Okay, okay, I'm sorrrrrry!! I know I've neglected my posts here, and now I'm horribly out of date. But a packed schedule combined with rolling power-outages in Nairobi made it very difficult for me to get anything done. And now I'm in Mombasa...andwell...you know how it goes!
I can't possibly write about everything that's happened in just one post. It would take me FOREVER. So I'm going to break it down, starting with my last weeks in Nairobi.
One random night a couple weeks ago, I went with Andre, Aubrey, Kasamba, and Kasamba's friend Babu to a reggae club downtown called Monte Carlo. Kasamba was a bit worried about us going because I guess its very likely you'll be pick-pocketed there. We weren't worried...but we SHOULD have been warned about the male-female ratio! We got there to discover that, not only were Aubrey and I the ONLY white girls in the club, we were also 2 of only about 9 women! There must have been about 20 guys to every girl. It's hard enough to fend off advances from Kenyan men when there's one or two of them.......now try fending off TWENTY at once!! We wanted to dance because the music and atmosphere of the club were really fun, but everytime we stood up, we got mobbed. At first it was kind of funny, but as the night wore on and the men were chewing miraa and drinking, they got aggressive. I finally forced the guys to leave with us, but not before Andre tried the miraa also! He was quite a handful to deal with for the rest of that night, lol. For those who don't know, miraa is a leaf that people in Kenya commonly chew as a stimulant. It also has the unfortunate effect of being like an herbal viagra! Can you picture the scene at Monte Carlo now? Yeah...pretty nuts. =P
I know some of you are wondering about my latest Facebook status...and I guess I'll write a bit here because it IS a major event in my time here in Kenya. But I'm gonna keep it short. Yes, I have a Kenyan boyfriend. It was completely unintentional and I'm STILL wondering how it happened (you all know what a commitment-phobe I am)! I'll just say that I met him through my Nairobi brother--he is very progressive and smart...and we just clicked. :) It's nice but I don't know what will happen because now I'm going to be mostly in Mombasa and he is in school in Nairobi--an 8 hour drive away. The funniest thing about it is that EVERYONE here is trying to marry me off to him! =P My Nairobi mom was thrilled and said we should marry at her rural home. My colleagues in Mombasa are planning a beach wedding. And Aubrey & Ashley don't care where it is as long as they get to be bridesmaids! Haha, the culture about dating here is SOOOO different from the US. Luckily for me, he thinks its just as hilarious as I do. Sorry y'all, but there won't be a wedding anytime soon!
Moving on...as I hope you're all aware, my birthday is coming up very soon! When we're all (hopefully) celebrating Obama's win on Nov 5--just remember to wish me a little Happy 21st Birthday if you can! A whole mess of us were born around the same time here: Aubrey's was Oct 28, my friends Jane and Kathy are tomorrow (Halloween!), and then me, and then Joey on Nov 16 (right Joey?). Everyone who had a birthday on the program while we were in Nairobi got a special cake, and we didn't want to miss out on cake just because we'd be separated by the time our birthdays rolled around! So me, Aubrey, Jane and Joey planned a combined birthday outing for our last night in Nairobi. And boy did we celebrate! Unfortunately, poor Joey got really sick with a bacterial infection the day before, so she couldn't come. But the rest of us went back to our fav Westlands club, Rezorus. It was me, Aubrey, Ashley, Jenna, Ash&Jenna's host brothers + dates, Jane, Jane's friends, my bro Toti, my boyfriend, Tony, Tony's date, Simon & his wife, and a few more of Simon's friends! All-together, I'd say about 25 of us took over an entire area of Rezorus. We laughed and chatted and had a great time, and then it was time for the cake-cutting. Jane had bought a HUUUUGE chocolate cake from Uchumi and brought it to Rezorus. They sang to us and then we began doling out slices. Now, if you remember from one of my other posts, its tradition for the kids to put dots of icing on their faces at birthdays. So I put a bit on Jane's face...then she put a bit more on mine...then I put even MORE on hers...and it spread and spread until the ENTIRE group was covered head to toe in frosting!!!!! It was a full-blown frosting WAR that night. And we had so much fun. Though I think our waitress pretty much hated us for the mess we made. I spent the rest of the night with nasty frosting dreadlocks, but it didn't matter because pretty much everyone else in the club had some on them too. We danced for hours and got home just in time for the Kisumu group to shower, grab their stuff, and catch the bus. Mombasa people left a few hours later, but I just stayed up all night with my boy & my bro. Sleep was an after-thought to spending my last few hours with them.
That morning, plus one REALLY heavy suitcase and minus a few dreadlocks, I caught the bus to Mombasa with the rest of the MSID-ers working out here. It's a long, 8-hour drive from Nairobi to Mombasa, but at least the roads are relatively decent the whole way! The bus company was called Mash Cool, which I find really amusing but in fact probably isn't. But whatever, you get to hear about it anyway! Praise be to cupcakes that I had a front row seat, because I got to stretch out my legs and sleep most of the way. I woke up only a few times: once to see that we were driving through real African bush (I mean no people, no houses or huts or anything, no animals...just sand and scraggly trees), another time for lunch at a roadside snack bar, and once more in time to see what I have termed "the swirling vortex of mystery". It looked like a tiny, black tornado and formed directly in front of us on the left side of the road...crossed over...and then dissolved entirely. If you remember Tazmanian Devil, just picture when he'd spin around and destroy stuff and that's what it looked like! I still have no clue what it was.
We knew we were getting closer to Mombasa when everyone started shedding their sweatshirts and began sweating instead. The heat rose by more than a few degrees and the humdity JUMPED up. Nairobi is practically cold in comparison!! As we neared the city, Abby was dropped off at her homestay just outside it, then the rest of us continued on to the Mash Bus stop on Jomo Kenyatta Avenue to meet our families. It was nerve-wracking to leave the comforts and friends I'd found in Nairobi, and I had no idea how strict or welcoming my new, large, Muslim family would be. I already missed everyone I'd left behind, but you know me. I thrive on change, so this new part of my trip was exciting! And let me tell you...Mombasa is a WHOLE different story.
