Still in Kenya

Last night we had chicken for dinner, which we sacrificed right before cooking it (by "we" I mean my fearless host mother). It was quite an experience, and now I think I fully understand the phrase "running around like a chicken with it's head cut off". This particular chicken did not have a chance to run, but I can picture it. Can you? The chicken was tasty, and I saw the feet had been tossed in the stew as well. I picked them out and fed them to the cats, who were quite appreciative. There is always plenty of food at the house, and very carb-heavy, and I'm amazed at how efficient the cooking is, combining all sorts of things to make a good meal (ha, and you thought I would lose weight here?!).

The other day I awoke to a large bug perched on the arm of my chair in my room. I went back to sleep, warning it that I wanted it gone by the time I needed to get up. This did not work, so I finally gathered the courage to crawl out from under my mosquito net and go about my morning routine, trying not to disturb it. I bathed and got dressed and it did not move, so I finally called my host mama into my room to ask her what it was, assuring her I was not scared. She replied "not a scorpion", picked it up with her bare hands and tossed it outside. Phew.

Other than that my days are full of Kiswahili and technical lessons such as how to purify water and how to identify the symptoms of malaria. I'm learning.

Thanks for the posts, you're making me laugh out loud here in the post office in Kitui, which is providing even more entertainment for the locals than usual.

oh, and EVERYONE here has a nose ring. Grrrr...