there is a MONKEY in my ROOM!!!!

Today was my day off (since I run a youth thing on Saturdays, I take monday as my day off). I was enjoying a relaxing afternoon, watching a movie on my computer when I heard something hit my window. I looked up- and a MONKEY was in my window! Trying to get into my room! A monkey! Monkeys are a pain in the rear here (they are really only a pain if they get into your house- they are great to watch when they aren't invading your space!) but if they get into your house, they will trash the place looking for food and trying to get out.

So I see the monkey and apparently I screamed. Then I started yelling at it and chasing it away. My friend who was sitting in the living room said after I scared it out, the monkey tried to get in the open balcony door but then took off. It didn't really damage anything but still!! A few days ago, I heard all the kids in my compound yelling that a monkey was on the roof so I went to the balcony to see. Just as I got to the rail of the balcony, said monkey came flying over the edge and continued on up to the next balcony. I screamed then too. The kids think its hilarious that I scream at this stuff but I know monkeys- they are devious little guys! They look cute and adorable but then they turn on you! Plus they aren't too afraid of people (at least these city monkeys aren't). They are fearless! And bold!! I'm not a big fan of wildlife that isn't afraid of humans- at least not up close!

So that was today's adventure. Like I've said before, there are no 2 days here that are ever the same!

Black Friday Shopping

I gotta say, I'm missing the Black Friday brawls this year. I love getting up early (ok I hate the getting up early part but I love the rest), rushing to a store, fighting for parking, racing through the stuff, the strategy, the competition, the adventure of it all. And the deals. Its really one of the most bizarre parts of the year! Its one of the only times its remotely acceptable to RUN full tilt through a store, dodging other customers and displays. It's a huge game of strategy and plans (because you can't just waltz into a store and expect to find something cool- you need to plan, you need to know what you have the most likely chance of finding- just because its cool and its advertised does NOT guarantee that you will own it by the end of the day (and you could have wasted good shopping minutes seeking it out!)) You have to plan out a mutually beneficial route so that everyone can get to the places they want to go as close to the time they open as possible. And everyone has a role- the defensive driver, the place-in-line holder, the runner, the sneaky person- who can get into the middle of massive groups of people and get back out with the items to purchase, the intimidating enforcer. You have to work as a team to succeed. This truly can be like a military mission!

So obviously, I'm not joining the millions of shoppers in the Black Friday fiasco this year. But today we did go shopping for all of the gifts of food we will give away this Christmas. 3 of us went to a local grocery store with lists and a plan to divide and conquer . It was hilarious to see the employees faces when we said we wanted 42 kgs of rice (roughly 105 lbs) each in 2kg bags (all of this is hand measured loose rice stored in a barrel of course!). We had 4 carts FULL of flour, sugar, cooking oil, laundry soap and other things. The poor lady at the cash register looked tired just LOOKING at our carts! But 2.5 hours later, we and all of our purchases made it back to the office. In the end we figured we have 21 bags for 21 families- each bag has about 20 lbs of various dry goods. Definitely not the same as Black Friday Shopping- but a bit more rewarding in the end (although none of the great deals) :o)

Thanksgiving Day Adventures (b/c what fun would life be without adventures?)

So today is Thanksgiving. And while the holiday is not celebrated here, my friends and I still love it so we decided to have our own thanksgiving. The food was all divided up, we all had our jobs- this was going to be a breeze. I was responsible for the squash (GROSS) and the rolls (Yummy! I have an amazing, super-secret, practically no fail recipe) and I was set to go.

I decided to ask a friend of mine to switch classes with me today (since today in English Class day and I didn't want to miss it) so I got up early and taught my class. The class was great but transportation was a real pain today (matatus just weren't stopping, it was a pain). I finally get home, and all the kids in the compound were playing outside becuase- guess what- NO POWER. Again. I mean this isn't a new thing. Earlier this year, we spent 3 months getting power only every other day. Life goes on. But today was Thanksgiving and I had food to bake- in my ELECTRIC oven. So what to do? Wait it out? There aren't a ton of options. So I called around to my friend who was cooking the Turkey (who doesn't live too far away from me) to see if she had power. I figured that since I hadn't received a frantic phone call from her, that she probably had power. She did. Ok. At least we would have turkey.

