I've just gotten back from my ISP prep in Shirazi and am leaving in two days for my trip to Uganda. During my brief time in Nairobi, I've been working on my ISP proposal and crazily trying to figure out classes and housing before I disappear into the mostly uninterneted world. Check out the flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/10290870@N06/?saved=1) or at the side of the blog for pictures. In addition to the flickr, I'll put the few most hilarious pictures right in here:
This is actually from the first trip to Shirazi, on Eid. You aren't allowed to wear makeup during Ramadan, hence the intensive eye makeup put on me in this picture. Also, I was dressed very classily. I'm working on learning to carry water on my head, but it is EXTREMELY difficult.
This picture is hilarious because it's so indicative of my interactions with babies in Shirazi. She was put on my lap and immediately started screaming.
Check out the other ones on flickr.
Overall, it was an extremely productive trip to Shirazi. My friend Melanie and I had quite an adventure trying to get to this extremely rural location by ourselves, and the whole experience involved a bus, a tuk tuk (tiny motorcycles that are mini cabs), hotel stay, tuk tuk, ferry, matatu, matatu. It was mildly insane, but certainly an excellent adventure. I made a friend on the matatu who helped us to avoid getting scammed, and thus we were able to get real prices rather than wazungu prices.
Over the course of just two and a half days in Shirazi, I walked to and from Bodo (the nearest town and a forty minute walk) twice and make an extremely overcomplicated map that will surely help me get lost when I come back. I learned how to weave and make roof thatch out of coconut palm leaves, and helped to dig a well with a pickaxe with my hilarious host grandfather (a large man wearing a Muslim keepah and a cut off muscle Garth Brooks tour t-shirt). I was also promised to learn how to fish with a spear gun, which I'm now even more excited about then actually doing my study on traditional medicine in the area.
I also had the opportunity to go to a funeral. The local councilwomen's mother died, so me, Melanie, and our 17 and 20 year old mamas trecked back to Bodo for the event. There were hundreds and hundreds of people there and it was gorgeous because all the women were sitting together with different brightly colored khangas. I wanted so badly to take a picture, but it didn't quite seem appropriate. The women sat while the men prayed, and our mamas dared us to go in and see the body even though they were too afraid to see it themselves. That was interesting experience, as there's no body viewing in Jewish funerals. As they removed the body for burial, the women inside screamed and wailed like I had never heard before. It was a very educational experience. We also visited the nearest hospital, Msambweni (pronounced mm-sahm-bway-nee), to visit a very distantly related relative who is going through breast cancer.
That's pretty much it. Sunday I head for Uganda and Rwanda on an educational tour, and after that I'm just three days until I disappear for my ISP! I miss you all.
Alix
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