you can't get fat off of fruit

that's the great news 'cuz i've been eating/drinking a TON of it! you can however lie around on the beaches of Lamu and get covered in red bug bites from the beach flies (jill has a picture of my back and arms that for the sake of not giving my grandparents additional worries we won't put up). you can also get a hold of some bad fruit or fish or water or a number of almost anything and manage to survive the mandatory "traveller's toilet" that kept us from eating anything, even fruit for two days.
lamu was paradise--as such that's why there hasn't been a blog from it. we're back in nairobi though waiting for karla and betty to get in and acclimated to the time change. also, joyce and the girls are coming into the city to meet the oldest boy, max, who is on break from boarding school so we'll be spending as much time with the family as possible!
this last journey was such a stark contrast from where we came from. the same amazing african spirit and hospitality followed us and we managed to get from place to place just as uncomplicated as possible, but the comparison might just end there. after a 14 hour bus ride from nairobi to mombasa and mombasa to lamu we arrived to be rushed off the boat and into the house we would be living in for the next week. an incredible three (or four) level house with a veranda overlooking the ocean, kitchen, dining room, living room, more beds and rooms than we had possible need for--we got for an amazing price at about 830 Ksh a night per person (about $10 US) and a "houseboy", Douty. we took advantage of having the kitchen and our newly learned african cousine cooking and made many of our dinners at home with some guests.
after a few disconcerning moments, jill found her long-loved lamu friends. her dearest friend, simba has moved up and out though and we didn't find him in lamu but rather another island near mombasa, wasini.
we took a couple of incredible dow trips with jill's friend, captain easy squeezy lemon peasy--aka mchizani (pronounced em-chiz-anni) and his crew. the beach boys on the island all have their given muslim name and also an english 'nickname'--one that he is usually given and then can change as he matures. of those that became friends on the trip--aloe vera (formally bush doctor), happy flower, paper bag, rollings, and happy. the nickname holds several purposes though--almost everyone there is named ali or abu or muhammed, it's easy for the tourists to remember, and it's how anyone else can tell who you're talking about.

ok, so this is was all just a teaser. i spent too much time checking other emails and not posting. i will get back to this later though!!
AND a big hello to any QUEST interns who may be reading. i just received the short bios of my future housemates and friends and am very excited to meet you all!!
much peace,
megan

uhOhhh...

Just tried to call the fam on a phone line that wasn't working. I think it must be something like 5 a.m. back home right now and hopefully I haven't just made them frantic! Sorry again, Mom & Pappy.
The girls are posting a blog and some more pics I think, so I figured I would at least post this quickie. I really feel like a Sunday and want to just lounge around all day and finish my book! We leave on the night bus for Mambasa, will get in at 6 a.m. and hopefully catch the 7 a.m. bus for Lamu from there. and then....the Indian ocean!!! wooHOoo!!!

and this one is going to make you happy....

so maybe just a little less blog this time and more pictures! to see more of an account of the last week, visit jill's blog--she'll be sending the other blog readers over here to see the pics. i'm sure it will take forever to get them downloaded...

and, yes it does take forever to get them up!! so just a few pictures of safari. this shot doesn't do the moment justice. we almost literally ran over this lion! she was soo close to the car. we have crossed over a small bridge and looked down to see a lion coming out from under it, followed by two more. we found their den in the center of some thorny brush with a few lions lying in it. this lioness was outside of the den and she had flies covering her whole face.

This is one of quite a few amazing landscape shots from the Maasai Mara. Another reason why you would love to visit, Dad. The grasslands do seem endless and the beauty of the land can take your breath away.

The middle picture was taken from a look-out point at Lake Nakuru. The birds are the big thing to see at this place. Normally there would be huge flocks of flamingos and the lake would look like a pink blanket of feathers. Mom would have loved this, or even a pink feather--alas, I couldn't find either. A lot of pelicans though. This is one of the reason there are less flamingos--they came to the lake for the first time when fish were introduced into the lake as a source of food. Now the pelicans have taken over, more come each year, and they eat all of the fish. Kind of a lose-lose situation because there isn't any fish for us eatin' nor the flamingos--unless that is, you really like pelicans.

