Maintaining

**Note-I added a lot of posts at once so they'll be in chronological order if you start with the first one added today. I'll get a few pictures up asap!

It’s amazing how much time one can kill just maintaining. I can wake up, make my bed, charge my ipod, handwash my clothes, hang them all up, read the newspaper, take a shower. And already it’s afternoon. But I’ve managed to avoid the constantly running television once again. Previous to this trip, I disliked TV most of the time, seeing the way it completely absorbed people and abandoned real human connections for for empty entertainment. In these past few weeks that dislike has grown into an infuriated hate. I am so frustrated by the barrier to real human connection the television provides, the ability to turn your mind off and numb it whenever you want—and at least in my house, thatgoes on a lot. “What else are we going to do?” my sister says. Talk? At least once in awhile maybe? I like the Kenyan news though, sometimes it's in Kiswahili and sometimes in English. They get straight to the point and never have the fluff stories you always see on American news stations. I'm getting better at getting conversations with my sisters going. I just get restless sometimes, especially after dark, which occurs around 6:30 each evening when it’s dangerous to go out and I'm stuck in the house. I watch TV with them sometimes, but other times go and write or read a book or do a crossword. It's forced me to be creative and I keep coming up with new things I can do with myself in the evenings.

I still value the artistry and creative potential of movies and TV shows, but most of what is on has no creative value, and in my opinion, pretty limited entertainment value as well. That might sound snobby or something (sorry for those who like Desperate Housewives and One Tree Hill), but it’s dangerous when it goes this far, it’s an obsession with something so empty. Also, I don’t want to let it hinder the relationship I’ve begun to develop with my sisters. I came here yearning for real conversations about real things with people, and I’m becoming bored talking constantly about American movies and American television. America is an expert at exporting it’s “culture.” That is one lesson I’ve learned a countless number of times even in my short time being here. Any advice on how to adjust to this way of life and not let it get me down?

I’m also feeling kind of isolated here. The 10 of us Kalamazoo kids have kind of been clinging to each other these past few weeks because it’s one of our only options. I think were all feeling sort of similarly. Yet we live far away from each other, and I don’t really want to spend all my time in Kenya hanging out with people from home. It’s difficult to integrate at the university because our classes are only with each other; there are no Kenyan students in our classes which makes it difficult to integrate oneself with the campus. My sisters are nice enough, but not always interested in including me and getting to know me. They have their own lives and don’t go out of their way much for me. That is nice in a way, because then I don’t feel I’m being a burden to anyone and I’m free to just do my own thing, but at the same time, it’s isolating constantly conversing within a small bubble-mostly with myself. It's getting better though every day. I know I'm a slow mover with these kinds of things and it just takes me some time. In the spring before we left, Kalamazoo had us write about what types of things we anticipated would be the hardest, or most stressful to get used to. I remember that I wrote about the Westernization or Americanization occurring at an exponential rate in Kenyan society because I'd heard from past students how surprised they were at how revered Western culture is there. So here we go, I guess I predicted well.

In other news, I learned how to ride both a matatu and a bus yesterday. They're pretty fun and a good time to chat with people even if the ride really toughens up your knees-esp. when you're 5'8 like me. and I saw the Nairobi National Park and lots of animals-namely, cheetahs and lions!!!! yay!! And we’re going to Mombasa tomorrow for 5 days to practice Kiswahili! The character of Mombasa is supposed to be much more rich and community-oriented than the commerciality/business orientation of Nairobi. All the tourbooks talk about Nairobi like it's the place where visitors always start out, but don't stay in for long because doesn't have much vibrant character. Most everyone who lives there are newcomers who've moved there from their tribes for work. That's the case with my family and most of the other families I've talked to. The Kenyan economy has been doing really well these past few years and so there is a rising middle class which is great, but the gap between rich and poor is still huge-especially when you see the suburbs like Karen (Blixen, Out of Africa fame) that used to be for the rich white plantation owners outside the city and then slums like Kibera existing nearly side by side. But the rising middle class will provide a kind of stability I think.