So I decided that I had time, I was going to start my rolls in faith that maybe the electricity would come back in time to bake them (its been known to happen) and they had to rise for like 2 hours total. So I started the rolls.

And I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

No power yet, that's ok, it still has time to come back before the rolls have to cook....

And waited.

I'm frantically trying to slow down the process (but how do you stop yeast from rising?) I'm moving the dough to the coolest part of the house. Still no power.

I'm calling around to friends to see if they have power and working ovens. We decide that I will bring the raw/rising rolls to my friends house (the one who is hosting this shin-dig). But now they are getting HUGE (because they were supposed to go into the oven an hour ago). Thankfully, another friend from my compound was going to the party too, so I didn't have to try to get my massive blob of dough on a matatu!

We get to the place where we are eating, the turkey just came out of the oven and I threw the rolls in and there we go! They turned out half-way decent for having risen for and hour and a half more then they should have!

But it was a great evening with some great friends! By the way, I gave up on trying to bake the squash with all the electricity issues. I sure didn't miss it! We all sat around and talked about Adventures of International Thanksgiving's Past (cooking 30kg's of potatoes on a Bunsen burner in India and mashing all the potatoes with a fork because we didn't have a potato masher (that one was me) and all the women there had a stories about other electricity-less Thanksgivings).

Now I'm watching the Thanksgiving episode of WKRP in Cincinnati- absolutely HILARIOUS!!! Its the one with the air-born-live-turkey promotion. Too funny! I love classic 70's TV shows!

Yet Another Really Fun Day!!

Today was just a really fun day! We were able to celebrate with some of the women in the sewing program- rejoicing in how far they have come! Financial independence is a HUGE thing! The skills and abilities they have a acquired are amazing! Its just a really proud day!

It started with us all getting to the meeting place early to dress up! This was like getting ready for a wedding! Women everywhere! Clothes everywhere! A ton of people trying to help you get the outfit on JUST right! Then the ladies (and the kiddies) decided I needed braids- so I sat down and got some quick braids put in.

It was a day of singing and eating and just enjoying one another and honoring these women who do such amazing things!

I'm not going to put up any pictures (you know the rules- no pics of stuff like this) but trust me- the outfit was something else! I love it! But here's a picture of the rasta braids:

PS

Today I just found the rules for 'Calvin-ball' (from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes). We are SOOOO playing this at our Youth Retreat!

Fun Day

Today was just a really fun day. I was teaching my English and literacy class, and the ladies were hilarious. First off, they decided to dress me up in some traditional clothes and told me I had to teach in that today. Fine with me- I'm good at being a life-size barbie! Then we started reviewing last weeks lesson. I had just started the review when my boss pulled up. One of the ladies, the oldest and frailest of them all, jumped up and started hurrying over to my boss's car. I couldn't figure out what she was up to until I heard her yell through the window "Good Afternoon. How are you?" She was practicing (and showing off) I love it!!!

So we continued on with the lesson. I was trying to explain the 5W question words (who, what, where, why, when) and we were finding sentances for each. I'd explined a few of them when one woman started muttering something, the lady next to her turned to me and said "She said 'Linds, whatcha talking about'. Amazing- the power of movies!!! But it also happens to be a perfect example of the word What.

After all that, I was heading home and I caught a matatu on the highway. They let the only other passenger off as I got on. As it turns out, they were done for the day and I had just dropped the tout (the guy who takes the money and gets the passengers)off (that was the guy I saw getting out). So they weren't technically running but they picked me up anyways. I sat down and the driver started joking about how I was the tout now (which I must confess has always been a job I've always secretly wanted!! Beba, beba beba- embao embao!) So I got to be the tout- and since I was the one taking the money (although I was still the only passenger)- I got the ride for free. Thanks mystery driver!

Goodbye Too-Short-For-Me Bed!!!!

So my roommate and I rent a furnished apartment (pretty common here), and the bed I've had has been the top half of a children's bunk bed. Not horrible but a bit on the short side (especially for me). But this week I found out that my landlord wanted to replace the bed with a real, adult-sized bed! WOOHOO!!!! My feet won't hit the footboard anymore!

