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Today was our first day of class....I did not begin the day on a very good note, but it has shaped up to be a decent day. Afterall, it is 85 degrees and sunny...beautiful February weather. I woke up to wonderful mix of digestive problems, of course that does not mean I do not have to eat breakfast and tea. After a few trips to the bathroom I managed to sit down and drink some tea and talked my host mom into letting me take the bread along on our 45 minute walk to school. My friend and neighbor Fascil came to pick me up so we could walk together. Needless to say, that great Kenyan tea was put to waste after I threw up about 4 times on the way. The "mzungu" definitely drew some stares, although there is so much trash thrown everywhere that I didn't think they should mind a little puke to add to the lovely city environment. Once we got there I was a little under the weather but much better. We met the teachers and were acquainted to the classrooms and MSID offices. After that we took a "mutatu" to the city center where they showed us where to catch buses, trains, mutatus, pick up our packages, pay for packages, etc. A mutatu is a van type deal that they pack full of ppl. It is made for 14 ppl but there's always more. They are owned by the drivers so they get to decorate them however they want. Ours was decorated pretty trippy and we jammed out to Backstreet Boys tunes on the way. It was lovely and only cost 20 Kenyan Shl or about 30 cents. I didn't know if the mutatu and my stomach were going to mix very well so I sat close to the door...but all ended well. I was able to get some American food at a restaurant for lunch and picked up some bottled water on the way home, so hopefully tomorrow will be a better day...digestion-wise. Maybe if I tell Mary I puked today she won't make me eat so much, probably not though. I took my first shower in Nairobi last night. I know...exciting. I need to correct myself, Mom...there IS a shower. I just had to look up. It's not your typical shower though...I comes out in one light stream, kinda like someone is peeing on your head. It didn't look like there was a shower at first because there was just a faucet coming out of the wall, a plastic tub, a toliet, and a drain in the floor, but low and behold I do have a shower type deal. She had to ask me if I wanted cold or hot water though. Is that really a question?? I guess not for rich Americans. Tomorrow the U.S. Embassy is holding a "Town Hall" meeting for all Americans in Kenya. I'm not sure what that all involves, but the MSID staff wants us to go. I have not watched the news yet today, but the first full week of peace talks begins today. All the Kenyans are saying this is a very critical week for the recovery of their country. Most of them really want peace and "Kenyans keep the peace" was painted everywhere around town but especially in the Kibera slum on the burnt buildings. Alot of the Kenyans almost act embarrassed. They keep telling me how they wished I could've come before the violence and how this is not their Kenya, etc. That's it for now. I will let you know what the news says tonight and what we hear about at our "Town Hall" meeting. No worries though, I feel quite safe here and Mary is actually a very cautious lady, as is our MSID staff. All is well in Kenya...hakuna matata!!
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