Okay, I will post again soon on life here in Mombasa. Now its high time I get myself back to work! Take care everyone! Have a GREAT Halloween, and I will be with you in spirit on election day!! Fingers crossed Obama wins, because I may just have to stay in the house for a while if he loses! Kenya will be in a frenzy either way!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Matunda, Mathare, and Maasai
Unfortunately, the field trip this past week turned out to be a complete let-down. We spent 1 1/2 hours on a bus to spend about 3 minutes standing on the edge of a pineapple farm, then 1 1/2 hours back so we could eat at Steers...a burger and fried chicken place downtown. I'm not sure why they thought this would be a productive use of our time. And now I have to write an essay, in Kiswahili, about the trip. What on earth can I write???? "The roads were decent, I slept most of the way there and back, and I saw a few pineapples growing. The end." Go figure.
But even though the trip was a bust, the rest of the day wasn't. When we were at Steers, Andre called up his connection at Mathare, the poorest slum in Kenya. Kasamba showed up at our lunch and when we'd finished, he took a group of us to walk around Mathare. Kasamba has lived there his whole life, but he's managed to avoid all the pitfalls that face people growing up there. He works as a manager of a small program that sells locally made crafts in Kenya and abroad so the women have a way of supporting themselves. He also helps to manage the many football (soccer...not American) teams that the kids play for. Now don't get the wrong idea when I say private school. The Kenyan government recently made all public primary schools "free"...but I use that term lightly. The family still has to pay for food, uniforms, transportation, books, etc. It ends up costing a fair amount for that "free" education. But families still want their kids to be educated, so they send as many of the kids as they can, usually the boys, and as a result the public schools are crammed full of kids with not enough teachers. Some schools have one teacher for every 50-100 students. Mathare has a few of those kinds of public schools, but they are really not effective. The one privated school, which we saw, is a much more efficient use of time and money. First off, the families only pay a tiny stipend, and only if they can afford it. There are lots of orphans attending the school who obviously can't pay for themselves, so the school and other families find a way to pay their fees. And this small fee pays for uniforms, books, a daily lunch, AND the kids are occupied from 7am til 6pm everyday, which keeps them out of trouble. Public schools only supervise their kids til 3pm. When we went to see the school, we first were shown some of the locally made crafts that the women of Mathare make and sell with Kasamba's help, both here in Kenya and in America. They make hand-woven purses & bags that are so so beautiful, hand-made batiks, and other small wooden crafts. I didn't buy anything at the time, but I definitely will in the future. Anna, Sara and Jesse...we're decorating our apartment with this stuff!!
Then we met the principal and vice-principal of the school. They talked to us for a while about how they operate, then we finally got to tour the school itself. It's nothing more than a bunch of tin shacks smushed together with dirt floors, a chalkboard, and one lightbulb in the ceiling. The shacks are tiny, so even though there's only about 15 students per class, they are squashed next to each other on benches with no chance for movement or stretching out. The 5 of us visiting were able to squeeze into the front of the rooms in some of the classes, but a few were so full we had to stand outside and look in the "window". It looks bleak...but these kids are amazingly smart! They're basically fluent in English already, they sing wonderful, harmonized songs, their artwork is impressive, and you can tell they all desperately WANT to be there. As a part of the school, they also get to participate in sports when classes are over, which is what takes up the rest of the day for them. I was very very impressed by the school's organization.
After seeing the school, Kasamba took us around to see where people live. The conditions in Mathare are absolutley disgusting and inhuman. The shacks are all made of tin, which gets hot in the sun and cold at night. They cannot keep bugs or animals out of the homes. Their are no floors, just the muddy ground. Many places have no form of lighting. People cannot keep themselves or their families clean in such conditions. As we walked around, children mobbed us screaming "howareyou! howareyou! imfine! imfine!" and many of them were filthy and had sores on them. They were also all tiny...malnutrition really affects them. The adults vary in how they act and appear. Some of them work very very hard to keep their families alive, so they try to keep themselves clean, they are sober and intelligent and kind. But a lot of people, particularly men, succumb to alcoholism and drugs. There were tons of drunks lying around in filth, some who would sit up and yell at us as we walked by. The worst of them are those who drink changaa. I think I mentioned this before, but changaa is a locally made alcohol that can be fatal if drunk. It's called "illicit brew" because the government forbids making it. But addiction makes people do horrible things, so it's still made and sold and people have gone insane from drinking all those dangerous chemicals. At one point, a lady came up behind me and started petting my braids. My hair is so thick right now that I actually couldn't feel her doing it, so Aubrey had to nudge me and say "turn around". When I did, there was a small lady with red eyes staring at me. She started talking in Kiswahili, but her words were so slurred I couldn't understand her. Kasamba said she wanted to sell me changaa for 10 shillings a cup. Then he told me that the reason she was so strange and loopy was because she drinks the changaa a lot and it has completely fried her brain. I politely declined, but she didn't leave us alone until we left. As we walked away, we saw her standing in the middle of the soccer field, trying to sell changaa to the girls practicing.
Speaking of changaa, we also got a chance to glimpse how it is made. There is a small stream that runs through the outskirts of the slum, and guys collect this water in huge, black barrells; they add the various chemicals that give it it's punch, and then they boil the mixture in the barrells over open fires by the river. Walking through the slum, we saw smoke rising from the river, and Kasamba took us to a steel fence on top of a wall enclosing the river where we took turns leaning as far out as we could to see them making the illicit brew. We had to be careful because, since making it is illegal, the guys who do it don't want outsiders watching them. And I think they can be dangerous if you're caught. So we got to see it for only a few seconds before we had to come back and head out.
The roads, if they can be called that, through the slum are the most disgusting and horrifying part. Raw sewage flows down them, full of human waste, trash, etc. There are no sewers so the waste has nowhere to go. And the ground is littered with trash. You can't even see the mud underneath all the plastic bags and paper bits covering the ground. I'm pretty sure I saw used condoms among the filth. It was disgusting...particularly because I was in sandals. I had to be extra careful where I put my feet.