So my friend Maggie and I went on a quest to find a bed. You can go to a big store and look for a bed but they will be ridiculously expensive. The better plan is to go to the part of town where all the wood and iron workers set up their stuff and buy a bed there. So we did. There are hundreds of options- and the guys will custom make anything you want. In all honesty, I just wanted a bed that was going to be tall enough for me! I'm not too picky! But you wander up and down the road and check out all the options- there are carved wood, crappy wood, wrought iron, combinations of iron and wood, all different designs. So I found a bed- wood posts and wrought iron frame. Then the price negotiations start. After we find a common ground, its on to the next step: finding a mattress. Once again, you can go to a big store but you'll pay WAY more so the guy who sold me the bed took us down the road to the "wholesale mattress shop" There really aren't words to describe this place but I found a great mattress at a decent price-new. Step three: transport all this back to my place. My friend Maggie had brought her car, but its about the size of my dad's old Festiva- not really big enough to fit a mattress and bed in- plus the fundi (the craftsman who built the bed who comes to set it up in your house for you) So we find a taxi/pickup driver to help out (which really was a great plan becuase there is no way the 2 of us girls were getting a wrought iron bed up to a 4th floor walk-up!)

So I'm now the proud owner of a new bed! Yay! I'll put some pics up after I find sheets that fit it!

Post Office Adventures

I found out I had another package at the post office earlier this week. But I planned ahead- I waited for a day when I had the WHOLE DAY to do this project so I wouldn't get stressed out. If you have places to go when you go to pick up your package you will just be frustrated that you are late, it will take forever and if YOU are cranky it won't help your case!

So I went early. Early is good- they haven't had enough customers to be annoyed yet. The lines aren't as long. Here's a quick recap of the system if you missed my previous post (with BRAND NEW STEPS and ADDITIONS this time around!)

1. you get a slip telling you that you have a package waiting at the post office (WHICH post office is still somewhat confusing but generally, its at the BIG big post office).
2. you take your slip to the post office and find the right floor (M3- not regular 3)
3. you go to the first mama and hand her the slip and your ID- she finds your package
4. you go to the 2nd mama who helps you open said package
5. you go to the 3rd mama (or sometimes a guy) who looks at all your stuff and writes the contents on your slip.
6. you then go back to mama 1 or 2 and reseal your package.
7. then you take the slip up the stairs, down the hall 2 offices in
8. This man decides how much custom's duty you owe. Try to explain what "mac and cheese packets" are.
9. You take the slip back to Mama #3 and she adds up what you owe on your slip
10. You take the slip to the window on the other side of the room and the mama puts the info into the computer.
HERE'S THE NEW STEPS AND ADVENTURES!
11. You go back to the office that is up the stairs and around the corner but go to the 1st office and the mama prints off a bill of what you will pay for duty.
12. She tells you to go out of the post office to "Corporate Bank" register 12 to pay the duty.
13. I stop to ask the door guard WHERE this bank is b/c I've never heard of Corporate Bank. That's because it's not CALLED corporate bank- its called something else. So he points out the building- across the divided highway, down 1 street, its yellowish.
14. I go back up to the overpass, cross over, find a sidestreet that looks like it might pass the building, find the right building but wrong door.
15. I find the right door and wait in the que for register 12 (I'm trying to follow directions!) but the guard sees my slip and says I need to que at register 1.
16. Get to register 1, show the mama the bill but the system is down- she says come back in an hour.
17. Get some lunch
18. Go back to the bank, back in the que for register 1, the system is working so I pay the bill and get the receipt.
19. Now I go back to the post office, back to M3, back to the window on the side and give the mama the receipt. She gives me a new slip for my package
20. I go back to Mama #3 and she marks something on the slip.
21. I go to mama #4 and pay the handling fees
22. I go back to mama 1 to pick up my package again
23. I go to Bwana 1 to show all my slips, receipts and package
24. I go to Bwana 2 to show my slips, receipts, package and ID
25. I make it out 3 minutes before they close for lunch.
26. Smile at the nice guard who helped me find the bank as I leave.

Gotta love it! But I got fun stuff in the package so its totally worth it!