Day 47

June 20

So yesterday was midsummer and also the
Middle of my trip. A nice coincidence that only the Swedish could
bring to my attention. I've been working like crazy with the joy
bringers during the day and with the street kids group every evening.
I'm tired. But at the same time, now, I feel like I can deal with
anything. I'm strong as i've ever been. I don't even flinch at the
pick-pockets anymore. They're the least of my worries. I've gotten in
the habbit of carrying a box cutter to and from work. I know that I
could never use it, but it makes me walk a little taller.

It seems the the street kid group may never start. We've been looking
for our space for over a month with little success. Forget about me
training them to make fair trade goods. That's months away at best.

Tonight I went to a bar named 'places'. That's like a vague ass name
for a bar. try telling your friends to meet up with you a 'places'.
Unless they're local, it not gonna work. It's a lot like drinking a
beer called 'pilsner' which is actually a lager and a local favorite.

Lucky for me, my friends are local. When I'm not with my euro-
roomates, I'm only hanging out with kenyans. A month and a half in, I
can kind of understand what they're saying. That's awesome. I've never
felt so connected to another culture.

I'm almost gagging at the thought of school again. I think my 5th year
will help me a lot, but right now I'm living the dream. I have no
expences or responcibilities other than with my groups. It's way
better what an art student could hope for.

That's like double true now that I found the one place in town with an
espresso machine. Real f-ing coffee. This country grows coffee and
you're lucky if you find nescafe instant at breakfast. I didn't
realize how much I missed it. It's as refreshing as professional
wrestling or the American hiphop that was playing tonight. What a
great excuse to dance like an idiot.

-cheers