Touristy Weekend

This weekend my cousin Tabi came down from Nairobi to visit for her birthday! She and her friends Evette, Brian, Melissa and Tara (I hope those names are spelled right) all came on Saturday evening and stayed until today. There was a national holiday yesterday which meant that most schools were closed today so we were able to have a lovely weekend together. They arrived Saturday at around 7pm and right away we checked into a little hostel called Sooper Guest House and then went to eat at The Laughing Buddha. The Laughing Buddha is a veggitarian cafe that has delicious food. We are dinner and went back to the hostel to get ready to go out. It was my first time going out to a club/bar scene since being in Kenya and it was pretty interesting. Tara, Tabi, Evette, Brian and I all went to this club called Signiture. I tried a Tusker for the first time! Real African beer! And then we danced the night away! They even played Spanish music which I freaked out about. Dad, they played your song by Don Omar - Danza Kuduro! And oh man, I love Kiswahili music so much! Brian gave me a huge list of people to look up. It's definitely good to go to the clubs in a large group and I don't want to go to any clubs or bars unless I am in a big group like that. We all watched out for eachother. At one point some guy came up trying to offer to buy me a drink and I just spoke Spanish to him and pretended to not know English. Tara and Tabi couldn't stop laughing! But we had a great night and I could barely walk back to the hostel, my legs were so sore from dancing! The next day (Sunday) we decided to spend all day on the lake. We woke up late and went to the lakeside for some fish.

We ended up at a Restuarant called Delta. We originally had a table on the rooftop. And then we went downstairs to pick out a fish. When we got back to the rooftop there was a couple sitting at our table. Now I just want y'all to know I was with a group of Canadians and this is where the difference between Americans and Candians was obvious. I was ready to wait for another table or demand to have the table back. The girls just said "oh sorry lets go back downstairs". Typical passive Canadians hahaha! Litteraly they say sorry wayyyy to much! Anyways, here is a picture of the fish we ate. 

And a view from the lake. 

That's Lake Victoria. The second largest lake in the world and the largest lake in Africa. Then after the delicious fish with chapati we went to the Dhow point to relax and maybe find a boat to take us out to find....hippos! Here is all of us stuffed in a tuktuk (6 people!)

We laid around for a while and just talked. Then Brian was able to find a cheaper rate for a boat and we got a great tour of the shore line of the lake. 

There is me and Tabi!

And then...dun fun duhhhhh! WE FOUND HIPPOS!! 

It was both scary and amazing to see these magnificent creatures in real life. The tour guide said that the hippos in Kisumu are the least aggressive because the humans tend to let them do their own thing as opposed to take over their land on the shore so they are less intimidated by the boats and humans. 

There's just some landscape pictures! 

From left to right: Evette, Tabi, Melissa, Tara and me in the brightttt pinkkk! Haha. 

After the hippos we walked back to the hostel (about 40 minutes) and took a quick nap before going out for dinner. We went to the Green Garden Restaurant. Oh my gosh. We waited over an hour and a half for food...which was okay just a bit annoying because we didn't get out of there until 9 ish. Then, today we went for breakfast at the Al Noor Cafeteria which is famous for its sheesh kebabs and mishkaki. We had breakfast and then just hung out at the Jomo Kenyatta park in the middle of the town. We just laid around and talked for a while. Then we went around looking at fabrics and different vendors. And we finally ended up back at Al Noor for the famous sheesh kebabs and mishkaki. 

And I ordered falood! This milkshake with noodles and tapioca! And look what I saw at Swan Center (a mall).

It doesn't work but it was cool to see! 

Anyways, I had a wonderful time with the Candians. It's cool to travel in a group. You have more freedom to go out without worrying about the dangers of being alone. I can't wait to go visit them in Nairobi! And I really hope they had as good of a time in Kisumu as I did with them. 

My First Month!

I've been in Kisumu for a little over a month now and I've been alone for about a month. And though I've been here for so long...I haven't really gotten to go anywhere. I am hoping that at the end of this week I'll be able to do some "tourist" things. But this week was good! Wednesday, the home science students (all of the 5, there were 9 total but 5 were from our school) had to finish up their national exam. That means...FOOD!!! Hehe, the final part of their exam was to cook a breakfast for three. The menu included: mandazi's (this bread thing) or droplets (a sweeter version), sweet potato and chai. And guess who gets to eat all of that after the exam is over...? The staff!! Mmm mmm mmm! All I can say is, there is nothing like home cooked food. (Even if it is cooked at a school). But not only did the students have to cook, they had to set the table up as well. 

Some of the "students" were actually private students who weren't in school but decided to get the credit. (Like when ex-military go for their SAT). If you can't tell, they set up all the food in the library. So after they were judged all the staff came, ate and talked for about an hour. 

Halima took my camera and went on a picture escapade. 

There is the French teacher (on the left) and the geography teacher Sofie. 

That's one of the science teachers and the Kiswahili teacher Florence. 

There's me with the principal and the other English teacher (Matta) who is taking the picture while Halima was taking the picture. Pic-seption!! 