But among all these horrifying conditions are some truly amazing people. I know it seems like no one does anything productive in these places because of all the drunks and crazies I described...but I'd say for the most part people are just desperately trying to stay alive. They want their kids to go to school and have a chance at a future and they work so hard to achieve this. The kids who were running around after us may have been dirty and under-nourished, but they were still bright and cheery and excited for the most part. The highlight of my day was when a tiny boy, probably no more than 2 years old, ran as fast as his wobbly legs could carry him into my legs and wrapped me in a biiiiiig hug. He was smiling soo big and looked so happy. He was one of the ones who had sores on his body and his nose was running so much that I got a nice big snot stain on my pants...but it didn't matter. He was the cutest kid I have EVER seen and I wanted to just scoop him up and take him home. Can you guys even imagine an American kid having such an amazing attitude if he had to live in a situation even HALF as bad as this kid does? This little boy has nothing...but he is happier than most of the people I know in America. And then there's people like the principal and vice-principal of the school we saw, and Kasamba and his friends. They work hard so that the kids of Mathare can have better lives. It's people like them that will save hundreds and thousands. If only the government would take a similar stance on the extreme poverty that exists just in their backyards. Mathare is just a couple miles away from the high-end hotels and highrises of downtown Nairobi. Even the cheapest possible waste management system would make such a huge difference in the living conditions there. And such a system could reduce the burden of disease these people face. I'd also like to see the conditions of the football field improved. Playing football is such a highlight for the kids, but most of them have to play in just sandals or even barefoot because they cannot afford sneakers...much less afford cleats! And the field is not a field; it's a rectangular area of mud with trash and broken glass throughout it. And it's not flat, so the ball goes every which way when it's kicked. They have goals, but no nets, and all the practice jerseys are the same color, so people just have to memorize which side they're playing for. And the ball looks as if its on its last legs. Donations of a new ball, new practice jerseys, and basic sneakers would make such a huge difference.
Anyway, that was our afternoon excursion to Mathare. I definitely plan to go back and volunteer if I can.
Yesterday was another Friday holiday for us, so I decided to go and visit a Maasai compound. One of our program managers, Simon, is Maasai and he took us to his home for the day to visit his family. He comes from an area just an hour or so outside of Nairobi. His home is in the Rift Valley, near a town called Ngong. We met him at this big mall in Nairobi called Nakumatt Junction, then caught a bus to Ngong town. From Ngong, we got tuktuks that took us halfway along the road to the Rift Valley. Then we disembarked and started making the walk down the edge of the rift valley into Maasailand. I took a video during the walk which I will attempt to post just as soon as I can charge my camera (I woke up this morning to discover we had no electricity again, so I couldn't charge the battery). After walking through completely deserted land and passing a few cows and donkeys, we found a small compound that belongs to Simon's family. It consists of 2 larger homes and 2 small huts for cooking. They have some livestock that were out grazing, so the enclosures were empty. The only man who still lives there is Simon's father. The Maasai are polygymous, so he has several wives. I believe they numbered 4. And because there are so many wives, Simon has 15 brothers and sisters who all have lots of children of their own. Most of them don't live in the compound anymore, but remaining were the 4 wives and a few of their kids. The youngest wife is 20 I believe. She has a tiny new baby...Simon's youngest sibling. Simon himself is 26, so his 3rd mother is younger than him! And his baby brother is younger than Simon's own daughter, Bethany, who just turned 2. The women were very sweet and welcoming to us. We numbered 7 and they had prepared for us a fantastic lunch of rice, potatoes, cabbage, chapati and chicken. After eating, we hung out in the compound for a while and the ladies brought out all the jewelry they make and sell. It's all these gorgeous, beaded necklaces, earrings, bracelets and decorations. Seeing as I hadn't bought very much yet and I really wanted some jewelry, I went a little nuts. But it was okay because Simon was with us and we got incredibly fair prices. I bought 5 bracelets, 3 necklaces and some earrings for 2000 shillings (or about $30ish). The Maasai women wear lots of jewelry at once, so they were pleased when I put on everything I was buying at the same time. With my hair in these braids and all the jewelry, it actually looked pretty cool! =P
After our shopping frenzy, Simon took us to see another compound where they still have the traditional Maasai huts. They're tiny and dark and hot and I can understand why they've switched to houses with a bit more room and more light. Then we walked to the local dam where all the water for the area is supplied. It was built in 1982 when the road through the Rift Valley was being constructed. In exchange for allowing the contractors use the local dirt for building the road, the Maasai of the area receivied this well built dam. It's nothing fancy and not very big, but its lasts through the dry seasons and has worked well for over 25 years now. Such development is proof that very little effort can make a huge difference.
We headed home around 6 and it was dark when we finally reached Nairobi again. My brother and his friends picked up me and Shalinda and drove us home so we wouldn't have to take a bus in the dark. Then I just took it easy, visited Aubrey for a bit before she left for Malindi (everyone in my area went to Malindi on the coast this weekend. I didn't go because in 2 weeks I'll be in Mombasa anyway...so why spend the money?). So I'm going to just take it easy, not go out, and get some work done. I have a couple projects and papers to do in the next 2 weeks before I leave, so that will be taking up a fair amount of my time from now on. But next weekend I'll be heading to Naivasha to go camping with a bunch of friends, so that should be really fun.
I'll catch you all later! Miss you!
But even though the trip was a bust, the rest of the day wasn't. When we were at Steers, Andre called up his connection at Mathare, the poorest slum in Kenya. Kasamba showed up at our lunch and when we'd finished, he took a group of us to walk around Mathare. Kasamba has lived there his whole life, but he's managed to avoid all the pitfalls that face people growing up there. He works as a manager of a small program that sells locally made crafts in Kenya and abroad so the women have a way of supporting themselves. He also helps to manage the many football (soccer...not American) teams that the kids play for. Now don't get the wrong idea when I say private school. The Kenyan government recently made all public primary schools "free"...but I use that term lightly. The family still has to pay for food, uniforms, transportation, books, etc. It ends up costing a fair amount for that "free" education. But families still want their kids to be educated, so they send as many of the kids as they can, usually the boys, and as a result the public schools are crammed full of kids with not enough teachers. Some schools have one teacher for every 50-100 students. Mathare has a few of those kinds of public schools, but they are really not effective. The one privated school, which we saw, is a much more efficient use of time and money. First off, the families only pay a tiny stipend, and only if they can afford it. There are lots of orphans attending the school who obviously can't pay for themselves, so the school and other families find a way to pay their fees. And this small fee pays for uniforms, books, a daily lunch, AND the kids are occupied from 7am til 6pm everyday, which keeps them out of trouble. Public schools only supervise their kids til 3pm. When we went to see the school, we first were shown some of the locally made crafts that the women of Mathare make and sell with Kasamba's help, both here in Kenya and in America. They make hand-woven purses & bags that are so so beautiful, hand-made batiks, and other small wooden crafts. I didn't buy anything at the time, but I definitely will in the future. Anna, Sara and Jesse...we're decorating our apartment with this stuff!!
