Host Family

On Saturday my host family picked me up at around 1:30. They greeted me with a beautiful purple konga(one much like the one i had at school under my bed), draping it over my shoulder as a sign of welcoming me into their family.My "mom's" name is Rose, but i call me Mama Kenya, "dad's" name is Joseph but we call him mzee, meaning old man, and my "sister's" name is Rachel.
Sadly the day they picked me up, Saturday, happened to be the same day Rachel was leaving for boarding school. From the Methodist Guest House we headed to Kasarani, and dropped After Rachel off at Laverna secondary school for girls. It was a very interesting afternoon; I was able to see what a Kenyan Catholic High Schol is like, as well as witness firsthand the chaos of Kenyan highways first hand.
There seem to be no traffic rules on Kenyan Roads. The "freeways" we took to Kasarani had no center divide between lanes, drivers were free to roam all over the road. Lonely Planet travel guide sums up the driving style of Kenyas quite accurately, "Kenyans habitually drive on the wrong side of the road whenever they see a pothole, an animal, or simply a break in traffic"(382). All drivers on the road are in a sort of race, and in order to win they will do anything. Imagine this race taking place at all times of the day. Mzee and our Forest Green Puegot, yes i did say Puegot, were apart of this race for longer than i would have liked, and even managed to get a flat tire along the way.
After dropping Rachel off we headed to Rirute, the Nairobi suburb I will be living in until October 4th. When you imagine Riruta, drop the associations you make to the word suburb, and imagine dirt roads with vegetables boardering them, lean-too shambas selling items ferom food to coal, and imagine a constant flow of people walking along these streets.
The house I am staying in is as big as my house in Berkeley. My "parents" own a lot of the land in this area. We have six cows ( i have never had better milk in my life), and three shabmas (farm plots). They have people who milk the cows everyday at four, something I will learn to do in these upcoming weeks, and people who maintain the shambas. I have my own bedroom and bathroom. In my room I have two beds, one i sleep in with my amazing BUG HUT, and the other one I use for my bags. The bathroom has a toilet that flushes every 5th time, when it has enough water in the tank, and a tub that spits water on me.
Every afternoon after school I return home around 4:30 and begin helping Mama Kenya prepare dinner. Yes, I am cooking, you are all going to be very impressed with my cooking skills when i return home!

In class we have been learning how to count up to one million, as well as the names of various fruits and vegetables.
One is moja, two mbili, three tatu, twenty ishirini. Some of the foods we have learned are toast tosti, eggs mayai, and jam jamu. To tie the two together we have learned how to ask for food at a restaurant.
Niletee tosti ya jamu na mayai mbili. Please bring my toast with jam and two eggs.


I am sorry it has been awhile since i last blogged. The village looses power every afternoon during its daily rain showers. Today we got into town and found a chat cafe.

Mom, Dad, and Nat, call me! Nat i am sleeping at junes house tomorrow!!! love you

Kelly update me on ODELL!!!