first of all my address...drum roll....
PO Box 7453
code 00100 GPO Nairobi
That is what I was told. Hopefully it works.
My family's tribe is Luo. I was given a Luo name "Achin" which means born during the sunshine. I like it :) Whitney's name is "Acoth" which means born during the rain.
Last night on the news there was a story about these girls at a school in Mombasa who were posessed by evil spirits. They were all screaming and convulsing on the ground while priests and others tried to rid them of the spirits. They even slaughtered two goats to try and get those spirits away. My host mother was watching and she said "and they say there are no evil spirits, then what is THIS?". Interesting.
So my daily schedule pretty much goes like this;
7:45am wake up and shower-either with a bucket, or if the water works, the faucet.
Get dressed and go to the kitchen where there is scrambled eggs on the counter and chai.
Eat and watch the news or listen to the radio.
8:40ish get a ride to school with various men who drive taxis who are Monica's friends.
Go to class (theoretically)-there haven't actually been any yet
Hang out at or around school/the city
Take a matatu home around 5 (this is an adventure all in itself)
Walk home and de-filthify
Watch TV or write/read
Eat dinner around 8pm
TV with Monica and or Chippa
10/11 bed
I am hoping classes will start soon so my life will become a little more interesting and I will ave something to do. It's hard to make friends when I have to be home so early and I don't have classes, so I am feeling pretty lonely and missing the comforts of home and people I know. I'm sure once things pick up though, I will not be thinking about 7 hours behind so much.
I am pretty exahusted because I haven't been able to sleep at night. I went to bed early last night, but felt like I tossed and turned all night. My bed is really hard, which I will get used to, but the traffic and noise outside my window is so loud that it's hard to sleep. It seems like even at 3 and 4 am, the streets are as busy as ever. I also took some cold medicine this morning that made me really drowsy. I am not doing to well with the meds lately :)
Well I am going to go wander around I guess....maybe check out the library on campus. Olungah tells me all the books are very old, by which he meant not very useful. I will see what I can find.
Love your Luo name "Achin" - king of appropriate give that you've been "aching" from those meds. :-) Try putting some cotton balls in your ears before bed - shoyld help to drown of some of the night noise. I had the same "showering" experience when I was in Peace Corps - you'll get used to the cold bucket of water after a while. I actually enjoyed it because it was always so hot. Hope classes get going soon so you can focus and get into a comfortable routine.
ReplyDeleteLove and miss you, Dad
So one more question about the address -- is your name sufficient or should Monica's name be on the address (and if so, what is her last name)?
ReplyDeleteBorn in sunshine is a great name for you! You were indeed born in sunshine and are still quite sunny. And Achin (when pronouced as in 'oh my achin head') has the added benefit of being perfect for a kid whose introduction to a new person was, for many years, "want to see my owie?"
They've got you pegged.
When oh when will your ding-dang classes start? Has your Swahili class started since it's just the three of you? How do you say, "geez, come on already?"
okay does it strike you as a little weird that your dad and I posted similar comments within 5 minutes of each other? (:
ReplyDeleteIt strikes ME as weird! And yet not at all surprising.
ReplyDeleteI too love your Luo name. But of course, I have questions. Is the A sound long or short? Is it a crunchy "ch" sound (as in cha cha cha) or is it more of a K sound? Is the emphasis on the first or second syllable? Is the I a long I, short I, or an E sound? And is the n, you know, an N sound, or is it more of a Z sound? Or is it silent?
I don't want to be calling you this name in my head and find out later that it's pronounced like "Ah choo." Or "Archie." Or "Stella."
Love you my sunshine girl,
Joy
P.S. What's the Luo name for "Crescent Eyes"? That's the one I want.
Hello Sunshine Girl!
ReplyDeleteSounds like your making the cultural adjustments to the big city. Sorry you're not getting much rest... just don't go too heavy on the "remedies."
Cracked up about washing up in the bucket... I had to do the same thing in Senegal. Really makes you appreciate running water, doesn't it? Love and miss you! mama v
PS.. now you're related to Barack Obama! Cool!
Hey... this is my 3rd attempt at leaving a message, so just incase you got the others, i'll keep it short:
ReplyDeletelove ya,
miss ya,
funny about the bucket shower thingy
you're related to Barack Obama
and... loveya, missya (again!)
ok... maybe this one will come through... Vicki again. AHHHHHH!
ReplyDeleteJust testing to see if this posts...
Achin is pronounced
ReplyDeleteah-chin (like the bottom of your face)
so for joy...short a, crunchy ch :)