well, here i am in kenya.

Hi! I'm spending the weekend with Rose and Merv Stutzmann (MCCers who lived in Scottdale for 7 years so I know them! They are leaving at the beginning of the summer to go back to the US, so I'm enjoying 'em while I've got 'em). They are in the process of adopting a baby who they took in last summer while Rose worked at a place for abandoned children. She had been left in the hospital for 2 months and she was under 2 kg. She looked like an old woman. Now she is a very happy very bouncy 11 month old who is currently pulling on my leg to stand up so she can drool on my pants. I'm a massive fan of this kid. She's a really, really excellent person.

I've been in an Orientation of sorts since i got here. Monday I start work with FATNEA. I'll explain more about what I'll be doing once I start the job since it sure ain't clear at this point what all will be involved. So I've been staying in Nairobi with the country directors and making trips downtown by matatu, meeting Mennonite ex-pats (nearly all of whom are leaving in the next few months), and moving out to Kahawa Sukari. That is the town where I will live and work - it is about a half hour out of Nairobi (or longer, depending on traffic). I have an apartment in a building of 4 apartments, and there is another small building in the compound that is the FATNEA offices. I don't yet have a very good feel for what Kahawa Sukari consists of...you turn off the main road from Nairobi to Thika, and go through a street that is full of dukas (little shops and stalls, mostly with meat (butcheries), bananas, and bizarrely enough hardware supplies), and then reach the beginning of the compounds --- lots and lots of walled compounds. I live on the beginning edge. Apparently Kahawa Sukari was a pretty dangerous place 2 or 3 years ago because rich people lived right next to very poor people. But it's not so dangerous anymore...I'm not sure why, since it still seems like rich compounds (in a relative sense) right next to poor folk. Well, tomorrow I move out there for good, so I'll have the opportunity to explore. As yet, I still don't really know what my life is going to look like.

But it's good we don't know what our future holds, right? And it's encouraging at this point to know that you can't plan who you'll make friends with.

I also can't plan how often I'll be able to blog or email, since I haven't found an internet place in Kahawa Sukari yet. But I'll figure something out. I've been having all sorts of Thoughts on what it's like to experience Nairobi, but I'm too rushed to write about that. But stay tuned...I'm bound to get them out at some point. So far, Tim Godshall is right: in Nairobi, 1/3 of the people are employed to protect 1/3 of the people from the other 1/3 of the people. Also, Nathaniel Pellman is right: you can get anything in Nairobi, for any range of prices. It is apparently very possible to live here almost as though you are in the US - in fact, it's almost easier to do that. There are so many ex-pats in Nairobi, and it's really hard to get to know African Kenyans. So I reckon the big challenge ahead is going to be figuring out how to live recognizing that I'm not in the US.

Okay, that's plenty enough deepness for now.
love, debby

I'm leaving in less than 5 days (Tuesday, March 14). I don't have much to say, except that I'm nervous and busy and I'm posting a blog for the sole purpose of having something on here when I refer people to this blog.

This isn't going to be a Super-Snappy or Hip blog, but hopefully it also won't be a Rambling blog. My goal for it is to be primarily an Updating blog. Ooh, and maybe there will be comments! That could be fun.

love,
debby