I'm a Mzungu!!!

So it's summer time on the equator and I spent my day freezing...go figure.

Ok, Mzungu is the word that means "white person", and people will just randomly call me that as I'm walking down the street. No harm, I just ignore them. It kinda reminds me of being in France, where all the smarmy men in tight jeans glare at you and try to entice you with "Bonjour les filles!" Ahhhh, memories. It's rather harmless actually. I don't feel threatened in the least, and I'm also told not to feel threatened by that.

Well once again I found myself wondering what I'm doing today. I rode in my first Matatu, and walked a ways through the mud to get to the hospital, all to find that it was completely dead for the most part... partly because of the torrential downpour we were experiencing, and partly because of the political tension in the country. So I sat around not doing much for most of the day. I mean really, what's a white middle-class America chica doing here in this place that is ridden with poverty so badly that people can't even afford water?! I've learned to respect the fact that we take even the simplest things for granted in the US...Water being one of them. They're very conservative with it here. It doesn't just flow freely out of the tap, and when it does you can't even brush your teeth with it. But such is life here. And they're happy with it, and even more happy to offer you more of themselves. My "host mother", Catherine is so hospitable I can barely stand it. She wants to do everything for me, including flushing my toilet. You think I'm joking. They're having toilet issues in the house so it doesn't flush the conventional way...rather, it involves a huge bucket of water, and getting your hands wet every time. She was reluctant to let me do this at first when I asked her what the deal was. I kinda had to put my foot down on this one...I refuse to let someone else flush my toilet for me, thanks! She already cooks all my meals, does my dishes, prepares hot Kenyan tea 7 times a day, and even prepares my "shower" for me in the morning (or should we say bird bath). She's extremely adamant about not letting me do too much. I had to fight her to let me do the dishes last night. Sheesh! James, my program director, told me that if he caught her doing my laundry that I'd be in deep trouble :-) No worries, James! But really, everyone I'm living with (Catherine, her brother, son and daughter) are all very sweet and easy to get along with. Yesterday we all sat in front of the telly drinking tea all day watching the 10th annual parliament inaugural session, just laughing at how the leaders of the country all act like little children! Government officials acting immature? Get out! It was quite amusing.

So things are just beginning for me here. I wonder how much longer I'll last before I want to pack up and go home. I wonder what I'll be able to bear, what will be too overwhelming. I then wonder how long it will be before I get over the differences and find it so hard to leave... such is the inevitable course of events, at least from my past abroad experiences.

I'll talk to you all soon!

Jen