And there is Halima with her plate of goodies! Then later on, Halima decided to do my hair...

And to put her hijab on me...

And then we were dancing around the library during lunch and all the students were trying to see what we were doing! 

Then Thursday, some girls got caught skipping and so their punishment was to clean the library, dormitories and classrooms along the East wing. 

I also tried this thing called arrow root. 

It's that purple thing. It's pretty good. And I realized that the coke bottles here have no nutrition facts. Nothing had nutrition facts actually. Just ingredient lists. 

Then on Friday I went to the national library with Dorcas! 

It had an American Corner!! 

And I was invited to volunteer there as well! So I may just do that! We had walked to the library from school, but we took a motorcycle back to the school because we were running late. I have now officially used every form of public transportation here (now, whether or not it was a good idea is not the point...:p). The motorcycle was fun! The only problem was the dust got into my eyes and oh man does that hurt like a...female dog...I was crying on the ride home, but I wasn't sad, my eyes were just running from all the dust! Also, on Friday I had Asma sleep over at the hotel! Then Saturday she had to go to a sports tournament and I walked to visit Massi. Oh man. I hate walking here. All the men cat call just because I am white and I'm alone. One guy was shouting "hey pretty ladyyyy, I love you! I miss you! Come back to me babyyy!"  Ugh. Whitegirlprobs. Even though I want to make it clear. I'm mixed!!! Not white! Anyways, I had a good time with Massi. This time she told me I should just get married and settle down....that's not part of my 5 year plan, but who knows. Only if he is rich and handsome...and his name is Aubrey Drake Graham (; Ha! Then Saturday night Asma picked me up and we went to a Hindu temple for a function. There was dandia (dancing) and live music. She has pictures she is supposed to send me, so when she does I'll post them. Everyone was dressed so beautifully. And I felt like I was in India! I don't know if y'all have watched Indian movies, but there is always 2 classic scenes. The children running and the women dancing. And both happened! It was like I was in a movie! It was a great night! And today I had lunch with Gulshan and Shams. 

Beef oxtail! Never had it before and it was delish! 

M.I.A.

This weekend I was a little M.I.A at the hotel. I went to khane Saturday night and then slept over at Asma's house. She and her parents kindly invited me to spend the weekend with them and I gladly accepted. My first sleepover over seas!! Oo oo! We got to her house after khane, which was a beautiful 3 bedroom apartment. It reminded me a lot of my house back in Texas. We watched some movie called Cradle 2 the Grave, where I kept guessing all the actors. And then we had dinner. Asma and I went to her room and just talked about all kinds of stuff. She is so sweet and I think we get along great! She also reminds me of Saffana because she doesn't like being embarrassed. (Which is something her brother can easily do...just like me to Saffana). She doesn't know who Drake is...I'm going to have to change that!! We woke up at the crack of dawn on Sunday! Just kidding, we woke up at 8. And got ready to go to Asma's school for a function called "Annual Day" where they give out awards and do performances. We got there and she wasn't allowed to sit so I sat with her younger brother and we enjoyed all the performances. 

They also had a Nigerian themed fashion show. I had moved from my spot so you might not be able to see the clothing as clearly. 

And the last two dances were amazing! There was this one girl, holy crap. She needs to become a professional. And they did a salsa routine! Then after the function, we went to pick up Chinese. And I made Asma take a picture with me!

For some reason, people here don't like showing their teeth in pictures. Anyways, her parents took us around town and showed me all these places. They are such a wonderful family! They even took me for ice cream. 

I've never had toffee ice cream before and it was delicious!! Mmm mm! Then I got back to the hotel and facetimed my two crazy aunts! I love y'all, Shaira and Salma!! Happy liberation day!!! Hugs and kisses to you both! Then today I went to school and Dorcas was late so I hung out with Halima. We bonded over Indian songs. She had a whole mix and I could name every single one and what movie they were from. I got all nostalgic remembering all the classic Indian movies I have back home. And we enjoyed chai and samosas. We get chai every day at 10 and the samosas come from this one lady who sells them on the street.  

They are so good! Street food!! Best type of food to eat! And here is another picture of my view from the hotel. 

A storm was on its way....but it's just gorgeous. 

 

Fancy A Fix Friday

Today. I wore a dress to school. It only occurred because Halima insisted on seeing me in a dress. I don't wear dresses in general let alone to school. And as soon as I got there all the students came up to me complimenting me which just made it even more awkward for me. But before I had even gotten to school I saw Arnold and his friend Geoffrey standing down the street from the school. So I waved and just thought to myself that they got sent home for unpaid fees. But when I asked Dorcas what happened, I got a totally different response. Apparently, Arnold and Geoffrey got caught smoking pot in the bathroom right beside the teachers room. The teachers bathroom and room are right beside the students bathroom. And some teacher over heard (through the vents) a weird sound and smelled the pot (because pot has a very strong smell) and when he went into the bathroom Arnold and Geoffrey dropped their joints into the toilet. But the toilets don't flush...so the teacher got the joints and found a lighter. Both these guys are form 4s just two weeks away from graduating. They will only be allowed back onto campus for exams. And that is it. But they are basically screwed now. Poor Vincent was all alone today. And he told me he was just laughing at them for being so stupid. So today the wolf pack was just a one man wolf pack. Here are some pictures of me and Halima. 

