Lamu or Bust!

So we did it, we made it all the way to the coast of Kenya, up to Lamu, and back to my site. It took about 50 hours of busing, but we accomplished our goal. Lamu is an island off the coast of Kenya, and is one of the last Swahili cultures left in the country. The island is somewhat small, and the roads are really more like alley ways, and since they are so small no motorized traffic is allowed on the island. The main form of transportation is the donkey, and everyone has one. They wander about here and there, sometimes carrying goods or a person, but most of the time free of any burdens. It was very interesting to see, and fun to pet them. I didn't get the opportunity to ride one anywhere, which was somewhat of a disappointment, but I'll survive. I did get to swim in the Indian ocean where white sand beaches abound, and that was quite joyful. We even went snorkeling and I got bit by some coral. Or I kicked it not realizing I was too close, but either way you look at it, I was bleeding from the foot and attracting sharks. Except there were no sharks, but I like to add a little excitement to my day. On the snorkeling trip they took us to an island where they grilled fresh lobster and jumbo shrimp and fed us coconut curry and fillet of kingfish, so needless to say we went home hungry:). The Italians who were with us kept giving Dan their halves of lobster, so I think he ended up eating 3 of them. It was kind of like being in paradise.

After that we headed back down to where I live, in the southwestern corner of Uganda, and the exact opposite side of the country from Kenya. We made it though, and I think he enjoyed the time spent there. He got to meet Spencer, who made friends immediately, and also got to meet some of the teachers from my school and a few of the village characters that are around. We walked to Kisiizi hospital to see the falls there, and after all the bus riding, the 3 hour walk was kind of nice. Even if my knees and hips are still sore and I feel like a little old lady from it, it was beautiful and sunny all along the way. And I have the sunburn to prove it.

But Dan is gone now, so it's back to just lonely old me. But I have plenty to do in my remaining four months, including helping train the new batch of secondary education volunteers, which should be fun and interesting. Then Casey arrives to do her rotation at the hospital, and sit around bored out of her gourd at my house while I teach. Then my official ending date is on April 30th, after which Casey and I will head to Egypt, which is going to be AWESOME!!! And Dave arrives on the 11th of May, so I've got plenty to occupy my time until I head back to the land of the free and the home of the brave. I know y'all need my presence in your lives, so until that day, keep on keepin on.

peace

Kenya Here We Come

So I'm sure all of you are very concerned, and my brother Dan arrived safe and sound here in Uganda, despite the threat of delays and cancellations all along the way. We've been enjoying the central region of Uganda, and I got to show Dan a bit around Kampala. I've been stuck in my Close of Service Conference in Jinja, but luckily he's had other volunteer siblings to spend some time with, and they even went white water rafting on the Nile yesterday. He survived that too, and came back hale and whole, so no worries for you mom. He loved it, and apparently they flipped their boat on every rapid, so I guess he got his money's worth.

Staying here at the Jinja Nile Resort for 4 days has been tough, but somebody's gotta do it. The rooms are cottage style and have hot water showers which we don't even have to turn on the hot water heater for! It's miraculous. The pool is amazing and I got to see Dan's boat float away down the Nile from the balcony upstairs. I fed the monkeys some chips from my room yesterday, and some of the brave ones even took them right from my hand! The food is incredible, I think I've gained 5 pounds in the past 2 days. Free internet doesn't hurt the charm of the place either. But this is the last of the lap of luxury for awhile, so I should appreciate what I've got while I've got it.

Well, I've got to sign off now because I have to go attend sessions today, but know that I'm starting the preparations for coming home in approximately 4 months, and y'all will see me soon enough. I get to host a secondary education trainee in March, so just know that my knowledge and wisdom will be imparted to the next generation of volunteers in Uganda. I know you were worried that it would leave with me, but how wrong you were to fret! So peace for now, and start those party preparations now.