-week “workcation”, my work being primarily to help with the grandkids.
The first full night saw Amaal struggling with jet lag in a big way.
She went to bed at 8 pm Nairobi time (1 pm in Toronto), only to wake up at 11 pm thinking its time to go to school. Sabrina tried her hardest to get Amaal to bed to no avail, and finally brought her to me at midnight to look after her. It was a dexa day for me so I was more than happy to keep Amaal company.
But first for some negotiation. I told Amaal that we could talk, she could ask questions, I could keep her company but that we were not going to get out of bed and wake up. I explained jet lag to her and how she needed to sleep so she could get her body adjusted to Nairobi time. Her response was “Nima, my body is telling me it is morning and time to wake up.” And so started the night. We were listening to one of her favourite playlists on Spotify called Favourite Preschool Songs. Here are some of our conversations between 12 pm and 3 am, when Amaal finally went to sleep. It helped that I was on dexamethasone so I did not need as much sleep.
Conversation 1 (while listening to 5 Little Ducks):
Amaal: Why did the baby ducks run away from the mother duck?
Nima: I don’t know. What do you think?
Amaal: Maybe the baby ducks were not doing good listening and the mother duck was mad. Or maybe the baby ducks were playing hide and seek.
Nima: Yes, maybe. And why do you think they all came back?
Amaal: Maybe they missed their mommy.
Conversation 2:
“Nima: I saw that you loved the mango juice at Art Caffé. You drank the whole glass. How do you think they make the mango juice?
Amaal: First they peel it, they peel it, they peel it. Then they roll it, roll it, roll it. Then they mix it, mix it, mix it. Then they pour it in the glass for people to drink.
Nima: Oh!
Conversation 3:
Amaal: Nima, Nima look. On the window you can see “London Bridge”
Nima: Yes, I see what you see. It looks like a bridge. Do you know why London Bridge fell down?
Amaal: I don’t know.
Nima: Because it can’t fall up, so it has to fall down!
Amaal: That’s a joke, right?!
Nima: Yes!
Conversation 4:
Nima: How are you feeling about going to a new school tomorrow?
Amaal: I don’t know. I’m a little scared because I don’t have many friends, and a little excited because they have yoga.
Nima: It’s okay to feel these things. What are you going to do to be less scared?
Amaal: I will hold Mos’s hand and he will show me where to go and what to do. So it’s okay, because we do hard things.
Nima: That is such a good idea.
Amaal: Let me show you 2 yoga steps.
Amaal and Nima: Doing yoga poses in bed.
Conversation 5:
Amaal: Kung Fu Panda is my favourite movie. (We watched it on the plane).
Nima: I love the movie too.
Amaal: Maybe we can invite my friends to watch the movie on your deck.
Nima: I think that’s a fantastic idea. Why don’t you talk to your mummy and daddy about your idea. You know, there is a part 1, 2 and 3 of this movie.
Conversation 6 (as she was listening to Mary had a little lamb):
“Amaal: I want a lamb.
Nima: And why do you want a lamb?
Amaal: Because I like lambs and Mary had a lamb.
Nima: Have you ever seen a lamb?
Amaal: No, but I think I would like a lamb.
Nima: I thought you wanted a dog or a cat. What makes you want a lamb?
Amaal: Because, because…. its fleece is white as snow. But first I want a baby brother and I will teach my baby brother to love the lamb.
Conversation 7 (at 2 am):
Amaal: I am hungry and I want to wake up and eat and play.
Nima (after taking a huge pause to figure out how to respond): Amaal, we are not getting out of bed. I know how hard this is but I promise I will wake you up when it’s time for you to wake up. Right now it’s only 2 am and time to sleep.
Amaal: Show me the time on the watch.
Nima: Okay. And I am so proud of you for trying to sleep, even though it’s so hard.
Amaal: I’m not trying to sleep, Nima.
Conversation 8:
Amaal: Look Nima, my pants are too short. I need to give them to Robi.
Nima: Yes I see. Your pants are too short. I think Robi will love your pants.
And so the night went on with many more random conversations. And when we woke up in the morning, a little groggy and tired, I thought to myself, I wouldn’t have changed anything from the night before. The jet lag made it possible to connect in a different way, over a longer period of time. It was an unexpected, unpredictable blessing.