She kept trying to do all these poses with me and I couldn't stop laughing!

She was getting mad at me because I was moving and wouldn't stay still. That is a picture of us arguing. But it was all good fun. We eventually just stopped because we were laughing so much! And now, I'm just chilling in the cafe as per usual!

And I'm going to a religious class with my friend Asma today at khane. I've never been to one before so it should be cool! 

The Wolf Pack

There were barely any students in school today. They were sent home because of unpaid school fees. I learned that the school fees cost 55,000 shillings per semester. Which equals to 647 USD. I spent most of my day with "the wolf pack". So lemme just break it down for you. There is Arnold, Vincent, Oliver and Edward. Although the core group is Arnold, Vincent and Oliver. Arnold and Vincent are ALWAYS in the library. And they are the two who talk to me all the time. We (Arnold and I) taught Vincent how to do Soduku (which I have surprisingly gotten really good at...) and we talked more about the boarding schools. They even brought out a map of the US and had me point out where I live and all the "famous" places that they had heard of. Like where Jay-Z and Beyonce were born. I took a picture of Vincent, Arnold and Oliver. 

From left to right: Arnold, Vincent and Oliver. Arnold insisted that he didnt want to pose. So I told him to be natural. And his natural was looking away. 

They were laughing because they were saying that they were too black to show up in the picture. And today at lunch we had ugali and greens instead of the normal beans and maize. Like I said yesterday, the prices of food are rising so things are changing at the school. But today I cooked for the first time in my kitchen! Wanna know what I made? 

Cooked apples! Hehe...it was simple but still! Pretty cool in my opinion. And it was delicious! ...and then I ordered real food. Also, I heard that the US government went through with the shut down...all I can say is there is no such thing as a government shut down here...sooo...

Lesson Number Two

I taught another lesson today. But instead of Form 1, it was Form 3. And instead of teaching 14-17 years olds, it was mostly people my age...which made things a bit weird once they found out. And by teaching another lesson, I basically just talked to the students about the book they were reading. It's called "The River and the Source" by Margaret Ogola. Although at one point I accidentally called her Ogla...haha. The headmistress wanted me to go over the characters and themes from the novel and so I spent most of the 40 minutes asking the students questions, trying to get them to talk. They understood the novel and didn't seem confused about anything. And of course, after class was over they started asking questions about America and myself. Most of the questions were the same as the Form 1's. "Are you single or married?", "how old are you?", "do you find it weird to listen to people speaking a language you don't know?", "how do you find Kenya?"...the questions were endless. And I was happy to answer them! I took pictures of them also, I mean come on y'all. They are only my second class ever! 

And as usual, the "wolf pack" (what I now call them) came to the library to talk with me. Vincent, Arnold, Edward and Oliver. Although mostly Vincent and Arnold talk to me. Yesterday they were telling me stories about bullying in Kenya. Which is very different from the bullying in America. They told me that a form 4 would go to a form 1 and give them 5 shillings. Then they would tell them to buy them a loaf of bread and milk. Now, I know that milk alone costs 50 shillings for half a liter. And the form 1 student would also be told to bring back change. So basically, they would have to use their own money, bring back the "change" and be told by the form 4-"see? I told you you'd get change back!" Apparently, they would also get beat up after lights out by all the older students (at boarding school). The only way you could avoid bullying is by having older friends. And I told them that they should have risen up and started a revolt. I told them that if I was in that position, I'd become friends with a bunch of older kids and then get all the form 1's to rise up against the form 4's because there are more form 1's than form 4's. If the form 1's just banded together they could have fought back. All the guys looked at me like I was crazy, but I think it could work. Although, now bullying isn't as bad as it was. Richard (one of the first form 4 guys I talked to) was back at school today. Because he missed so many classes with no excuse or permission, he had to dig and weed the entire assembly area all day. And also, normally every Tuesday for lunch we have beans and rice but apparently the price of beans has been rising so instead of beans we had potatos and rice. I was so hungry I just ate with my hands, didn't even wait for the spoon. And it was delicious!! 

And Dorcas brought her daughter to work today! Fiona! 

She kept asking me to take pictures even though she never smiled in any of them. 

And towards the end of the day she just kept talking to me but I had no clue what she was saying because she was speaking Swahili. I also was shown what the form 4's have to study for or expect to be tested on for their major exams coming up. They have to know how to write the most ridiculous things. For instance, how to write a shopping list in an email...I didn't even know there was a proper way to do that! But there is. Their tests here are so hard and all these kids have been doing since I got to the school (and probably before I got there) is study. Most of the students in the library are form 4's studying for their exams which are on October 22nd. I still don't really understand the schooling or testing system here. And if any of those kids went to America they would blow through all the courses! I really enjoy the "wolf pack" though and every day I look forward to our conversations! I learn so much about Kenya and just the way life is by talking to them. And I hope they learn from me too!