happy birthday SA

Today is the 13th anniversary of non-apartheid in South Africa. So happy birthday South Africa!

Thursday we had our one reliable class, Anthro of Infectious Diseases. It was interesting and we learned about a lot of interesting Kenyan cultures that have practices that lead to the spread of certain diseases. The Turkana people, a tribe from northern Kenya, have nurse dogs who are trained to lick the butts of babies after they go to the bathroom. These dogs’ feces are also used to treat wounds as well as for cosmetic purposes. We also talked about FGM and surprisingly most people said it was detrimental to women’s health, even most of the men in the class. One guy though was arguing that it was helpful because it cut down on pre-marital sex and therefore on the risk of contracting diseases through sex. Another guy added onto this by saying yes it was good because it was like a “seal” on the woman. Whoa.
After class we hung around and talked for a while with a couple guys from our classes who we’ve made friends with. I was talking to two of them, Cleofas and Philip, and they asked what Americans think of Kenya. I told them that there are a lot of travel warnings and Americans think it is really dangerous over here, but once we got here we realized it wasn’t as bad as the warnings make it seem. Then I laughed and told him, “I think the most dangerous thing are those crazy matatu drivers.” They laughed and we got into a discussion about Kenya and how it isn’t as “organized” as some countries, but they were saying that this lack of organization is what makes it fun and exciting. Philip said “it keeps you on your toes” and Cleofas said “with all that organization you get to feeling lonely.” They were interesting points and it is true that I am always on my toes. Some days this is fun, other days I am tired of it and want the organization I am used to at home. Anyway, they are nice guys and it was a good conversation.
Whitney and I went to Java House for lunch and then I went to an Internet café and got to talk to Joy and Grace on Skype! It was really good to talk to both of them and see them at the same time : ) Afterwards I caught a matatu home and called KENWA (Kenya Network for Women with AIDS) and I am going to go to their office on Monday and hopefully start volunteering so I am excited about that.
Another interesting thing that happened to me today was that when I was walking to the matatu a man looked at me as I walked by and said “Hola Senorita” and I did a mental double take. As sick as I am of being called out to by men, I have to give him creativity points.
Okay one last funny thing. We sat down to eat dinner and a couple bites in, the power went out. Monica went into the kitchen and came out with this tiny little candle and put it on the table and said “candle light deeener” in kind of a sing-songy voice. It was SO cute. She cracks me up sometimes.