wow. where to start....

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of events. On saturday I moved families. I am now living in the opposite direction of where I was. It is alot closer to school and the office so that is nice. I love my big crazy new family.

I now have a mama, 3 sisters (ages 23, 19, 6), 1 brother (age 7) and a cousin (age 21). Needless to say....the house is constantly busy and loud!!! Me and the 3 sisters share one room. It really hasn't been that bad. Although, my six year old sister chumba has really taken to snooping through my stuff...so that is a little irritating. I also now have zero privacy. the two little ones are constantly peering over my shoulder. It's cute...and I'm adjusting but sometimes I just want some peace and quiet!!! My living conditions have gone down a bit from the last house. We have no househelp so we do all the cooking and the cleaning. This is an interesting task with no running water available... The rations we were supposed to be receiving have not arrived so water is quite a commodity. Showering has become a thing of the past to me. (I joined a gym close to school so I can shower there occasionally) I cannot even describe my bed. I can literally feel the slats benneath me. But even with all of these harsh living conditions...I could not ask for anymore. My family is amazing. They are so loving and can tell just when I need a hug. We are constantly laughing and I really feel like a member of the family.

On sunday I went to church with my mom....my lord it was an experience. To begin with...I'm not much of a church goer to begin with...so I was a little hesitant to accept her offer. It seemed like it meant alot to her so I came along. When we got to church the sermon had already started. the pastor was like one of those tv televangelists that scream into the microphone. they had a huge projection screen showing him so that the hundreds of members of the congregation could see him. The sermon was actually really nice. it talked about metamorphasis and how you have to go through some bad times to get to the good. It was very fitting (I was feeling realllly homesick on sunday!) but then it got crazy. after his sermon he called all the sick to the front to "heal them". I'm not kidding...this guy was claiming to heal people with AIDS and cancer. I have never been more discusted in my life. There was a woman squriming and screaming in the aisle as the pastor pulled the demon of HIV out of her. 2 and 1/2 hours later I was totally discusted and ready to get out of there. I'm glad I had that experience...but it is not something I wish to repeat.

We have been in class for almost two weeks now....I'm not sure I have learned much new things. Swahili is coming along (my family only speaks it so I am catching on quickly), country analysis has been pretty interesting...but it was alot of review of african politics (which I have already studied) and the development class hasn't really happened yet. I am excited to delve further into all the issues because recently I have been feeling a little helpless. Coming into this program I think alot of us were very idealistic. We thought we were really going to make a difference...and the more we learn about Kenyan politics and the deeply rooted ehtnic divide (42 different ethnic groups!) we see that there is no easy solution, especially in this time of turmoil. I'm still waiting to see what my internship is going to be. Everything is constantly up in the air here. Jama (MSID director) still thinks I may be able to have my internship in Kibera...we'll see what happens. Our trip to Massai Mara got cancelled this weekend because of worry that there would be roadblocks. Instead we may go to Mombassa. We found out today that of the 22 study abroad programs in Kenya, we are the only program that did not pull out. It's pretty crazy. Overall I am in constant turmoil about the program. I love that I am here. I think I am really lucking to see Kenya in such a different light...but on the other hand the longer I am here and understand the situation....well...it's daunting to say the least. anywho....that is about it for now. Hopefully I will update in another couple days or so!