Melissa and I both woke up at the exact same time (which was a little awkward and funny), and we were both on time to work for once. The goal for today was to clean up the office to get it ready for a final inspection before the HIV testing kits were delivered. This involved Melissa and I sorting through stacks of brochures, boxes of condoms, and hanging up required signs and posters while Josephine and Elosy dusted and mopped. The place actually looked like a clinic (well, one in Kenya anyways) when we were done instead of a storage facility. The lady who needed to complete the inspection was in town for the morning, so we had some really good instant coffee and cookies and sorted through a few more things before heading to lunch.
I also bought necklaces made by the beading support group for all of my lovely FUEL ladies when the season starts again in the fall, and gave Josephine half of the clothes I'm leaving here to distribute amongst the caregivers and HIV+ women. Then the four of us walked to Junction and sat down at one of the shaded picninc benches outside the Nairobi Jave House. I had passion fruit juice (which I'm going to miss) and coconut curry with tilapia and french fries. Josephine ordered a huge chicken salad and a side order of fries, and according to African custom, forced every bite down even when it made her miserable. True to my nature, I ordered two desserts (chocolate almond fudge icecream and a blondie) and made everyone have a bit before I finished it all. Josephine and Elsoy left then to meet the lady for the inspection, and I wished them luck before heading up to the internet cafe at Junction with Melissa. It was four shillings/minute (four times what I usually pay) so I tried not to stay long. 
Afterwards, Melissa went to a small market with some of her friends from orientation, and I decided to walk the whole way back in an effort to burn off some of my gluttony. I got back around 4pm, and my efforts to read turned into a nap with the combined effects of the food and the walk in the heat. During dinner, Patrick was showing off the sunglasses Melissa gave to him, and we all sat around watching news stories that seems to only revolve around the water shortage or the maize shortage or the post-election violence trials. Not entirely uplifting, but the poorly filmed Kenyan sit-coms afterward lightened the mood a little even if I couldn't understand most of them. 
Today I went to see the children's center run at Margaret's church, and because of that, I didn't wake up early like usual. After breakfast, we went through the other half of the clothes I'm leaving behind, my shoes, and the other things I'd brought with me (medication, a flash light, anti-bacterial wipes, etc.) to see what the children's center and the school could use. Margaret took everything (keeping a few things for around the house) and I was left with one pair of flip flops and one change of clothes that's not dirty for the next two days. We headed off around 9:30am,and our first stop was at the church I had gone to on Sunday. During the week, the chairs are removed and desks are put in to have two separate pre school and kindergarten classes. Some of the supplies were dropped off here, and then we went to the Hanne Howard Fund. The office was closed, but I saw a few familiar faces in the adults doing the washing and making food for the children. 
They also have two small lower primary classes that are for the most vulnerable children in the community. I saw ther dorms where the orphaned kids sleep at night, but all of the older children take a bus or walk to various schools in the area. Next, we went to the Lenana Slum Orphans organization, which surpervised the children before Hanne Howard came to Kenya, and now works more with counseling for infected and affected women. The office and all the surrounding land is owned by Margaret's family, and the organization uses the building for free. Her mother's house was close by, and we stopped by to say hi to some of her family. Patrick was there, home sick from school, and I also met some of her sisters-in-law. At least three brothers have houses next door, and I said that it must be nice to live so close to her family. Margaret agreed, but only because they all got along for the most part. We came back to the children's center and I stayed there for a bit while Margret went to town to run errands. The kindergarten group was doing subtraction, and I talked to the teacher for 20 minutes about life in Kenya and the trials that some of the children face. 
In Kenya, if a man fathers a child or divorces his wife, he is not held legally responsible for supporting them. This remainder from tribal customs and oversight by the leagl system has created dire situations for many women in Africa. Some turn to prostitution which puts them at risk for contrcting HIV, and others simply cannot provide adequate food and education for their kids. The kids usualy take porridge about 11am, but it wasn't ready yet, so I brought out my surprise for them: bubbles. They were so excited that the crowded and pushed their way to the table where the teacher and I handed out wans dipped in bubble solution to the kids, I have a few scratch marks to prove it. Whenever someone blew a particularly large one that lasted, they all shouted and stared at it until it popped on the ceiling, or came and landed on someone's head. When the solution was used up (and I helped clean it up), we went outside to play. They have a slide (the swings broke a while ago), but most of them were content to just hold on to any part of my arm they could reach and stare at the color of my skin. I took a few pictures of them, both in class and outside, and they all laughed and pointed at themselves when I showed them the screen. Their innocence and joy was a gift, and seemed to appear more precious with the poverty and struggle surrounding them. 
I stayed to help hand out porridge and watch a bit of the pre-schools phonics lesson, before heading home for lunch. Tomorrow is my last day wokring with Josephine, and I hope I will get to see the first HIV test performed at the VCT. I can't belive that five weeks is almost over. It's been a whirlwind, and I've already been made to promise I will return once I finish school. Home is calling, though, and I can't wait to see everyone. Much love.
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