Then we met the principal and vice-principal of the school. They talked to us for a while about how they operate, then we finally got to tour the school itself. It's nothing more than a bunch of tin shacks smushed together with dirt floors, a chalkboard, and one lightbulb in the ceiling. The shacks are tiny, so even though there's only about 15 students per class, they are squashed next to each other on benches with no chance for movement or stretching out. The 5 of us visiting were able to squeeze into the front of the rooms in some of the classes, but a few were so full we had to stand outside and look in the "window". It looks bleak...but these kids are amazingly smart! They're basically fluent in English already, they sing wonderful, harmonized songs, their artwork is impressive, and you can tell they all desperately WANT to be there. As a part of the school, they also get to participate in sports when classes are over, which is what takes up the rest of the day for them. I was very very impressed by the school's organization.
After seeing the school, Kasamba took us around to see where people live. The conditions in Mathare are absolutley disgusting and inhuman. The shacks are all made of tin, which gets hot in the sun and cold at night. They cannot keep bugs or animals out of the homes. Their are no floors, just the muddy ground. Many places have no form of lighting. People cannot keep themselves or their families clean in such conditions. As we walked around, children mobbed us screaming "howareyou! howareyou! imfine! imfine!" and many of them were filthy and had sores on them. They were also all tiny...malnutrition really affects them. The adults vary in how they act and appear. Some of them work very very hard to keep their families alive, so they try to keep themselves clean, they are sober and intelligent and kind. But a lot of people, particularly men, succumb to alcoholism and drugs. There were tons of drunks lying around in filth, some who would sit up and yell at us as we walked by. The worst of them are those who drink changaa. I think I mentioned this before, but changaa is a locally made alcohol that can be fatal if drunk. It's called "illicit brew" because the government forbids making it. But addiction makes people do horrible things, so it's still made and sold and people have gone insane from drinking all those dangerous chemicals. At one point, a lady came up behind me and started petting my braids. My hair is so thick right now that I actually couldn't feel her doing it, so Aubrey had to nudge me and say "turn around". When I did, there was a small lady with red eyes staring at me. She started talking in Kiswahili, but her words were so slurred I couldn't understand her. Kasamba said she wanted to sell me changaa for 10 shillings a cup. Then he told me that the reason she was so strange and loopy was because she drinks the changaa a lot and it has completely fried her brain. I politely declined, but she didn't leave us alone until we left. As we walked away, we saw her standing in the middle of the soccer field, trying to sell changaa to the girls practicing.
Speaking of changaa, we also got a chance to glimpse how it is made. There is a small stream that runs through the outskirts of the slum, and guys collect this water in huge, black barrells; they add the various chemicals that give it it's punch, and then they boil the mixture in the barrells over open fires by the river. Walking through the slum, we saw smoke rising from the river, and Kasamba took us to a steel fence on top of a wall enclosing the river where we took turns leaning as far out as we could to see them making the illicit brew. We had to be careful because, since making it is illegal, the guys who do it don't want outsiders watching them. And I think they can be dangerous if you're caught. So we got to see it for only a few seconds before we had to come back and head out.
The roads, if they can be called that, through the slum are the most disgusting and horrifying part. Raw sewage flows down them, full of human waste, trash, etc. There are no sewers so the waste has nowhere to go. And the ground is littered with trash. You can't even see the mud underneath all the plastic bags and paper bits covering the ground. I'm pretty sure I saw used condoms among the filth. It was disgusting...particularly because I was in sandals. I had to be extra careful where I put my feet.
But among all these horrifying conditions are some truly amazing people. I know it seems like no one does anything productive in these places because of all the drunks and crazies I described...but I'd say for the most part people are just desperately trying to stay alive. They want their kids to go to school and have a chance at a future and they work so hard to achieve this. The kids who were running around after us may have been dirty and under-nourished, but they were still bright and cheery and excited for the most part. The highlight of my day was when a tiny boy, probably no more than 2 years old, ran as fast as his wobbly legs could carry him into my legs and wrapped me in a biiiiiig hug. He was smiling soo big and looked so happy. He was one of the ones who had sores on his body and his nose was running so much that I got a nice big snot stain on my pants...but it didn't matter. He was the cutest kid I have EVER seen and I wanted to just scoop him up and take him home. Can you guys even imagine an American kid having such an amazing attitude if he had to live in a situation even HALF as bad as this kid does? This little boy has nothing...but he is happier than most of the people I know in America. And then there's people like the principal and vice-principal of the school we saw, and Kasamba and his friends. They work hard so that the kids of Mathare can have better lives. It's people like them that will save hundreds and thousands. If only the government would take a similar stance on the extreme poverty that exists just in their backyards. Mathare is just a couple miles away from the high-end hotels and highrises of downtown Nairobi. Even the cheapest possible waste management system would make such a huge difference in the living conditions there. And such a system could reduce the burden of disease these people face. I'd also like to see the conditions of the football field improved. Playing football is such a highlight for the kids, but most of them have to play in just sandals or even barefoot because they cannot afford sneakers...much less afford cleats! And the field is not a field; it's a rectangular area of mud with trash and broken glass throughout it. And it's not flat, so the ball goes every which way when it's kicked. They have goals, but no nets, and all the practice jerseys are the same color, so people just have to memorize which side they're playing for. And the ball looks as if its on its last legs. Donations of a new ball, new practice jerseys, and basic sneakers would make such a huge difference.
Anyway, that was our afternoon excursion to Mathare. I definitely plan to go back and volunteer if I can.
