HAPPY DAY!!

I went to the grocery store today to pick up some staples for the week and I was wandering the isles (because I was in the BIG grocery store- with LOTS of choices!) looking for pickles (I found plenty of Indian pickle which bare absolutely NO resemblance to a cucumber or something you would put on a burger!) But I'm wandering the isles and I see it! To my complete surprise, OLD EL PASO has made it to Kenya! I've NEVER seen salsa or taco seasoning here (I usually have my mom mail me the taco seasoning) but its never here! I try to make my own salsa but its not the same. This is the REAL THING! I don't actually have tortilla chips or anything, but salsa is not confined strictly to tortilla chips- I'll eat this out of the jar with a spoon if that's the only option! (Although I know salsa is great on potatoes of all varieties and its great on eggs... but I'm sure I'll find more uses for it!)

I realize that this sounds absolutely ridiculous but hey! Its the simple joys in life! This totally made my day!

I've been census-edd

So we are in the middle of an actual, literal, door-to-door census. I've never seen a door to door census! But it gave us an impromptu public holiday! It was supposed to conclude on Monday night (4 hours after it started- that may have been a bit ambitious...) Then it was supposed to end Tues. Well it's Wed now and they just got to my door! I guess the Census Guys weren't big on sarcasm- they asked my roommie if we owned any livestock and she said "sure! our cow lives back there" (pointing to the kitchen- we are a 3rd floor walk up- no where to hide a cow) and the guy started to write it down.

But I've been counted, and here's the proof:
All counted houses have chalk numbers on the doors- very 10th plauge, lamb's blood on the door posts, Passover-ish.

And here's a political cartoon from yesterday's paper- the census is made up of a ton of questions about your family, animals, etc but I guess it didn't hit on the questions most people here think are important...

The Other Fun Part of Market Shopping..

In my previous post, I forgot to mention the most counter-cultural part of market shopping (at least to me). You have to get used to everyone calling you fat. And they don't mean it to be mean (in fact, friends will say "oh look! You've gained so much weight!" and mean it as a complete compliment! Seriously! It means you obviously have enough money and are doing well enough to eat well and gain weight.). But as you go through the market, all the vendors will say "Come, get jeans! I even have YOUR size" (which in all honesty, I'm considerably taller and bigger then most girls here, so to find something that will fit is an adventure) but its so funny to hear. The best is the vendors who literally tell you "Wow! You're big!" Thanks!

So word to the wise- don't go to the markets if you are struggling with your self-esteem! But seriously- no one means it to be mean or offensive! It's just appropriate to say here! So funny! I just have to remember NOT to complement my friends in the US in such a fashion!

Adventures in Toi land

Today is my usual day off, and since there isn't electricity, my friends and I decided to go to this massive clothes market and see what we could find. I know, I know- Me and Shopping don't usually end up in the same sentence but it was something to do and I was in the mood for a deal! And boy did I find some!

Getting around here is always an adventure. Roads aren't straight or in any form of a grid, so I hadn't realized I really only live a short distance from this market (I'd always come from a different direction when I went before- I had no idea that I was only a few back roads away from it!) I hadn't been back to this particular market since I left- and it's changed a lot. It was burned to the ground during the political violence in 2008 and has since been rebuilt. Its made up of tiny stalls (aka dukas) that are MAYBE 4'x4' and the are all just lined up together. Some have walls but most hang the clothing as a barrier between that duka and the next. Each duka specializes in one thing- dresses, tops, blouses, shoes, jeans, etc so it's pretty easy to find stuff if you know what you are looking for. Its all used clothes, but its fun to dig and find some cool stuff. I ended up finding a few tops and even a pair of shoes that fit (kelly will be proud- they even have a bit of a heel! I know! Who knew!) I really wish I could take pictures in there- words just really can't describe it all- all the clothes, people, stuff, the guy frying whole tilapia in a hole next to a duka, the kids taking a nap on the piles of clothes- you really have to see it all!

