A Day in the Life

Between itching the fresh mosquito bites on my arm, I'll try to squeeze out a blog post. Unfortunately one arm must have slipped out of my sheets last night, and a few mosquitoes had a hay day. Since Nairobi is not technically a malaria zone, not everyone sleeps with a mosquito net, but I think I might have to start - seeing as I have a wandering right arm.
Anyway, I thought I'd start by describing for you an average weekday for me here in Nairobi, as we're all starting to settle into somewhat of a schedule. I generally wake up at around 6:45 a.m., leaving some wiggle room in case my host mother decides to take an extra few minutes in the bathroom. By the time I'm up, the fancy silver platter is always laid out on the table containing a hefty black thermos of chai (the thermos is probably at least a year old and yet it still has the sticker on it). Next to the loaf is my breakfast: a Supa Loaf ("Don't say bread, say Supa!" the label proclaims) and a tub of Blue Band. I don't think anyone in the city of Nairobi calls in butter. It's strictly Blue Band. I usually use some of the honey my host mom has left out from her chai to spice up breakfast, but generally it's not too exciting of a meal. I just try to inhale as many slices as I can to last me til lunch - at 1 p.m.
After breakfast I ask the house girl to heat me some water so I can bathe (yes, bathe - what we do in no way resembles a shower). Then, with my half bucket of boiling water, I attempt to clean up in the tub, which is no easy feat when you have long hair. Once I'm dressed I ask the house girl where my shoes are (Kenyans always have their house helps clean their shoes every day, and I can never find them in the morning). Then, I'm off to school.
I meet my friend Patrick at a corner just a couple blocks away, and then we wait for another friend to get (sometimes violently) thrown from the matatu she takes from her house everyday. If you're wondering what a matatu is, imagine an old, colorful van full of people screeching by a corner and snatching an innocent victim from the corner, then throwing them out a few blocks later. It's what we call cheap public transportation here. Some vans are painted with pictures of Jesus, some display murals of rap artists, and one I saw the other day had the familiar "Yes we can!" painted on the back. Needless to say, riding in a matatu is never boring.

So, I guess I'll have to start with the rest of my day another time...somehow it got to be almost a quarter to 7, and the sun's about to start setting. I also promised the house girl I'd make the brownie mix I brought from the U.S. with her tonight, so I better get going. Again, thanks for all your comments! Much love from Kenya.