Yesterday (Tuesday) we had our first somewhat leisurely day in Kenya. We had pictures to develop to send to the rescue center and even though we had spent all day Monday trying to get them developed, we still hadn't found a place to print them. We were successful after two more stops yesterday and were able to deliver the pictures right on time – whew! Brenda was kind enough to spend the day with me and Andrea, as Kaylie had meetings, and Brenda was concerned we would get lost trying to take all the matatus we would need to get where we were going (and her concern is definitely warranted – the matatu system obviously takes more than 2 weeks to figure out).
I haven't been feeling my best the past few days, so we went American for lunch yesterday and went to Pizza Inn. The pizza was good and they had Coke-Cola Light (their version of Diet Coke, which is hard to find here); I would definitely recommend it to any Americans visiting Kenya. We also hoped to get ice cream at the adjoining Creamy Inn, but power had been out and the ice cream was too soft to serve. :(
We actually got home in time to take naps and read, which was a great treat. I even got a shower last night (my second so far) and am glad I got one when I did, because the water is out again this morning. The bucket baths aren't really a problem, but the fact that we can't flush the toilet for days on end is kind of gross. I just try not to look or smell.
One thing I've learned in Kenya so far is that things are often not as they appear. Men and women dressed very smartly (their word for stylish dress), who are walking with purpose down the streets of Nairobi, are often, in fact, headed nowhere and don't even have a job. People who live in Kibera or Mathare, two of the biggest/most violent slums, dress the same as those who have a nice apartment or house. You would never guess they're destitute.
It is the same with things for sale. You can buy DVDs off the street for 50 or 100 shillings (about $0.75 to $1.20) and they often have 10 different, new release movies on them or more. But when you get them home you realize that the DVDs skip over parts of the movie, or the movies are divided into strange sections, with part 2 coming first and then part 1. There are obviously no government regulations or standards for goods sold.
In a country where the government is hands-off on most things, it is easy to see why there is so much poverty and people getting into all kinds of trouble. One of the towns we visited has an 80% unemployment rate. Imagine what the U.S. would be like if so many people weren't working! I don't judge Kenya for the state it is currently in. Like in Lord of the Flies, men left to their own devices most often choose to live for themselves.
Modern technology has also allowed Kenya to see things available in the rest of the world; everyone has cell phones or smart phones, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and most people are addicted to Spanish soap operas with English voiceovers (we Americans think they're hilarious to watch). Music videos play all the time in the matatus and in houses or businesses we've visited. There's always something going on and yet nothing at the same time. It's an interesting place.
We've had spotty internet service and can only write in very short chunks, so please excuse my hurried thoughts. We just wanted to give you an update since it's been a while.
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