So that was my adventure today. We got back from the market and I was washing my new-to-me clothes when low and behold the power came back on 3 hours early! (Generally, on power ration days, it goes off by 6.15am and comes back around 7pm or so). Fun! Maybe I'll watch a movie if the power will stay on!

Recycle, Reduce and Reuse... the beer can?

This may be the coolest candle I've ever seen. Its made from a old Tusker beer can (Tusker is our local brewery). So far it doesn't smell like old beer :)

Carpe Diem

So I'm getting more into the swing of this Power Rationing thing. It involves a lot of planning ahead (and a great knowledge of the city- all estates (aka neighborhoods) are split in half (Group A's have power outages M,W,F, Group B's are T,Th,Sat) so if you are going somewhere, you have to figure out where exactly you are going and if that side of the estate is an A or a B. (I know- its kind of confusing- join the club!)

I'm an A- I have power outages M,W,F- so every night you go to bed thinking "what day is it?" "Will I have power tomorrow?" "Will my phone battery last 2 more days?" and since I go to sleep listening to music, I have to set my alarm for 6.15am so I can turn off my computer before the power goes out and drains my battery (since there's no guarantee I'd be able to charge it during the day- we still have random other outages) go back to sleep for an hour and then get up for the day.

It also makes me be a lot more mindful about how much I'm cooking for meals (since the power goes out every other day, leftovers (and most everything in the fridge) goes bad really fast).

But I've learned Power Rationing is all about Seizing the Day. If you have power, do anything and everything you need to do that involves power (shower, write emails, etc). When the power is on, charge everything you have (Ipod, computer, phone, extra batteries). When the internet is working- USE IT! IT CAN AND WILL GO OUT AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE! And when the power's off, you can do all the other non-power activities (washing clothes, reading, etc).

Word on the street is that we will be having this power rationing until the big rains come in November. Good thing we are settling into a system!

Post Office Adventures

I went to go pick up a package today- what an adventure- the post office is CRAZY!!! Before, Iived quite a ways out of the city so the packages would go through customs and then come to me- all I had to do was pick them up. But now that my address is in town- I get to go do the customs thing myself. First you have to determine which post office it is in town- the BIG one or the big BIG one (packges wouldn't be at the little neighborhood ones). Once that's determined you catch a mat to there (in this case the big BIG one- not the big one that doubles as a matatu stop). You go in to the big ground floor room but that's not the right place- ask around a little and find out that air mail packages are on Mezzanine 3 (not to be confused with the 3rd floor- whole different place). There is a hallway on M3 and it opens into a huge room with tons of packages. And several lines with no clear starting point. I ask one mama- she says go down there -->. So I do. Not far enough apparently. I get to the first mama (mama #1), she checks my pick up slip and ID and has another mama (mama #2) find the package. She hands it to me and tells me to open it up (with this massive knife just sitting on the counter) for the customs check. So I do that and I slide down to the Bwana (Bwana #1) who checks it (and wants to know what the heck taco seasoning and Lowry's seasoning are- long conversation about that). He writes on my slip and says seal up the box and hand it back to mama #1 (but he really didn't specify which mama- part of my confusion) and go see the Boss. Where is the Boss- up the stairs, down the hall, office on the left side- 2nd office in). You wait to see him, chat a bit, talk about what’s in the box and he determines what (if any) customs duty you pay. He stamps the slip and sends you back- to where is still unknown. I get in one line (with mama #3- that would make sense right?) Nope. wrong line. I have to go back to Bwana #1, he reviews the slip and stamps acquired thus far and send me to the window on the other side of the room and the mama there (mama W). She finds my other slip (the carbon of the one I have in my hand and gives it to me) and I'm sent to mama #3 to pay the customs duty (and handling fee- no customs on this package- nice!) Now I'm sent back to get my package at mama #1(but not in her typical spot- she moved). Then I go to mama #4 who writes down my ID numbers (and wants to know what chili seasoning is and if its different then the chilis here- I try to explain mexican food- didn't work so well). and she sends me to Bwana #2 who writes down the exact same info as mama #4 and I'm finally free to go and find a matatu to get home. Too funny!

