How am I adjusting to the Kenyan lifestyle?

I have no exiting motorbike races to capture your attention, so instead I have decided to talk about day-to-day affairs such as eating habits, cleanliness, and maybe more if something else hits me.

My diet currently consists of 10 items: bread, peanut butter, bananas, avocados, onions, pasta, beans, rice, tomatoes, and the occasional egg. This is nothing compared to the 6 item diet of the borders at my school. They have ugali (a bread-like, dense, and grainy Kenyan staple) and scones for breakfast, porridge at tea time, beans and rice for lunch, and ugali and cabbage for dinner. Yum. I have taken quite a liking to ugali. It hasn't got much in the way of taste, but the consistency is nice and it fills a stomach. Food is probably last on the list (which doesn't really exist) of things I am missing from home. I never crave anything in the way of meat, dairy, or baked goods. Some other AVs go crazy over meat on the weekends, but I have enjoyed the vegetarian diet.

Cleanliness here is something else. Despite the fact that it is valued highy here (I have had several people comliment me on the lack of dirt under my nails), it is hard to come by. I have no problem having to use the long drop or even the process of having to use a bucket for a shower. However, I shower twice a week at best because our water supplies are limited and it is a bit of a hassle having to heat water (which was once in the form of rain and isn't really clean anyway). The only parts of my body that recieve a consistant washing are my face, hands, and feet. Yes, my feet are in the equation, because they are the one part of my body that I can't bear to let ferment.

It's interesting to me that things like easy shower, toilet, and food access I thought I would miss so much, but even when they are available it is not a big relief. I think about individuals and culture more than those conveniences (although a dishwasher and clothes washer would be nice).

I cannot believe I almost negected to inform you that I have just finished one of the best boks of all time: The Autobiography of Malcolm X. It's very interesting to have read that hear in Kenya because Malcolm X advocated a renewal of pride as a way to remove the racial barriers. He said that the black man would achieve nothing if he didn't organize with other black men who shared a pride in their race and ethnicity. Pride is something that is unfortunalty lacking here in Kenya. This has become especially apparent to me having finished this book. Two women we met in town were talking about being white in a fashionable sense. Apparently, many women here not only chemically srteighten and soften their hair, but also take chemicals that make their skin lighter. This makes me sad, especially in light of Malcolm X who abhorred this type of thing. I just want to shout at these women that I am proud of being white and they should be proud of being black. It does make me consider, however, that really the same phenomenon is true back home with people ruining their skin and hair trying to make it something that it's not.

Until Next Time (Hopefully, although probably not, next Week)

Nora