A Red Pen
Friday, June 29, 2007

I can't find the black pen so red will have to do today. We left very early this morning, around 7:30...or that's when we were supposed to leave! We actually got to Kathenjuri around 9. It rained last night so all the paths were very muddy. The mud here is like clay, very thick and sticky. We all had about ten extra pounds of mud stuck on our shoes making us each 3 inches taller by the time we boarded the matatu. The trip was quite uneventful, it went by quickly but it seemed bumpier than before. I think that's because last time I was expecting far worse.

We arrived in Nairobi around 1pm and we met Brian there. He was in a work camp with Mumbi and Mukami and also taught at Karago for a few weeks during which time he stayed at Mrs. Njiru's home. So he knew everyone but me. Mrs. Njiru went back with him to his house and the 3 of us went to the YMCA central via taxi. We could have walked faster but the girls had their big luggage. We were given a huge room with 4 sets of bunk beds. Very Nice! After dropping off the bags we went to KVDA which is only a few blocks away from that YMCA. We met Godrick Machofi there and it was nice to see him again. I finally got my Luggage!!! We hauled that back to the YMCA and I sorted through to take only the things I would need at Karago until August with me in the smaller green duffle. I put the rest in the huge blue bag to leave at KVDA. Then we all took cold showers because the hot water wasn't working...but it was still fantastic! I hadn't showered since sunday so it felt REALLY good to wash my hair and be clean. I also got to sit down while going to the bathroom - a huge luxury even after only a week in Karago. A full sized mirror was also cool though I looked pretty horrendous before the shower. Later we eventually met Brian down at the pizza place I had been before. We were all starving by that point; we were used to massive meals at Karago. We had a good time and I learned a little more about the environment of a work camp. It sounds like a lot of fun and I am looking forward to both the one in Karago and mine in August. We walked back to the YMCA and hung out for a bit. I sewed the green bag back together because it had split a seam en route from London. I hope it holds for the trip back to Karago! Oh and I was SO happy to be wearing something other than those carpenter jeans and leather boots. I had pretty much been wearing them for an entire week straight ...even to sleep. We went to bed early so we could wake up in time for breakfast before it closes at 8:30am. It was a peaceful nights sleep.