But I love getting packages (despite the hilarity of picking them up!)

I'm A Life-Size Barbie....

This is how I spend my Saturdays- I get a new hairstyle every time! This time a good soak in conditioner got all the knots out (I usually have to cut out a few of the knots!)

Water Crisis Update

Small update- Power is being rationed 3 days a week now because the city literally can't create enough electricity for us all to have power (Nairobi is divided in half- we have power cuts Mon, Wed, Fri while the other half has power cuts the other days - we all get power on Sundays!) And then on top of that is the water cuts 2 days a week- my compound has enough stored water that we are never completely out- but that is not the reality for most of Nairobi. Water is scarce, expensive and quickly becoming a hot commodity. We desperately need massive amounts of rain.

Water Crisis

I wrote in my last post about our electricity issues- its been a long week. 3 full days without any power (and the other 2 had intermittent power) which has made for some very boring days and evenings (today ended with 3 of us playing Eye Spy because there really wasn't anything else to do- we'd made up a movie trivia game, played Name That Car, and Random Swahili Words- Eye Spy was all that was left to play!) Although I'm sure it would have been funny to watch the 3 of us trying to get ready to go pick someone up from the airport tonight using our Ipods/phones as flashlights- I managed to put on makeup with my Ipod shining in the mirror for light) The entire city has power and water rationing because it just hasn't rained. The last rainy season was almost nonexistent and now there just isn't enough water to power the city (we operate on hydro-electric here) or meet its water needs- we are up to 2 power ration days and 2 water ration days a week now. The lack of water and power is inconvenient for us- but deadly for many. Aside from water being difficult to find, cholera is on the rise and in the water source (I always boil and filter my water so I'm not worried about that but not everyone takes that precaution). Animals are finding their way into the city looking for food and water (no lions yet mom- mostly just monkeys).

There are lots of reasons for the climate change- many people are blaming the deforestation of the Mau Forest. Regardless, many many people here are suffering from the illnesses and problems this brings. We are all praying for rain. Lots and lots of rain. We have another rainy season coming up in the next month, hopefully this time it will rain.

Funny Culture Days

Today has just been one of those days. Funny Culture Days are the days when there is just no understanding why things happen the way they do- you just have to accept that no matter how bizzar it seems- its just the way it is and that’s part of the adventure.

This is the 2^nd day this week we haven’t had power (for the entire day). Not a HUGE deal, but that means no shower, no toast for breakfast, stuff in the fridge is going bad, and you can’t check your email. Like I said, not the end of the world but this is the 2^nd day this week like that. (I’ve also decided my hair controls the electricity- if I go to bed thinking “I’ll get up and wash my hair in the morning"- we won’t have power the next day guaranteed!) There is no real reason why we haven’t had power- its not like its pouring down rain (because we always loose power when it rains). Its just gone.

Today is also the day to pay the electric bill (which really has nothing to do with the lack of electricity- the bills were just distributed yesterday). Now we don’t have automatic bill pay here, and paying your bills are always an event. You can’t just cut a check and mail it to the company. You don’t even go to the power company and drop off your payment. You have to go to Uchumi (a grocery store in town) and go to register 5 and pay your bill there. It makes no sense. None at all. Why do you have to pay at the grocery store? Why just that one register? Isn’t there a way to do this that doesn’t end with 50 people lined up at one register at Uchumi? Can you go to register 5 during non-electric-bill-paying-times and actually buy groceries there? I have no answers for this.

So after waking up to no power, no shower and no breakfast, going to pay the electric bill at the grocery store (along with at least 50 other people) we get to the office- which has power but no internet. No real reason why- it should be working – it just isn’t. Although after about 40 minutes of fiddling with it- the internet just randomly starts working- but only on 2 of the 5 computers. Who knows why.

I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m frustrated- I’m not. There are just days where you have to choose to either laugh or be annoyed. Today is one of them and I choose to laugh. This is just the way life works here some days!

