Exploring Nairobi

MY APARTMENT - I spent $22 on The Rough Guide to Egypt. So there's no turning back; I'm going there over Christmas break.

I picked up the book at a textbook shop at the Sarit Center in Nairobi today during the SMs' first afternoon off. After a(nother) rather uneventful morning, Mr. Thomas chaperoned Elvin, Valerie, and me in our primarily shopping trip intotown.

Our first stop was at the Sarit Center, a three-story mall that has tons of stores, an internet cafe, a supermarket, and an incredible coffee shop. Along with my guidebook over the place I plan on spending part of Christmas break, I picked up a map of Kenya (for my bare walls of my apartment), some minutes for my cell phone, and an iced hazelnut mocha. The coffee -- first I've had since I got here, if you count that brown-urine-flavored beverage that British Airlines
served -- was incredible: very dark and bitter. It literally stung the back of my throat. I do believe that I've found a spot to frequent in Nairobi.

From there, we headed towards the Masai Market, right along the largest roundabout in the city. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was mobbed by 2,341 African artisans and crap-dealers alike, all begging me to exchange my hard-earned $50/month stipend for whatever piece of "art" they'd carved out of a tree earlier that morning. I ended up purchasing two masks -- a zebra and a giraffe -- to hang on my apartment walls, not so much because I appreciated the craftsmanship, but because I felt obligated to support the Kenyan economy.

Afterwards, we swung by Nakumutt again to pick up food supplies and such. Outside the supermarket, there are a few dozen men selling bootlegged DVDs that have 5 movies on them, usually for just a few hundred shillings. I'm pleased to say that I DID not BUY ONE THAT FEATURED "THE LONGEST YARD," "STAR WARS: EPISODE III," AND "MR. AND MRS. SMITH." On the way back, Mr. Thomas allowed Elvin to drive our chariot home, and with the exception of a few 3-foot-tallspeed bumps, it was a completely smooth and comfortable ride back to Maxwell.

We ate supper, put away supplies, and headed over to the elementary school to watch Episode III. It was the first time I'd seen the flick in English, being that I'd originally seen it in Montecatini, Italy. All went well until the last 10 minutes of the movie... or what should have been the last 10 minutes of the movie. It cut off right after Anakin/Darth Vader was burned alive on that one volcano planet. After much bawling, hollering, and gnashing of teeth, I finally got over it, realizing that it DID cost about $4, and you DO get what you pay for.

Tomorrow night, I cover for Mr. VerSteeg for dorm duty, so I probably should get to bed. I miss you all, and I hope you all continue to keep in touch. The school provide an email account to me -- chrisw@maxwellsda.com -- so write to that address from now on. I appreciate your prayers, and again, know you're in mine!

-cw