Catching Up...

Tuesday I was back at the school, and I brought them the soccer ball I had bought for them at Nakumatt last week. It went over really well, so well in fact that is was promptly kicked over a fence and had to be retrieved before the goats got it. I stayed with the oldest kids all day and we did multiplication of fractions and decimals until lunch. They had been doing it the long way (3 X (1/4) = (1/4) + (1/4) + (1/4)) but I said that was a waste of time and showed them how to just multiply the top and then the bottom and simplify. They caught on really quick, mostly because they liked the idea of less work. Decimals were a little harder as they didn't quite understand what the tenths place and hundredths place meant, but I think they know a little more than they did before. I had porridge and lunch with the kids again, which makes you feel a little guilty when you know some kids just wander around the village at lunch time because there's no food at home and they can't afford the 20Ksh for lunch at school. During lunch, I also gave Elosy the first aid kit that I'd brought since the school didn't have one. I think there might be a few more skinned knees now that they have a real ball to play with. English lessons were in the afternoon, and I asked the kids to write me one page about what they would like to do in the future. Out of the six of them, I think 2 managed to write more than 2 sentences and the grammar was questionable. Instead of marking them, though, I decided to play Hangman with English words. Once they figured it out, they absolutely loved it and even told the other teachers about it. I went to the internet cafe around 3pm and then spent another lazy afternoon reading and watching a movie with Patrick.

Wednesday and Thursday were both pretty uneventful. I met Josephine at the LocalAid office a little after nine and we'd talk for a bit, put varnish on the beads, plan a few things out for the budget proposal, and then take tea. After tea, we would head to Cyberworld and I'd type for 2 hours. On Thursday, the internet here wasn't working well, so an older gentleman offered to give us a ride to another place up the road. The complex it was located in had a hotel owned by and Italian priest, and he apparently used the profits to run an HIV center somewhere else in the community. There was also a nice restaurant, several white people, and a surprisingly fast internet connection. We were going to stop at the district health clinic since Josephine hadn't heard back from the woman about the VCT registration, but it was already after 2pm so we decided to go on Friday. Thursday afternoon was a learning experience as I did my laundry by hand in a bucket for the first time in my life. I scrubbed, rinsed, and then hung everything on a line outside to dry in the sun. It actually hurts your knuckles by the end of it, and I am even more grateful for the washer and dryer in our new condo back in Gainesville now. As Thursday was the last day of orientation for the group starting the first of July, some of the volunteers going to Maasailand had dropped their bags at our apartment while they were at the Animal Orphanage. I talked to one woman when they came to pick up their bags, and she was headed to the same village as Matteo so I told her to say hi for me. Besides watching Storm Over Paradise (Nicholas is going to marry Catalina because she told him she was pregnant when he is still in love with Imar. The baby is actually his younger brother Leonardo's though, and their estranged recovering alcoholic mother is in the hospital awaiting a liver transplant. So dramatic...), nothing exciting happened.

Friday was an errand-running day, and we started off by going to Karen to find out about the requirements for opening a bank account for the NGO. They weren't too strict, but Josephine is going to have to procure some meeting minutes and utility bills. I changed some money at the Forex since were were in a shopping plaza, and remarked at how different Karen is from Ngando village down the road. This place is catered to the rich expats living in the gated communities dotting the hillsides, while a short drive away people are struggling to put food on the table. I don't think the housewife wearing her Italian leather boots and putting her groceries in her Land Rover lets it bother her though. We caught the City Hoppa bus to the District Health Clinic to check on our VCt application status, but the woman has been out of the office all week. I think I've been to that place 4 times, and she's been there once. We walked to Junction and used their nice bathrooms and I inquired at the pharmacy there if they had malarone and took credit cards. Both questions were answered affirmatively so I don't have to worry about changing my anti-malarial meds. Afterward, we caught another bus that took a good 40 minutes to reach the center of Nairobi. We got off by the Grand Post Office and went in to inquire about the price of shipping beads to a buyer in Australia. It was about one tenth of the price than DHL, which made Josephine really happy. We then walked through the maze of streets, people, and cars to a store called Mara Fabrics. Here they sell beads really cheap, and Josephine got some smaller ones and clasps to accent the beads we make. I bought a kikoy, a traditional fabric wrap, in the colors of my bedroom, but I would have to finish the edges myself later. The prices here were really good and there was no haggling, which I enjoyed. Finally, we headed back to the bus stop around 1:45pm and got on the 24 back to Ngong Road. We had to wait a while for the bus to fill, and there was a deaf boy selling mints to passengers despite the "No Hawking, No Preaching" signs posted on the windows. I got off at Junction around 2:30 and immediately headed to Nairobi Java House to get some lunch since I hadn't eaten in 7 hours. I ordered a roast beef and cheddar panini and was brought a turkey BLT and fries, but I was so hungry that I didn't care. I also got a small chocolate almond fudge ice cream and a passion fruit juice and felt a lot better. Maria from Mexico was there with a couple of her friends and we talked for a few minutes about how our placements were going. She's actually leaving in four days, but she said she had enjoyed coming back and teaching at the same school in Kibera as before. After that, I went into Nakumatt to stock up on dessert for myself and get the ingredients for making cornbread like I promised Margaret. Butter here doesn't come in sticks, so it was a little hard to estimate half a cup, but I just got a bag of the flours and sugar since I'm sure Maggie will use the leftovers. I also got a magazine (which cost as much as the the food) and some wrapping paper and glue to try and make some beads for my own necklace over the weekend. One the matatu on the way back, I got seated up front which makes the off-roading and passing other cars a little more nerve-racking. I got home without incident, however, but realized I forgot eggs. Luckily, a little store right outside our apartment building sells them fresh (with some grass still stuck to them fresh) for about 8Ksh. I also learned that we had a new volunteer staying with us because she was unhappy being the only person at her previous placement. Her name is Melissa and she is a social worker from Canada. Apparently, she is also working at LocalAid, which they hadn't told Josephine, but I guess I'll have someone to talk to for the next 2 weeks. She was at the school today since we were in town, but she said she liked Elosy and the kids. I laughed when she asked if I had lost of lot of weight since I'd been here because Maggie feeds us so well. I guess Melissa went to Ghana a while back with a similar organization to work in an orphanage and lost 15 pounds. I also laughed when she brought out her straightener to fix her bangs, but to each their own. The cornbread came out really well even though I didn't even have mL measuring cups, and Margaret asked me to copy the recipe down for her. Leonardo was gorged by a bull due to Catalina's scheming on this night's episode of Storm Over Paradise, and his brain dead state makes him a candidate to donate his liver to his mother. I also watched some track and field meet in Europe (the Ethiopian beat the Kenyan woman in the 3000m) and resolved to seriously get back in shape once in get back home. I haven't worked out in two months and I haven't run since I've been here. I'm going to try and teach the kids to throw the frisbees I brought at school this week though. I was very happy to hear that my mom had a good 50th birthday back home :)

Today I woke up around 8:45am and I watched Maggie make chapatti after breakfast. The secret to why hers is the best I've had here is apparently mashed butternut squash added to the dough. I wrote down the recipe and intend to try that, along with the cabbage the and bean stew, back home. I read the magazine I had bought and tore out the pretty colored pages to make beads, and then walked here to use the internet. Happy Fourth of July everyone, and especially Happy Birthday to Arinn! I can't wait to have a make-up birthday/home-warming party when we all get back to Gainesville. Miss you all and see you soon!