The above picture is in Joyce's kitchen. About the size of an American kitchen, this building is a part from the home and where the food is cooked and dishes washed. Joyce is in the background, but it's probably too dark to see her. Let me know how the pictures are turning out too, it's hard to tell from this computer.

This is the shamba, or farm that we built the fence around. We had two great guys, John and Paul who helped to dig holes for posts and put the barbed wire up. The guy on the far left, Ben was just a nuisance and was the first and only reminder we needed that when asked if we are married or have boyfriends back in America--the answer will from now on always be 'yes'! He came to deliver news of Hillary dropping from the race, and continued to talk and talk and talk while we worked and worked and worked. Then he invited himself to our lunch and got two free drinks at the bar out of us too. He proceeded to tell Jill she was fat, Lauren she looked like a boy, and us all that African men worked harder than women (keep in mind this was at the time he was watching us work). Unfortunately, social norms required us to just ignore him instead of telling him to bugger off and eventually he got the hint.

These are our departing gifts of the Maasai shuka from the school. There are made in the area out of wool, and as traditional Maasai--a very vivid, bright red. Esther (a.k.a Whoopi--if you can't see the resemblance my picture isn't good enough!) is with us in the picture and is the only teacher of the thirty-some students in the special unit. She is one of the most amazing women I have met--strong, progressive, passionate, and she has the patience of a saint.

I thought I would have a few people that would really like this picture--Mom because of the baby in the box and Grams because of the woven baskets. This was at a market in Nyahuru. Lauren is quite the skilled barter-er--we got a great deal on the kiandas, much below Wazungu price!!

These are Joyce's girls--Susanne on the left and Ashley on the morning we left our Africa home.

This is one of the building on Joyce's homestead. The left part of this is a guest room, it is also where the rats lived and we tried to the first week we came. The right side is where the goats are kept at night. The floor is cement so the manure can be easily swept up and used in the shamba.

The land to the far left is the shamba--it's still been very dry, but with a couple of good rains it will produce avacado, kale, oranges, potatoes, passion fruit, bananas, and much much more. The wooden building the the left is the shower stall--no shower but rather a stall to wash up in with a tub of warm water. Something we did only once or twice a week. I still haven't washed my hair! :) Next to the shower is a holding tank for the rain water that is collected off the roof.

Lauren has posted more pictures also on her flickr account so visit that at www.flickr.com/photos/lauronosaurus.

Enjoy and I love you all very much!

Much much peace and joy, Megan.

A Day of Laughter

First off, I changed the settings so anyone can post a comment without signing in-sorry about the hang up there!
We are back in Nahuru to pick up supplies and check out the internet world. Seems like all is good back home--I'm happy to hear that the rain is coming. Unfortunately I can't say the same for here. may is supposed to be their rainy month and they got very little. in an area that so desperately relies on the water for so much this is not good. many of the families collect rain water from the gutters off the roofs to use for cooking and drinking and that is running out. some have wells and pumps, but even those dry up after a day of laundry, cooking, and water for livestock. the neighbors share what they have though and everyone is mindful of the limitations. i think about every glass of water i use for washing and haven't washed my hair in going on two weeks now!! the lack of rain also means no misquitos though, so we are safe from them.
we finished our work at the school yesterday. as per lauren's suggestion, we built a good fence around the small shamba (farm) that can now be used to grow fresh fruits, greens, and vegetables for the special unit. neighboring chickens and cows broke through their last fence and other parts were taken by people for fire wood. hopefully we have left a lasting gift that will literally keep on giving.
this past week has been wonderful. each day that passes i find it more difficult thinking about our leaving. i have fallen in love with joyce and her two girls (susan, 7 and ashley, 4) and the many women in the village that always greet us with a strong handshake, joy, and warm tea. there is no doubt in my mind that i won't be back. i am already trying to think of how i can manage to eventually stay here for more long term.
so, i'll have to post the day of laughter note later--as a reminder though, "chup-chup"
also, we heard from austin and sara in malawi and are set to visiting them!! very excited about that new addition to our travels. hear from me soon and love you all very much!!
dad--still haven't heard from you : ) so hope you're getting the posts and email me or something!! sure you're busy with the rain and all though too. love you!
much much peace,
megan