Dancin' Luo style

Not much has happened since I last blogged, but I felt I should write something so I don't lose my audience. We had that dinner on Kenyatta day, that ended up being much more stressful that it was worth, but on the positive side, I learned how to make some traditional dishes such as Ugali, Chapati and Sukuma wiki. The party itself turned into a fund raising event for KMET slash farewell dinner for a planned parenthood chick who was leaving slash ODM political rally for Raila. Which reminds me, I haven't talked much about Kenyan politics. In December, they are holding their presidential elections so right now its a madhouse with all the campaigning and political madness. Where I live, everyone belongs to the ODM party (Orange Democratic something or other) where Raila is the candidate ("Raila for Change"). He was apparently wrongly imprisoned some years back so a big part of his campaign is to end corruption and to make primary and secondary school free for all children (currently there are annual fees for school - a major deterrent for education if you ask me). So I guess I am a Raila supporter from what I have heard. I can't really say that though, because I know nothing else about the other candidates, and what I have learned is biased because of where I am. But it doesn't matter anyways, I am not voting, but when people ask I am all about Raila. Its quite exciting to see the whole democratic process at work here, and it seems that the young people here are all about politics which is good since they are the generation of the future. And EVERYONE votes here. Maybe the US can borrow some ideas about how to get the youth involved and out to vote.

I have finished this "manual" that I have been working on all week for the providers who are involved in my pilot project. I am stoked! It was long, boring tedious work, but it looks good and I am proud of myself with the limited resources I have to work with. Its about 25 pages of client record keeping forms, documentation and information on misoprostol, and some literature on clinical trials, advocacy for safe abortion and legality of providing abortions. So next week I hit to road distributing them along with more miso, pregnancy tests, surgical gloves, and Purell antibacterial gel. We are making sure they are administering the drug right.

My friend Marcus who is a fellow BU student, currently in the Peace Corps in Kericho (about 2 hours north of here) was in Kisumu last night with some other PC buddies. We all met for dinner and went out to Kimwa nightclub. Aside from all the commercial sex workers trying to get Marcus to leave with them, we had a great time. (By the way, those girls charge 100 shillings to go "all the way" which is about $1.70 - I think our SFC girls should outreach to them if not to get them to stop their work, or practice safe sex, but to get them to up their prices. Thats really sad what they are doing for a dollar). But the band was all about the mzungu table and a friend Hannah and I were invited on stage to dance to their traditional Luo music. It was so much fun, and I think I am starting to get the hang of the "African Booty Shake" dance moves. Aside from the two more marriage proposals I got last night, I met some cool people and it was just a fun night.

So its Friday, Marcus and some people have plans to go to Simba Room, have some all-you-can-eat Indian food and dance the night away again. Not sure what's up for this weekend, but we have a very annoying house guest staying at our place this weekend, so Kristen and I are thinking of heading to Kampala, Uganda...or maybe to our "ma-ma's" village home somewhere out in the country, anything to get away from Wazimu ( we have given her her Swahili name which means Mad Crazy)

Oh, something funny. I chicken has wandered into our compound, not sure how it got over the 15 foot wall surrounding the place, but we now have a pet. Its name is Sebastian Bock (get it? bock bock bock) and its becoming a nuisance. Sometimes the wind is so strong that it blows open our door, so Sebastian Bock has decided that our home is his home and he poops and leaves his feathers all over our house. I am trying to talk out guard into teaching me how to pluck a chicken and eat it, but he is scared that one of our neighbors will accuse us of stealing his chicken. I say that if no one comes to claim him in a week, that chicken is our dinner!

Ok more later, I am off!