a few highlights

soccer!
the compound i live on houses the study abroaders, the professors, groundskeepers, laundry staff, cooks, etc. so, i live with other students and kenyan families. there're kids running around, old(er) folks that are hilarious, etc., etc. it's like living within 5 minutes of your grandma, cousins, aunts, etc. it's awesome. anyway.

families = lots of kids. lots of kids = lots of play! so i played a pickup game of soccer with a couple of them. got my butt whomped! but not for a lack of trying: i was sure running after (then past) that ball. tried to do one of those cool soccer slides into the goal. FAIL! definitely grass-stained up and hair was sweated out. but damn i felt open: when you're playing soccer, there's no one set of moves that'll get the right end result. it's a lot of improvising and split-second judgments. being in the moment and going with my instincts is something i struggle with. that game of soccer really opened up the spontaneity section of my brain. i'm hoping the rest of the trip is like that.... =)


being in a country full of black people
i know that when kenyans see me and the other students, they don't think, "oh, why is that black girl with those white students?" instead, they're thinking, "americans." because the majority of kenyans consider nationality before race, "black" has a different meaning in kenya. clearly, i haven't figured out what the nuances are, but i'll see soon enough... =) despite that, it's still great to just be in a country full of black folk: i've gotten so many ideas about what to do with my hair just by going to the store; i don't have to look extra hard for the blow dryer with the attachable comb; stores play music by black americans; at the museum, the models of the homo sapiens were black with curly hair.


the food
fresh fruit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; well-seasoned vegetables; well-cooked meat. i love not eating processed food.


bonus: quoteable quotes!
(meeting ujao, our bus driver, at the airport)
ujao: hi, my name is jao.
me: is that your name or are you greeting me? (i couldn't hear "hi my name is" b/c of the accent...)


(at an orientation meeting)
warimu (teacher): "what do catepillars do when they crawl on you?"

PJ (fellow study abroader): "they tickle!"

warimu: "no. they sting." (they really do sting... :-\)