Odds and Ends, Bits and Pieces

I thought that would would get caught up on some of the miscellaneous things that I never seem to have time to write about. I was supposed to go visit with some HIV Support Groups today, but the communication with Julius (the person arranging it all) seemed to have gotten lost. It's a little frustrating, but I'll get over it and it allows for a day of "catch up."

Geri and I had so much laundry and we were both dreading it, so Reuben got a woman from the area to come and do it for us. It's a win-win situation for both as she makes some extra money and I am saved the hassle of doing laundry by hand. I've come into town to do a lot of emailing and some shopping. I have to pick up some gas for the small generator so that I can go home and practice with the embroidery machine. Tomorrow is the day we present it to the class and so I need to know some basics about it.

The trip back from Uganda was very nice. We just didn't feel like being in a matatu so we rented a private driver to get us to the border. It was only $55 each and money very well spent. The car had are conditioning so we were not covered in red dust by the time we got home. Peter picked us up at the border so it was completely matatu free!

I have been wanting to write about transportation here in Kenya. Never call a Kenyan lazy and if they are late getting somewhere it is probably because they spend so much time in the process. People either walk, take a boda-boda (bicycle taxi) or a matatu. No matter how far out of a town or market you are, their are people walking or on a boda-boda. Some of the hills here are very steep and it is not uncommon to see someone pushing a bicycle loaded down it something heavy up the hill. That something can be anything from wood, chairs, metal doors, coal, chickens. You name it, they haul it. It just amazes me.

Last week was the start of my second Empowerment class. We met on Wed, Thurs, and Fri. Geri went with me and taught some of the sections as well. Kenyans are even more quiet about sex than Americans. They just don't talk about it with parents or elders. We actually did an exercise where the men had to say vagina and the woman penis as we went around the room one by one. We will meet again this Wed, Thurs, and Fri.

The time is flying by at this point. I will be happy to return home, yet very sad at the same time. There is so much that needs to be done and we are way to spoiled in the US. Just the act of getting water, clean or otherwise, is a chore. You can only get clothes so clean when you are washing them in a river or stream that is obviously not clear. That same stream may provide your drinking water. The other option is that you walk a distance to get water from a community well.

I should probably wrap this up and get on with my day. I have to go to a print shop to print out a document, visit the grocery and then get gas for the generator.