ROUS's: Part 3- the Saga Continues...

So when we last left the story- Devon and I had chased the rat down the side of our apartment building. We were all pretty excited- I had 2 roommates that weren't afraid to be in our house- life is good. Until we got home from church on Sunday. Julia is baking in the kitchen with a friend of ours and out they come, screaming, about a noise in the oven after they had turned it on. They were convinced they were cooking the rat (not a bad plan in my opinion- at least we would know it was dead at that point) but they are freaking out so I go to investigate. The rat's not in the oven, its not in the broiler, and it wasn't behind the back piece of the stove (the good news is I'm getting really good at taking our oven apart and putting it back together again in less then 15 minutes). So the rat has alluded us again- I checked all the cupboards, under the fridge, under the sink- no rat. Christine (the screamer) shows up in the middle of the hunt- she opens the door and the first thing anyone says is "go home! you can't be in here!" Julia won't go back to baking- she's worried its going to jump out at her. So we convince her that she needs to wear my big rain boots- that way it can't run across her feet. So she is cooking in rain boots and a Sunday dress. And we dont' see the rat again all night. Just before bed, I decided to set the trap again and apparently that worked because Julia woke up to a nasty dead rat on the counter this morning! Thankfully she woke up her brother to take care of it.

So we are a rat-free zone for the time being. Let's hope it stays that way!

ROUS's: PART 2

So I wrote before about our initial battle with the rat (we saw it, tried to find it, lots of screaming from my friend Christine- in the end we were outsmarted.) We'd decided that if this rat would cook like the rat in Ratatouille it could stay. But this rat hasn't been cooking- so it can't stay. So the yesterday, I was out running errands and I came back to my apartment and Julia's brother Devon was on the balcony with the sofa half out the balcony doors, saying he found the rat- it was in the sofa. So Christine and I run up the stairs and help him get the sofa out on the balcony (which was really smart of him- if the rat runs now- its outside! Because we realized the night before that we didn't really have a PLAN after we found the rat. I mean we could throw the rat trap at it and hope it hit it or something but no great plans for getting rid of it.) So Devon and I start beating on the sofa- trying to scare the rat out- and it works! The rat runs out, Devon and I run in the house and we are going to shut the doors but Christine is standing on the arm of the sofa- petrified- screaming like a banshee. I'm yelling at her- get in and shut the door but she is just petrified! And SHRIEKING! I've never heard screams like this- this is just a rat! So Devon and I are yelling at Christine to just get inside and the rat will be out there and she will be fine- but she's still to scared so I have to put her on my back and carry her in the house. At this point, all of our neighbors are in our doorway because it sounds like we are killing someone and the guard from the gate is plowing up the stairs to see what the heck is wrong. We get Christine under control (and back to her own apartment) and we go back outside after the rat. We thought it may have gotten back into the sofa so we start beating it again but the ladies who were in the stairwell when it first ran out said they saw it run down the side of the building. That's good enough for me! I would have rather caught it so it won't come back but at least its out of the apartment (for now :s)

ROUS's

We have an ROUS (Rodent of Unusual Size- watch the Princess Bride for more info).  We've been seeing evidence of a rat, and we put out traps for the rat, but last night we actually SAW it run out from under the fridge, across my friend's feet and under the stove where it promptly disappeared.  We hunted it for 45 minutes (that's after my friend stopped SHRIEKING at the top of her lungs at 11:30 at night in an otherwise quiet apartment complex.)   So we are still stalking the rat- who is very very sneaky- he even cleaned the trap last night without setting it off! Tricky! 

We Have Priorities Here- Plates Then Plants

My roommate Julia and I finally got dishes today! She had been sharing the apartment with another woman (who apparently owned all the dishes they used) and when she moved out and I moved in, we were left with 3 plates, a wok and a few mugs. Its been a crazy 2 weeks with visitors and tons of people we have been responsible for, so we hadn’t actually gotten around to buying dishes. We knew it was bad when Julia’s brother (who is staying with us for the next month) was eating cereal out of an old margarine container we use for leftovers. So we finally got some stuff to eat off of. The apartment is really starting to look like a home (we want to start getting some plants for the balcony and some other ‘homey’ stuff but we have time to find stuff like that- plates were a pretty big necessity!)

