1 week!

7days. 7 tiny American days is at least 60 Kenyan days...ok ok maybe 30. Regardless its been one heck of a ride thus far. I would like to put up pictures but the internet connection on this modem is worst than dial up when it first came out. I have to wait until I am in town oh and until I find my camera. Ha yup I think I misplaced it already.Oh well  it will show up eventually.

Anywho, these past 7 days has consisted of lots of traveling,food, and pretty scary moments but I am in one piece and that's all that matters. So we stayed in Nairobi for 3 nights then went to Machakos which is my home for the next 10 weeks. After 2 nights in the hotel of Machakos we were shipped off to our homestay families. Let me just say this is a nerve wrecking experience. After we finished language for that day all of our families began to arrive at the hotel. We were given a notecard with our name and our family name on them and we were supposed to go into the conference room and find the notecard that matched ours. Sooo we all walk in and guess who's family is one of the 2 that aren't there yet...haha yup mine. So I sit in the front of the room along with Cindy, one of my 10 new friends:). We look like the orphans who weren't adopted everyone was hugging their families and having a cup of chai tea and pitying us all at the same time.

After about 30 mins or so our families arrive. There was one woman and one child and I could tell I wasn't what she expected, we all have to go around and tell our names and introduce our new families. She introduced me as her Black American daughter lol. We didn't have much to say to each other haha forcing conversation is rough when there is already a language barrier. So after much awkward silence we are sent to lunch as a group and her sister arrives with another child who I soon find out is her son and the kid who initially came with her is her nephew. So we have an awkward meal, consisting of me scarfing down my food because I have nothing to say and her asking me am I bored. We eventually make it to my new home which is not far from town, maybe a 25 min walk. The house is a 2 bed room house, one room for me and one for her and my kaka(brother) and baba(dad) when he arrives-he is away on work right now. I was pleasantly surprised to see we had electricity(which goes out only a few times a day) and water(I like to call it walking water instead of running water because this too goes out a few times a day-I know I know I'm funny).  We also have a indoor western toilet but we are only supposed to use at night. The choo(google it then laugh at me) is for day time use- I have yet to use one. We also have a chicken-yup just one, she sold the rest, and a dog. There are many goats and cows next door-I really want to milk a cow before I go. My room is a decent size and I'm happy to finally unpack my things and have a place that I can scatter my things around-PC requires us to get a lock on our door so I don't worry about anything stolen or anything like that.

When we first arrived home my mama told me she had to wash my kaka's clothes. So I sat outside and watched as she washed everything by hand then hung it out to dry. She's very funny always saying things like you Americans use machines for this dontcha, how about this? I'm like yup we're very lazy-which is true.Then we went out to by dinner-meat from a cow that I probably walked by the day before(which I won't lie I almost vomited when I saw all the flies at this outdoor butcher shop) and veggies from off the street. I won't lie I was super nervous about dinner but I kept reminding myself to keep an open mind. We get home she has me chop the meat-with the world's most dull knife lol and I want to vomit. She chops the veggies and then goes to work cooking on one kerosene stove and one charcoal-showing me how to work both. In the end was a delish meal with no fly eggs or anything gross. I must say it was the most informative day I have had so far.The local kids came over to see the Mzungo-the term Kenyans use for white people. Let's just say they were slightly confused and very disappointed. But they were cute nonetheless; smiling and afraid to talk to me as if I was some alien. Oh and on that note- being an African American is unheard of here. I get many weird stares when I walk with my fellow PCTrainees, all of which are white but one. When I'm walking alone I get weird stares too because I'm a little lighter than most here so they are usually wondering what I am or what tribe I'm in. The white PCT are looked at like aliens. It's funny, the kids want to say hi and the adults are like wtf. It sucks for them because they associate white with American and America with $$ so they are more likely targeted for crime.But once I open my mouth they know I'm American so I guess we are all targets.Blahhh back to my story

Since then I have had nothing but good times and great convos with my family. My 3year old host brother, name is Jo. He is super cute and always trying to play with me but I never know what he's saying so the only thing we say back and forth to each other is sawa sawa which means okay lol. Its ok we have lots of fun.My daily routine consist of me going to language at 8(a group of 4 of us meet at one of our houses-not mine its too small) then around 10 we walk into town meet with the other 7 people and have techincal, medical, safety, or cultural mettings. We spend a lot of our time inside. We go somewhere local to eat around 1- an average lunch is 2 bucks max, drink included.Then we go back to meeting until around 4 or 5 and have to be in the house at 630 because it isn't safe to be out after dark for anyone PCTs or Kenyans. Once I'm home I have chai of course, play with my brother for a bit, talk to my mama, watch the other kids come over and get lots of love from my mama, get help on my homework eat yummy dinners, take a bucket bath and I say goodnight around 830. I read, write in my journal, watch a movie from my external hard drive or just lay there listening to my mama and kaka be super cute and sing nursery rhymes in their native tounge until around 1030 then I wake up have breakfast-chai included. So yeah there's my new life for the next 10 weeks. We start at the deaf school next week and we swear in on Dec. 14th. My internet comes and goes so I hope that's enough info for a bit. Is there anything else hmmm let's see...

One girl left so far so we are 11 before we were 12.
Large avocados are 30 cent.yum
We drink chai 20x a day-full of whole milk...I'm gaining like 1000lbs from it

I'm still having an amazing time and I'm in a constant state of shock from the fact that I am really here and doing this. I am thankful for every single thing that happens throughout the day good and bad. PC calls this time our peak-everything is still fresh, we are happy, no culture shock yet haha. They said it goes away after a few weeks haha we shall see i guess.

The roads here are awful, the driving is ridic and there are no speed limits haha

I didn't spell or grammar check this because it is 1051 and therefore pass my bedtime so I hope its ok

We find out our site placements in about 2 weeks-wish me luck!

Thanks for reading what could possibly be my longest blog ever. Well until next time...