Cheers,
Yesterday I saw a man peeing in his front yard on the side of
a highway. I thought, "how typical." Then I realized, as we drove
closer, that he was actually watering the yard with a small hose. That
was more surprising. Hehehe.
Its a long one..
Let me start with the bad parts and move on to happy things. Ok? Good.
The last two nights I have had terrible insomnia and homesickness, and the night
before that I was flying/traveling for 24 hrs. The first night here I
went to bed at 10, woke up at 1:30am and finally feel back to sleep at
4:30 and woke at 7:40. Last night, I went to bed at 9pm (because my body
was completely drained) and didn't fall asleep until around 1:30am. My
brain couldn't stop running, and of course, I only thought about
horrible things. Here's something I wrote last night in my journal :"The
mind is the most dangerous demon there is. It is fierce and relentless.
No amount of physical strength can stop it. " The one (and only) thing
that can quiet my mind is reading. Perhaps that is why I love reading so
much. I did however take a 3 hr nap this
morning, which was wonderful. I think my one of biggest things here is that I don't have a friend
yet. The girl Leah that started the day I started, and is living in the
same house as me doing HIV work is... odd. She's nice enough but
immature in most ways. Defiantly not warm and fuzzy. Most of my friends
would hug and soothe someone who was upset, even if they had just met
them 5 minutes before.
This morning I was supposed to start my
volunteer work in Saint Teresa's Clinic in Kitengela (the town I am now
living in 45 mins southeast of Nairobi). We had breakfast (milky sweet tea,
bread and butter- or this "fruit" spread that tastes like liquid fruit
roll-ups) and walked 10 minutes to the clinic. The clinic and dispensary
was very clean and nice inside. (I was astonished!) We went into the
office of the head lady, a petite tidy southeast Asian looking nun with a
handshake like a dead fish. She informed Lucy (the girl I am living
with and who is acting as my mum, tho she is only 20) in a tiny voice
that they were not aware we were coming and were not prepared for us.
She asked that someone from our program come speak to her. So... we
left. When I got home I passed out for three hours. I was SO thankful I
could fall asleep. We will see what happens with THAT situation. I just want to start working!
Yesterday I bought a phone here. It cost about $22 USD to buy
the phone and SIM card! I know, so cheap! However, I chewed up nearly
$9 calling and
texting the US. No bueno. I will now only use it on rare occasions and
as a way for my parents and others around here to get a hold of me.
Have you ever been to
some of the nastier parts of Mexico? The smells here are similar to that, but
usually more potent. Trash and dirty water are everywhere.
Tomorrow I will leave here at 5:30 am to go back into Nairobi. There I will
be on a two day outreach trip. I will visit the worst areas of Nairobi
including a slum, a IDP camp (internally displaced persons camp created
as a result of the 2007 elections here- look it up) and a garbage slum
(people who literally live off heaps of rubbish). I will be able to
help build a school in the IDP camp and also will visit Hell's Gate
National Park (sounds lovely) for some adventure. I expect these two
days to be eye opening, at the very least.
If any of you would like to write me, my new address is:
Kris Roudebush
PO Box 548 Kintengela
KENYA
Surprisingly
uncomplicated! Mail and love from friends & family would be wonderful. I am not sure if I want to remain in this town for the entirety of my 3 months, since it would be nice to see other areas of the country. My mom has her
surgery today to have her gall bladder removed. I hope that goes quickly
and easily!
Sorry the post is so scatter brained; that's just how I am right now.
Laugh often (and maybe a little extra for me),
Kris
PS. I will attempt to attach a photo taken of me on my first day here. The little girl (Anna) is the daughter of Maggie and Oliver. I spent my first night in Nairobi in their home with 15 other volunteers! So cute!
