Hello Vienna! | Wahu Kagwi

Happy New Year all!! Hope the year has started off well for you!! Me? I’m still slightly hangovered from my holidays, and I know I’m not alone 😉

I must say my holidays were quite different this time round. A beautiful adventure took me out of hot sunny Kenya, into the heart of winter in Europe. A lot of people who live or have lived abroad were like “why would you do this to yourself!” Simple…for the shear experience.

I must admit making this move took quite a lot out of me. More so, because I wasn’t going to be travelling with my husband, who was up to his neck in work over the holidays. (Children don’t eat love you know ). Thoughts like “what if the kids get sick…?; how will travelling with a three year old be like?” flooded my mind.

But my good friend Nazrin, who graciously hosted us for the season, put my concerns at rest. She too is a mother whose children are young, and often travels home to Kenya. She was like, “Chick, if my three-year-old can hack it, yours will, too.”

The adventure started a bit sooner than we expected… when we were almost left behind in Dubai by our connecting flight to Vienna! A two hour delay in departure from JKIA messed up our flight itinerary.

By the time of landing in Dubai, we would have a little under 15 minutes to criss-cross the expansive Dubai International Airport to our connecting flight!

Thank God I’d experienced this airport before and I knew JKIA was a dot in comparison. I also knew that there were strollers at Dubai airport (halleluya!!)

But upon arrival at Dubai, our flight to Vienna was on final call! And I had two kids and two large hand baggage to traverse this massive airport with!

Now, here’s one of the things I appreciate about being a mom: I’ve learnt to get it together in the thick of things and if I need to panic, I can do so after I’ve sorted out the drama .

So without much thought, my daughter Tumi graduated from a child to being my #1 team-mate. “I need you be a big girl about this,” I told her. “I’m going to run with our baggage, and you will run behind me while pushing your sister on her stroller. Are we good? Can I count on you?”

I can still remember the look she gave me… that look that said “Mama, I gat this!” So I strapped Nyakio onto the stroller, grabbed the two pully bags, one on each hand, and ran!

We ran round corners, in and out of elevators, across long walkways, in and out of trams. I kept looking over my shoulder at my 10 year old, Tumi, pushing Nyakio on the stroller. My Tumiso never panicked or missed a step.

We made it into the plane just on time… but right into judgemental looks from my fellow passengers who were tired of waiting for us.

Here’s the other thing I appreciate about being a mom: I really don’t care too much for other opinions, more so when I know a situation is out of my control, and involves my kids.

And so we began our flight to beautiful Vienna.

As I hugged Tumiso for a job well done, I realized something quite fundamental; that she’s capable of doing a lot more than I think she’s capable of, and knows a lot more than I give her credit for. And that’s what 2017 is going to be about as far as my kids are concerned; pushing them just a little harder. Trusting them a lot more with responsibilities, and seeing how that pans out.

How was the actual trip?? I’ll tell you soon in my next blog.

Kisses and hugs my fellow mummies!!! And may 2017 turn out to be the best year you’ve ever had!

Wahu Kagwi is a Kenyan musician, mother and entreprenuer. She is wife to Kenyan musician David Mathenge aka “Nameless”. Wahu shares her pregnancy and parenting experiences at her Babylove Network blogspot and loves to receive feedback to improve her own parenting.