Yesterday was another Friday holiday for us, so I decided to go and visit a Maasai compound. One of our program managers, Simon, is Maasai and he took us to his home for the day to visit his family. He comes from an area just an hour or so outside of Nairobi. His home is in the Rift Valley, near a town called Ngong. We met him at this big mall in Nairobi called Nakumatt Junction, then caught a bus to Ngong town. From Ngong, we got tuktuks that took us halfway along the road to the Rift Valley. Then we disembarked and started making the walk down the edge of the rift valley into Maasailand. I took a video during the walk which I will attempt to post just as soon as I can charge my camera (I woke up this morning to discover we had no electricity again, so I couldn't charge the battery). After walking through completely deserted land and passing a few cows and donkeys, we found a small compound that belongs to Simon's family. It consists of 2 larger homes and 2 small huts for cooking. They have some livestock that were out grazing, so the enclosures were empty. The only man who still lives there is Simon's father. The Maasai are polygymous, so he has several wives. I believe they numbered 4. And because there are so many wives, Simon has 15 brothers and sisters who all have lots of children of their own. Most of them don't live in the compound anymore, but remaining were the 4 wives and a few of their kids. The youngest wife is 20 I believe. She has a tiny new baby...Simon's youngest sibling. Simon himself is 26, so his 3rd mother is younger than him! And his baby brother is younger than Simon's own daughter, Bethany, who just turned 2. The women were very sweet and welcoming to us. We numbered 7 and they had prepared for us a fantastic lunch of rice, potatoes, cabbage, chapati and chicken. After eating, we hung out in the compound for a while and the ladies brought out all the jewelry they make and sell. It's all these gorgeous, beaded necklaces, earrings, bracelets and decorations. Seeing as I hadn't bought very much yet and I really wanted some jewelry, I went a little nuts. But it was okay because Simon was with us and we got incredibly fair prices. I bought 5 bracelets, 3 necklaces and some earrings for 2000 shillings (or about $30ish). The Maasai women wear lots of jewelry at once, so they were pleased when I put on everything I was buying at the same time. With my hair in these braids and all the jewelry, it actually looked pretty cool! =P
After our shopping frenzy, Simon took us to see another compound where they still have the traditional Maasai huts. They're tiny and dark and hot and I can understand why they've switched to houses with a bit more room and more light. Then we walked to the local dam where all the water for the area is supplied. It was built in 1982 when the road through the Rift Valley was being constructed. In exchange for allowing the contractors use the local dirt for building the road, the Maasai of the area receivied this well built dam. It's nothing fancy and not very big, but its lasts through the dry seasons and has worked well for over 25 years now. Such development is proof that very little effort can make a huge difference.
We headed home around 6 and it was dark when we finally reached Nairobi again. My brother and his friends picked up me and Shalinda and drove us home so we wouldn't have to take a bus in the dark. Then I just took it easy, visited Aubrey for a bit before she left for Malindi (everyone in my area went to Malindi on the coast this weekend. I didn't go because in 2 weeks I'll be in Mombasa anyway...so why spend the money?). So I'm going to just take it easy, not go out, and get some work done. I have a couple projects and papers to do in the next 2 weeks before I leave, so that will be taking up a fair amount of my time from now on. But next weekend I'll be heading to Naivasha to go camping with a bunch of friends, so that should be really fun.
I'll catch you all later! Miss you!
Monday, October 6, 2008
got mah hair did
So several interesting things occurred this past weekend. I'll start off with Friday, which I had planned as a quiet night in. Of course that never happens here. Aubrey had some friends visiting from Tanzania, and they were planning to hit up Carnivore for this huge reggae concert with Andre, Dave, and some others from the program. Yes, it would have been cool, but it was also 1200 shillings just to buy the ticket, so that's why I passed. Anyway, around 6 or 7 that night, I was chillin in my house when Aubrey came over and was like "okay, we're going out." I asked why she wasn't taking her friends to the concert anymore, and it turns out they didn't get tickets because Andre was in the hospital with TYPHOID. Yep, earlier that day he had toured one of the slums and got stuck there because of all the traffic downtown. They ate at a restaurant there (no I don't know why there was a restaurant in a slum) and he drank the water they served. Granted...he thought it was purified. But it definitely wasn't because 3 hours later he was hallucinating and vomiting with acute Typhoid. He spent all that day and night in Nairobi hospital. Poor guy. :( But anyway, Aubrey needed to take out her friends, so we met them back at Westlands, AND we managed to convince my brother, Toti, and his 2 friends Ben & Mohammad to come with us! It was a great night and though we had set a time limit for ourselves of 1am, we made it back closer to 4.
The next morning I got up at 9:30 so I could walk over to Kenyatta market (just across the road from me) to get my hair braided!! I went to the ladies my mom here uses and spent a confusing 10 minutes picking the size of the twists I wanted, and then what color extensions, etc...Then they sat me down in a plastic lawn chair and 4 of them went to work. I couldn't see what they were doing, but I think it was something like taking tiny tiny pieces of my hair, twisting the extensions into them so that they stuck, then twisting them about 1/3 of the way down. The extensions kept the twists in place. It took them 3 hours and 5 sets of extensions to finish sectioning off all my hair, then one of them put her foot on my armrest, exposed her thigh, and started rolling my twists along her thigh! I don't understand quite how it worked, but doing this twisted the remaining 2/3 lengths of my hair, and another hour later I was FINALLY done. Then they dipped the ends in hot water, tied it back, and sent me on my way. It didn't hurt much, except that they made me sit scooted down in that chair forEVER and I think the pressure on my head and chest gave me the random nosebleed that I got. But it was worth it. I LOVE IT. I must have like 400 loooong twists and you know, I kind of expected it to look a bit goofy, but I swear its probably the best hair style I've ever had. Now, I'm not allowed to get them wet, which means no washing my hair or scalp until I take them out. That will be interesting...but it sure cuts down on the amount of time it takes me to get ready!! And lets face it, no one on the program showers very much anyway. =P
That afternoon, Jesse & his friends from Cairo showed up!!! I was SOO FREAKIN EXCITED to see someone that I knew from Madison! I wanted to show them everything about my home and Nairobi, but unfortunately they were only here for that night. They had a 5am flight to catch back to Cairo Sunday morning. So we went out to Carnivore for dinner, which was RIDICULOUSLY expensive (2100 shillings just for dinner and a water!), but delicious. Carnivore is this touristy restaurant in Nairobi that serves all kinds of meat, even game meat. It's kind of like Samba in that they carry the meat around to your tables on spears and its all you can eat at a fixed price. I had chicken, turkey, pork, beef, ostrich, crocodile, and chicken livers (which are not good, for the record). The crocodile was definitely the tastiest. Very tender and salty. I kind of wish they served it more often, but its only for tourists. We talked and caught up over dinner, then taxi'd home to get ready for a night out. I won't bore you with the routine, which was going to Mad House (the prostitute hangout), then ditching it for Rezorus in Westlands again because Saturday nights at Mad House are apparently for prosties and old white men ONLY. Rezorus was typical and very fun, but then something kind of insane happened!! I was sitting at our table with my friend Joey, when all of a sudden we saw a guy at the table across from us get his flaming Sambuca shot. He apparently didn't know how to drink it because Joey and I watched as he poured the shot, flames and all, ALL OVER HIS FACE!!! His face was literally in flames and he started yelling and hitting himself and his friend tried to blow out the fire!! Oh my god, it was INSANE. It was probably only 30 seconds before he got the flames out and sat there just looking stunned, but it felt like forever. When we realized he was okay, Joey and I started cracking up at how stupid he was. But oh man, I will NEVER forget that. Then when I was leaving to get a taxi for everyone, some random guy by the door pinched my butt. Since I've been here, guys have said a lot of things to me, but no one has EVER gone so far as to touch me inappropriately like that. I whipped around and started cussing him out and shouting, but all he did was smile and move closer to me! So I shoved him as hard as I could and he stumbled backwards into the table. As I left, I saw his friends laughing at him. Serves him right. I thought going out in America was bad? In just over a month here, some guys tried to mug me and I had to assault a guy in a bar for touching my ass. At least I'm learning my own strength I guess. But that was definitely unpleasant.
