Blogs from Kenya, Africa - page 240

I'm now in Mombasa, but I'm transcribing what I wrote in my journal on that day: I just heard and saw the most amazing thing tonight! Egan, Annie, faith and I were walking back from Petley's (a local bar). When we got to Milimamni (our house) we saw Lia outside the house next door. She was just standing there watching and listening. Inside the house there were a ton of men. the room was packed and the lights were out. The men were singing/ chanting and sort of dancing. Lia said they'd been singing for at least 30-45 min. before we got there. The music was so powerful and beautiful. We found out from one of the ladies that had gathered that a woman inside was sick and all the men from the surrounding homes had ... read more

Time is passing so fast here in Kenya. Maybe it's because I am staying with a family I'm going to miss so much when I leave, it seems to pass faster. Today, I decided to take down the cornrow braids I've been rocking far too long and get a Kenya braid-style. The plan was that I'd have one stylist to take the my braids and wash/condition my hair and the owner would braid it up into a quick style. I got there early and we removed the braids quickly, but when it came to the washing, it took A LOT of time! I haven't had my hair washed that thorougly since I don't know when. The stylist did a really good job and to think she had water from a pitcher that she heated with a ... read more

First I'll explain what a buibui is.... you know the black covers that muslim women wear... that's a buibui. The thing covering the face is a ninja, some wear em and some don't. Now that that's clarified, here's why I wanted to be wearing one yesterday.... I walked to my tutor's house yesterday afternoon. When I got there her house boy informed me that she was at her mom's house on the other side of town. He asked if he should walk me and I said no... I knew the way. As I was walking I ran into a guy I knew and talked to him briefly. Right after that a shop owner (looked like he also might've been a beach boy) came up to me and asked how I was doing and shook my hand. ... read more

I've only got extraordinary things to write about. Swahili class is going great. Learning lots really quickly and am having a blast doing it. This weekend was another amazing one. It was the weekend of our dhow (traditional sailboat) trip. At 6am on Fri morning we all piled into 2 boats and took off for Kiwayuu. It's an island north of here. Unfortunately we didn't get to sail on the way there. The view as we made are way among various islands was once again amazing. It was pretty peaceful (except for the sound of the motor). We stopped breifly on an island for a bathroom break. The beach on the island was white, but the dirt a little ways up it was a deep red/orange. The colors here are so vibrate. We soon climbed back ... read more

Have you ever arrived at a place and just felt it was right? That's what I felt like when we got here. On Mon. we took a plane from Malindi to Lamu (only 25 min.). The airport (which is just a few shade structures) is on the mainland. We then had to strap on our bags and walk down to uor dhow. We had to cross two other boats to get to ours and trust me, it's not easy climing through other boats with a big bag on your back. But anyway... We then headed for the island. Lamu has a population of about 20,000. It's a gorgeous island. The house I'm staying in is beautiful and the view from the roof is amazing. The city is surrounded by a palm tree forest. The houses are ... read more