My brother- the officer

Yay! My brother is now a 2nd Lieutenant! So proud! 

Obama-mania

If there was any question if Kenyans love Obama, there definitely isn't one now! Here's a picture of my new phone:

I think my favorite feature is that the 'O' in Obama's name is also the flashlight!

Also, when you turn it on, the background is the Obama logo.

I'm not necessarily a huge fan of his politics but I couldn't pass this up! It's too funny! (plus this was by far the cheapest phone on the market!)

My New Neighbors

So I was sitting on my couch yesterday when I happened to see 2 big monkeys on the roof of the other building in our compound. THIS is why we have to make sure our windows are all shut before we leave! These guys broke into one of the flats (their balcony door must have been open) and came back out with food, which they proceeded to eat on the roof.


And this is my roommate Christine, trying to feed the monkeys. Christine is a great friend of mine from my last trip here- I had no idea she would be staying with Julia and I for a month- what a great surprise!!!

My new diggs

Most of you know that while I was at home, my roommate was here in Kenya finding us a new flat- and she did a FANTASTIC job! Seriously! This place is gorgeous! There are 3 apartment buildings in our compound and I'm on the 4th floor. Its a 3 bedroom (which is really good b/c we have a ton of people here right now- Julia's brother and another friend of ours is sharing it with us too). I'm a 10 minute matatu ride from a shopping center, a 15 minute ride from the office, and in a great part of town. We have a balcony (that my hammock fits perfectly on), tons of big windows and great neighbors. As much as I loved my old place, it sometimes felt like jail (cement floors, cement walls, small windows with bars on them.) This place still has bars on the windows (every place here does!) but its a lot more open, more light and its beautiful! So good call Julia! You picked an amazing place!

I'll have to post pics sometime!

Travel Adventures....

I've arrived safely (internet is kind of hit or miss right now so I haven't really been updating things- sorry! gotta love rainy season power outages!)

Anyways, my traveling adventures. I was on a flight from Chicago to London with an hour layover in London before I flew on to Nairobi. Now an hour layover isn't really enough but that's what my travel agent had booked so I figured I should be able to pull it off. But by the time my flight landed in London, I had 20 minutes to get to my next flight before it left. Not NEARLY enough time (especially in London!) So I get of the plane, take the little bus thing to the main terminal and I'm starting to get worried- I have 20 mintues to pass through a ticketing agent, security, a passport check, the gate agent and board the plane! I get to the main terminal and there is a guy who works for the airline I was on waiting for me with a sign with my flight on it and he said "Ok we are going to RUN now!" So we take off RUNNING though the airport, he's taking me back ways, taking down all the barrier things, cutting through lines of people and shoving me to the front of any lines. And we are running. Running a lot. I'm still on MI time so it feels like the middle of the night, I've been sitting for 9 hours and lets face it I'm not the most athletic member of my family! And I have about 25lbs of books in my backpack! So this guy andn I are running like crazy people, I make it to the gate and the gate agents are waiting (along with a person who was going to get my seat if I didn't make it in time) and I fly down the jetway and get to my seat. And I then I collapsed. Nothing like a 3 mile sprint in what feels like the middle of the night, with a ridiculous amount of books to get the heart pounding.

But I made it! And my friends were there to get me (along with another friend I didn't even know would be in the country!)

So now I'm reaquainting myself with Nairobi- matatu rides and all that! (although I'm so proud of myself- I'm living in a completly different area then before so its all different matatu routes but I still managed to get myself to where I've needed to go!) And I'm catching up with all my friends and what all went on while I was gone.

Its soooo great to be back. I'm still settling in (and getting past jet lag) and I'll be getting back to work soon.

miss you all!! Keep in touch! Seriously! I love email, facebook, comments on the blog, snail mail- you name it, I love to keep in touch!