I got everyone home and we tried not to fall asleep before their taxi came to take them to the airport. There was some drama getting the taxi, and I learned that I definitely cannot trust 2 of the guys I've been using. But thankfully Ken and my brother were around to help out and we got everyone to the airport eventually. I think they made it back okay! Jesse, if you read this before you contact me, please let me know you're safe in Cairo!
I slept in SUPER late on Sunday, then got some cheap Ethiopian at our fav restaurant Awash and chilled in my living room before going home and getting to bed early. It was a fun, crazy weekend and I'm still exhausted. But it was so good to see someone from Madison and reminded me just how much I'm missing all of you back home. I hope you're all well and it's not too cold yet! Write to me and let me know how you're all doing. We're going on a field trip tomorrow (yes, like back in elementary school) and then Wednesday I think I'm taking a tour of the slum Kibera. So I'll write about those things ASAP. I have also figured out where and how to call on Skype, so if anyone has it and wants to talk, let me know!
XOXO
The next morning I got up at 9:30 so I could walk over to Kenyatta market (just across the road from me) to get my hair braided!! I went to the ladies my mom here uses and spent a confusing 10 minutes picking the size of the twists I wanted, and then what color extensions, etc...Then they sat me down in a plastic lawn chair and 4 of them went to work. I couldn't see what they were doing, but I think it was something like taking tiny tiny pieces of my hair, twisting the extensions into them so that they stuck, then twisting them about 1/3 of the way down. The extensions kept the twists in place. It took them 3 hours and 5 sets of extensions to finish sectioning off all my hair, then one of them put her foot on my armrest, exposed her thigh, and started rolling my twists along her thigh! I don't understand quite how it worked, but doing this twisted the remaining 2/3 lengths of my hair, and another hour later I was FINALLY done. Then they dipped the ends in hot water, tied it back, and sent me on my way. It didn't hurt much, except that they made me sit scooted down in that chair forEVER and I think the pressure on my head and chest gave me the random nosebleed that I got. But it was worth it. I LOVE IT. I must have like 400 loooong twists and you know, I kind of expected it to look a bit goofy, but I swear its probably the best hair style I've ever had. Now, I'm not allowed to get them wet, which means no washing my hair or scalp until I take them out. That will be interesting...but it sure cuts down on the amount of time it takes me to get ready!! And lets face it, no one on the program showers very much anyway. =P
That afternoon, Jesse & his friends from Cairo showed up!!! I was SOO FREAKIN EXCITED to see someone that I knew from Madison! I wanted to show them everything about my home and Nairobi, but unfortunately they were only here for that night. They had a 5am flight to catch back to Cairo Sunday morning. So we went out to Carnivore for dinner, which was RIDICULOUSLY expensive (2100 shillings just for dinner and a water!), but delicious. Carnivore is this touristy restaurant in Nairobi that serves all kinds of meat, even game meat. It's kind of like Samba in that they carry the meat around to your tables on spears and its all you can eat at a fixed price. I had chicken, turkey, pork, beef, ostrich, crocodile, and chicken livers (which are not good, for the record). The crocodile was definitely the tastiest. Very tender and salty. I kind of wish they served it more often, but its only for tourists. We talked and caught up over dinner, then taxi'd home to get ready for a night out. I won't bore you with the routine, which was going to Mad House (the prostitute hangout), then ditching it for Rezorus in Westlands again because Saturday nights at Mad House are apparently for prosties and old white men ONLY. Rezorus was typical and very fun, but then something kind of insane happened!! I was sitting at our table with my friend Joey, when all of a sudden we saw a guy at the table across from us get his flaming Sambuca shot. He apparently didn't know how to drink it because Joey and I watched as he poured the shot, flames and all, ALL OVER HIS FACE!!! His face was literally in flames and he started yelling and hitting himself and his friend tried to blow out the fire!! Oh my god, it was INSANE. It was probably only 30 seconds before he got the flames out and sat there just looking stunned, but it felt like forever. When we realized he was okay, Joey and I started cracking up at how stupid he was. But oh man, I will NEVER forget that. Then when I was leaving to get a taxi for everyone, some random guy by the door pinched my butt. Since I've been here, guys have said a lot of things to me, but no one has EVER gone so far as to touch me inappropriately like that. I whipped around and started cussing him out and shouting, but all he did was smile and move closer to me! So I shoved him as hard as I could and he stumbled backwards into the table. As I left, I saw his friends laughing at him. Serves him right. I thought going out in America was bad? In just over a month here, some guys tried to mug me and I had to assault a guy in a bar for touching my ass. At least I'm learning my own strength I guess. But that was definitely unpleasant.
I got everyone home and we tried not to fall asleep before their taxi came to take them to the airport. There was some drama getting the taxi, and I learned that I definitely cannot trust 2 of the guys I've been using. But thankfully Ken and my brother were around to help out and we got everyone to the airport eventually. I think they made it back okay! Jesse, if you read this before you contact me, please let me know you're safe in Cairo!
I slept in SUPER late on Sunday, then got some cheap Ethiopian at our fav restaurant Awash and chilled in my living room before going home and getting to bed early. It was a fun, crazy weekend and I'm still exhausted. But it was so good to see someone from Madison and reminded me just how much I'm missing all of you back home. I hope you're all well and it's not too cold yet! Write to me and let me know how you're all doing. We're going on a field trip tomorrow (yes, like back in elementary school) and then Wednesday I think I'm taking a tour of the slum Kibera. So I'll write about those things ASAP. I have also figured out where and how to call on Skype, so if anyone has it and wants to talk, let me know!
