Whatever

Not really anything good to say... Oh, I should follow up to the last stuff, eh, and finish whatever I was talking about. Maybe.

So, like I told you, I was in Kakamega, on my way to lunch with Mr. Ambassador. Well, he actually had a meeting in Nairobi to smooth over the bombings in Somalia and couldn't make it. All the other grown ups cross their hearts he was really looking forward to meeting all of us. I, of course, accept this response proudly- who wouldn't want to have lunch with us?? We suggested a re-do, but who knows if it will happen.

All in all, it was still really a good time. I got to meet 5 or 6 new PCVs, remeet some old ones, and get a free lunch, followed by free beer. 2 folks from this G7 group were there and super friendly to us, buying the beer and announcing a party at their place in a few weeks. And the real teaser? They have an OVEN! You bet your bottom I'm coming!! The government people were all really cool, though, so it was well worth going to, and I only wish I could have more of those opportunities.

That night was a sleepover at Joe's place. 7 total, and we made spagetti and then french toast for breakfast. Fun times.

At site (oh yea! work!) I have finally started to earn my pay. I was really sick right after Lamu, but have mostly recovered. I'm just snotty now, not near-dead like I felt before. I sat in the office last Monday, doing NOTHING and feeling lame. The voice in my head came on and suggested that, if I want work, I need to get off my sorry ass and go find it. Introductions are over, it's time to talk serious commitments and schedules. And, since Napolean hardly talks to me, let alone offers suggestions of work projects, it's truly up to me.

I now spend Mondays in Eshinutsa, first at the clinic and then at the Secondary school to talk with the female students (all male teachers there). Tuesday afternoons will be at Mundaha Primary, with the Health Club. Wednesday morning, for the next month at least, will be back at Eshinusta 2ndary, to talk with boys and girls. That leaves me a lot of open space, still, but I ain't done! That's just a week worth of effort!

The key to passing the next 18 months, and passing them in a way that will cause warm fuzzies when I reminisce (sp?), is to be busy, busy, busy with work. Sitting around is just too boring and makes time just crawl along.

Another bonus here? I bike to Eshinutsa (maybe 30 min?), and have been biking to Kilingili again. I ran out of money, so biking was the only way to get to the Posta and to get to the market. My tushy and quads are soooooore now! But, maybe this belly I have will take a hike...

I am in Kisumu today. I'm here for research -no really!- and to pick up a package. The camels have finally made it across Africa, bringing a package sent in early July. Take notice, those of you who send groundmail - it takes about 6 months to arrive! That means, don't stick any yummy cupcakes in there, eh? So, anyway, 6 months of waiting reveals that I have the Worlds Greatest Mum who really missed me a lot. It's awesome! FULL of sauce packets for sauces I didn't know existed, let alone came in little packets! And cheese for Mac&Cheese, M&Ms, a new cap and even a mouth gaurd for my Nalgene, and shirts, knives, towels, ... a lot of damn good stuff!

I'll be back in 2 weeks, if all goes well. In the meantime, write me letters! You know who you are! I expect mail from some of those unheard from peoples. Sawa? You don't get a letter unless you send a letter, and it starts with YOU.

Cool. Peace out, dudes.

Just the News, Please

Right-O!

Back from Lamu. I didn't have the money to spend in Kisumu, so you all didn't get to hear my pretty words on the vacation. Just now got to Kakamega (going to be taking lunch with the Ambassador today. Yes, thank you, I know I am important!) so I have some time, though still no money, to write you.

Lamu was Amazing! The trip there sucked eggs, but it was worth it, in the end. So, remember how I said we were going to take the train to Mombasa? Haha!! Silly girl! We all hopped on, set up the laptop and speakers, pulled out the booze and got settled. About midnight we started falling off, but woke to a strange feeling at 2am. The feeling of not moving. hmm... Whatever, let's go back to bed, get some sleep. Sawa. 8am I am awake again and no, we still aren't moving. WTF?

Turns out there is a lake lying over the tracks, just before Kabweze, which is only 2 or so hours outside Nairobi. Crap almighty. We wait there until noon, hoping the water will magically disappear (honestly), and when it doesn't, we wait another hour to be pulled back to Makindu, where we are supposed to get buses the rest of the way. We just got our own matatu, filled it with all 15 of us and all our luggage, and left. Oh, the horror!!!

At least this way we could get to Malindi, not just Mombasa. Our vehicle arrived at 2am, when all the hotels were booked. So, we just went to the gas station where our bus to Lamu would leave from and crashed there, in the middle of it all. Nice, eh? We pass the night in the streets and do okay.

7:30am, the bus arrives. It's okay, 'cause we have tickets and will get seats, hurrah! Until the next 200 people cram into the aisles, mushing us into our seats, forcing us against the windows and raising the temperature considerably. For 8 hours. KILL ME.

We arrive, hot, sweaty and angry, and boat over to the island ("it's an island?", I think). It's a 3-story house, owned by a very cute Frenchman with a boyfriend, where we fit 16 people into 3 bedrooms, 6 beds and 2 tents.

Hey, sorry, I'll finish this later... No money...

No, Really Dude! We're, uh, So Sad You're Dead!

To all my future visitors, I can only hope you'll be so lucky as to arrive in time for a real Kenyan funeral. They sound like such a riotously good time (from my bed, at 3am) that I would hate to have you miss the fun, the culture, the experience.

Someone here told me that the newly dead should not sleep alone their first few nights in the grave. So, families will rent HUGE sound systems and blast their music all through the night. Maybe the idea is to forcefully keep themselves awake by cranking the volume until sleep is impossible. Which might be acceptable, if they didn't aim the speakers outward, toward their sleeping neighbors! Or maybe the aim is to wake the dead, and the family is kind enough to try and reach out to everyone. Who really knows?

The hills and valleys in my area, though, they have an Amazing ability to transport sound so that music from 2 or 3 kilometers away sounds as clear (and loud) as music from right next door.

The problem with this comes at 2am, after you've been struggling for sleep for the last 4 hours. You stumble into your sandals, arm yourself with a panga and step outside, prepared to murder your neighbor. But then you realize, the noise isn't, in fact, from next door, but rather from some chump's place, waayyy over there, across the valley. Sure, you could probably make it over there and complete your mission. But if the music is this loud here, then.... damn! How freakin' loud is it over there?!?

I just don't understand how people known for their hospitality can be SO RUDE as to keep their hard-working neighbors awake all night! Or, how these people tolerate such behavior! That's what you get in a town with no cops and no phones with which to call them, I guess.

The part of me not desperate for sleep wants to get dressed and go over to shake my booty all night. I mean, really!, an all-night disco with no cover charge? In Kenya?? I'm there!

And just when you think it will be worth every effort to find this home and slaughter them all, one by one, it stops.

Peace!

And it's only 4:30am, so, that's like, 2 hours of sleep, and, I could almost survive the next da- Cock-A-Doooooodle-Dooooooooo!!!!!!! And you realize, with a tear, that the music has only stopped because it is dawn. Time to get up and start the chores, start the day. The whole night has passed with hardly a wink. Where was my sleep????

But sleep does come, finally, lulled by sweet dreams of snapping the neck of every rooster in the land. Joy!! One, by One, by One, by One....