Jambo!

Jambo is how you say "Hi" in Swahili. Before church on Sunday, my host father Tsofa taught me some basic Swahili. Now don't get too excited about church. Forget everything you know and think of when you think of church in Africa (dancing, singing, music). This place was none of those just a basic Anglican service with hymns and recitations. The most exciting thing that happened while at church was I got to pee in my first hole, (since that was what the public church bathrooms were comprised of, a hole in a small cement room with two blocks surrounding it)! I stepped up on the wobbly blocks and started to go really slow as to make sure I made it in the hole. but suddenly a huge black beetle the size of my thumb with something red coming out of it's backside scurried out of nowhere frightening me, causing my stream to flow, and sure enough I sprayed all over my ankles. Well it wasn't the first time I'd peed on my ankles and it probably won't be the last.

In the afternoon on Sunday, Mercy (my host mom) took me to Midi-creek. This was an Eco-tourist site that involved a guided tour through a mangrove forest on the coast and a walk on a suspended walkway (Indiana Jones style) for about 300m.The walkway usually hangs above a few feet of water and is surrounded between mangrove trees, but because it was low tide it there was only a few inches of water below. i got to see snails, skinks (a type of lizzard), crabs, and Sandplovers ( a type of bird). I learned a lot of interesting things about this particular coastal region that I will be able to share with my students.

When we returned to the house, Mercy and I cooked together in her kitchen. We used the ingredients bought yesterday in the market to make speghetti sauce, my own homemade recipe. I boiled some pasta too. The meal was a big hit with the family. The 3 older boys came back not only for seconds but for thirds. I'm going to cook again on Thursday.

I ran this morning for my first time in Kenya. It was harder running here than in Ghana. I think there are 2 reasons for the increase in difficulty. 1. I am much more out of shape since I haven't run in two weeks. 2. I have eaten so many starchy foods since being in Africa and I take 3 meals a day, and well...I've probably put on some weight. So as much as I'd like to blame it on the change in elevation. It's my own laziness and gluttony which will make getting back into marathon shape more difficult when I return to New york.
One other big difference between my run in Kenya vs. Ghana. No one really notices me. In Ghana everyone would yell and wave and laugh and say "Blrafono" (white man, white man!) Here few people pay me any mind and if they do they are small children who say Ciao. (They think I am Italian since a large Italian population lives in Malindi.)

This morning I went to KEFRI (Kenya Forest Institute)and took a tour of the tree nursrey. Tomorrow I'll go on a taxonomy tour for trees and birds in the bush. Wednesday is the referendum (voting day)so the office won't be open, and Thursday I start my volunteer activities at KEFRI.
In the meantime, I'm continuing to love my family, my place, my new friends, and my time here in Kenya!