XOXO
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
SIASA (politics)
Okay, now I can finish up my last post and add a few more details about the past 2 days. I think the only thing I left out was what happened when I met my brother, Kip's, friends in Kericho that night. Geoff and I had driven into Kericho town so I could 1) use the internet because JESSE IS COMING TO NAIROBI THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!! and 2) buy groceries for the breakfast I made Sunday morning. We were also going to pick up Kip, who requested that we buy some Brandy and Coke for him at this sketchy little store down a dark alley. =P After doing these things, we went to get Kip......or so I thought. In fact, we went to MEET him and ended up staying at his bachelor pad on the porch, drinking Brandy and Tusker with him and his friends. I was fine with staying for a little bit, but it turned into a 3 hour event. His friends were nice and funny, but as the drinks kept pouring (I opted out after just one, FYI) they got very interested in talking about American girls and how much they all want to marry one. I got at least 2 proposals, and the fact that I am not looking to get married anytime in the near future seemed irrelevant to them!! When it became clear I wasn't going to walk down the aisle with any of them, they started asking about all the other girls on my program. I tried to divert them from this thought, but they couldn't get over the fact that there are 24 American girls living in Nairobi right now that they think they can have access to. Yeah right. I got pretty annoyed after dodging these kinds of inquiries for an hour, and the final straw was when one of them suggested a game: either dance by yourself for 2 minutes or take 2 shots of brandy. I was not going to do either one of those, but my efforts to leave (including kicking Geoff in the shins repeatedly, texting him in Swahili that I was going to kill him, etc...) weren't working. We ate ugali and french fries (an unpleasant combination with Tusker) and fiiiinnallllyyyy we left. At this point I had missed out on a delicious dinner back at the house AND I felt sick. So I just got back and went straight to bed. It was not my best night.
Anyway, here's what's been going on since. Monday was relatively uneventful. I had a full day of classes, which was brutal to sit through, then after school the Golf Course/Sunview crew all came over to my place to chill. We just hung out, got some fries and samosas at a nearby place called the Chips Hotel (hehe, I think it's funny), then later that night I hung out with my mom, her friend, and our neighbor Ken for a while. Wrote a few essays, then went to bed. Yesterday (Tuesday) was really fun. Another full day of classes, but the first 4 hours were Swahili and I actually enjoy that one. We ended up talking (in English, lol) about Kenyan politics and how insane Kibaki's wife, Lucy, is for the final hour. I've never really been too interested in politics. In the states, I simply find such discussions exhausting. And let's be honest, BUA did not teach me ANYTHING about US political history, so I don't have much info to go on. But here in Kenya, politics are ingrained with the culture because they are based on the inter-tribal relationships (or lack-thereof) that make up the basis of modern Kenyan society. It's so interesting to learn about the 45 year history of Kenya as an independent country. And the current political atmosphere is so charged since the conflict this past January. Everything seems to revolve around what Kibaki and Odinga are doing or not doing and how the new system is working out. Kenya only became a multi-party political system in 1991, and only since the 2007 elections have things started to take any kind of true democratic form. But it's only a whisper right now. In the US, we have the Democrats and the Republicans, the 2 major parties which are based on certain ideologies and platforms. But here, the 2 emerging political parties seem to have no platforms whatsoever. PNU (Party of National Unity-Kibaki's party) and ODM (Orange Democratic Movement-Odinga's) are merely fronts used during election time. But once in office, neither party seems to have a clear-cut plan or any particular agenda. There's no way to say that PNU believes in such and such, and ODM believes in the opposite. Kibaki is Kikuyu and Odinga is Luo, and all politics seem to follow these very clearly defined ethnic lines. It will be interesting to continue following Kenyan politics and see if they ever turn away from tribal affliations.
After classes, I went home and chilled for a while, then I got ready to go out again. Today is a holiday because it is the end of Ramadhan, so no school today! And last night a big group of us went out to a place called Club Vibro. It's a restaurant with live music and a dance floor that Lisa introduced us to. The drinks are SUPER cheap and the food is incredible. We ordered huge plates of chicken, spinach, ugali, fries, and tomatoes with onions and absolutely gorged ourselves on them. And a highlight of the meal was that we ate everything with our hands. :) I love not having to worry about utensils, just grabbing a handful of spinach and chicken then washing my hands off in a plastic bowl they carry around the table. It's very informal and fun. And the bathrooms are just SUCH a kick. Even when there are actual toilets, they often dont flush, and a bathroom attendent hands you a few pieces of toilet paper because there isn't any in the actual stalls. And since there was no running water in the bathroom sinks and the soap dispenser doesn't work, you just stick your hands straight into a bowl of liquid soap and the attendant pours some water over your hands from a plastic cup. Then you air dry cause there's no paper towels or working dryers. I think its funny, but other people are starting to get a little fed up with it. =P Then after dinner, we joined the 30 and 40-something Kenyans on the dance floor. A huge group of wazungu (white people) dancing to a local band really gave everyone a kick, and some of the girls in our group became VERY popular with a few elderly men. I was getting kind of annoyed by their advances and made that really clear, so they just pushed past me and did their "lord of the dance" routines with my friends instead! They were shaking their butts and backing it up and bumping hips like a bunch of teenage girls. It was actually funny, but I couldn't let on that I thought so because otherwise they'd probably start trying to dance with me. I focused instead on copying the choreography of the band, which was really fun. And anytime we all went back to sit down for a rest, this one particularly encouragable guy in a leather jacket who must've been about 50 years old would come and harrass us to get back on the floor! He'd spend at least 2 minutes pleading with us to come back, gesturing wildly and putting his arms around the boys at our table saying "come on, get your ladies to come back. bring your partners for one more dance!". He was ridiculous. By midnight, most everybody was tired and since several of them were staying over at my house because they were locked out of theirs, I left with them for home. I had kind of wanted to go out dancing at a younger location, but it was okay. While we waited outside for our taxis, some of our group was leaning up against a car. Then the owner of the car came out, a stately gentleman in a suit, and began harassing them about why they were "sitting" on his car? He was giving us such crap about it and looked super pissed, even though all they were doing was leaning against the trunk a little bit! Then my friend Joey jumped into the conversation. She's had 3 years of Swahili already and is one of the most advanced people in our group, so she spoke harshly to him in Swahili, saying "they aren't trying to make trouble. Do we have a problem, sir?" He said "oh, you speak Swahili?" "Yes, I do. Are we okay here??" "Oh...yeah...sure we're okay." And that was that. Joey: 1, Rude Kenyan: 0. He shut up and didn't give us anymore problems. And all the while, the security guards at the door of club were laughing at us and enjoying the show: 8 white kids vs. 1 Kenyan man.
We piled into a cab, 6 of us returning to Sunview/Golfcourse and the others headed to Jamhuri. Shalinda slept at my place, but seeing as it was only just past midnight when we got back, we ended up watching Prison Break Season 1 for the next 4 hours. My brother, Toti, has gotten me completely hooked on that show!!
Anyway, now I'm just enjoying a lazy day off. Some family and friends were over earlier and I chilled and played with this ADORABLE baby for a while. May or may not actually do anything. =P Then this Saturday, Jesse is coming into town for a day!!! I'm SO excited to see him and hear all about his Egyptian adventures. Everyone take care, and I'm sending lots of love and warm weather your way. XOXO!
Anyway, here's what's been going on since. Monday was relatively uneventful. I had a full day of classes, which was brutal to sit through, then after school the Golf Course/Sunview crew all came over to my place to chill. We just hung out, got some fries and samosas at a nearby place called the Chips Hotel (hehe, I think it's funny), then later that night I hung out with my mom, her friend, and our neighbor Ken for a while. Wrote a few essays, then went to bed. Yesterday (Tuesday) was really fun. Another full day of classes, but the first 4 hours were Swahili and I actually enjoy that one. We ended up talking (in English, lol) about Kenyan politics and how insane Kibaki's wife, Lucy, is for the final hour. I've never really been too interested in politics. In the states, I simply find such discussions exhausting. And let's be honest, BUA did not teach me ANYTHING about US political history, so I don't have much info to go on. But here in Kenya, politics are ingrained with the culture because they are based on the inter-tribal relationships (or lack-thereof) that make up the basis of modern Kenyan society. It's so interesting to learn about the 45 year history of Kenya as an independent country. And the current political atmosphere is so charged since the conflict this past January. Everything seems to revolve around what Kibaki and Odinga are doing or not doing and how the new system is working out. Kenya only became a multi-party political system in 1991, and only since the 2007 elections have things started to take any kind of true democratic form. But it's only a whisper right now. In the US, we have the Democrats and the Republicans, the 2 major parties which are based on certain ideologies and platforms. But here, the 2 emerging political parties seem to have no platforms whatsoever. PNU (Party of National Unity-Kibaki's party) and ODM (Orange Democratic Movement-Odinga's) are merely fronts used during election time. But once in office, neither party seems to have a clear-cut plan or any particular agenda. There's no way to say that PNU believes in such and such, and ODM believes in the opposite. Kibaki is Kikuyu and Odinga is Luo, and all politics seem to follow these very clearly defined ethnic lines. It will be interesting to continue following Kenyan politics and see if they ever turn away from tribal affliations.
After classes, I went home and chilled for a while, then I got ready to go out again. Today is a holiday because it is the end of Ramadhan, so no school today! And last night a big group of us went out to a place called Club Vibro. It's a restaurant with live music and a dance floor that Lisa introduced us to. The drinks are SUPER cheap and the food is incredible. We ordered huge plates of chicken, spinach, ugali, fries, and tomatoes with onions and absolutely gorged ourselves on them. And a highlight of the meal was that we ate everything with our hands. :) I love not having to worry about utensils, just grabbing a handful of spinach and chicken then washing my hands off in a plastic bowl they carry around the table. It's very informal and fun. And the bathrooms are just SUCH a kick. Even when there are actual toilets, they often dont flush, and a bathroom attendent hands you a few pieces of toilet paper because there isn't any in the actual stalls. And since there was no running water in the bathroom sinks and the soap dispenser doesn't work, you just stick your hands straight into a bowl of liquid soap and the attendant pours some water over your hands from a plastic cup. Then you air dry cause there's no paper towels or working dryers. I think its funny, but other people are starting to get a little fed up with it. =P Then after dinner, we joined the 30 and 40-something Kenyans on the dance floor. A huge group of wazungu (white people) dancing to a local band really gave everyone a kick, and some of the girls in our group became VERY popular with a few elderly men. I was getting kind of annoyed by their advances and made that really clear, so they just pushed past me and did their "lord of the dance" routines with my friends instead! They were shaking their butts and backing it up and bumping hips like a bunch of teenage girls. It was actually funny, but I couldn't let on that I thought so because otherwise they'd probably start trying to dance with me. I focused instead on copying the choreography of the band, which was really fun. And anytime we all went back to sit down for a rest, this one particularly encouragable guy in a leather jacket who must've been about 50 years old would come and harrass us to get back on the floor! He'd spend at least 2 minutes pleading with us to come back, gesturing wildly and putting his arms around the boys at our table saying "come on, get your ladies to come back. bring your partners for one more dance!". He was ridiculous. By midnight, most everybody was tired and since several of them were staying over at my house because they were locked out of theirs, I left with them for home. I had kind of wanted to go out dancing at a younger location, but it was okay. While we waited outside for our taxis, some of our group was leaning up against a car. Then the owner of the car came out, a stately gentleman in a suit, and began harassing them about why they were "sitting" on his car? He was giving us such crap about it and looked super pissed, even though all they were doing was leaning against the trunk a little bit! Then my friend Joey jumped into the conversation. She's had 3 years of Swahili already and is one of the most advanced people in our group, so she spoke harshly to him in Swahili, saying "they aren't trying to make trouble. Do we have a problem, sir?" He said "oh, you speak Swahili?" "Yes, I do. Are we okay here??" "Oh...yeah...sure we're okay." And that was that. Joey: 1, Rude Kenyan: 0. He shut up and didn't give us anymore problems. And all the while, the security guards at the door of club were laughing at us and enjoying the show: 8 white kids vs. 1 Kenyan man.
We piled into a cab, 6 of us returning to Sunview/Golfcourse and the others headed to Jamhuri. Shalinda slept at my place, but seeing as it was only just past midnight when we got back, we ended up watching Prison Break Season 1 for the next 4 hours. My brother, Toti, has gotten me completely hooked on that show!!
Anyway, now I'm just enjoying a lazy day off. Some family and friends were over earlier and I chilled and played with this ADORABLE baby for a while. May or may not actually do anything. =P Then this Saturday, Jesse is coming into town for a day!!! I'm SO excited to see him and hear all about his Egyptian adventures. Everyone take care, and I'm sending lots of love and warm weather your way. XOXO!
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