saturday is salama

on friday we walked over to the IU house and a bunch of people were crowded around. we asked the guard and he nonchalantly said "i came to work today and i found out it was the Apocalypse." this was clearly a concern until we had an 'ah-ha!' moment and realized the reason why people had two pieces of paper out was because it was, in fact, an eclipse. it was neat. and there won't be another one of that duration until 3043.

then i spent the morning with an adorable 3 month old baby named jesse at the sally test center. it's a fun place off of the pediatric ward at the hospital and anyone can just drop in and play with the babies and children. he smiled a lot and sucked his fingers and drank all of his bottle and he is HIV positive and an orphan. so sad to have to start life that way and he has no idea. he's not even afraid of white people yet.

at the center we also listened to a talk on asthma and met a new friend, anne. she is a kenyan law student and volunteers at the center in the mornings. we invited her out dancing with us that night and she came. people here are beautiful. we explained we were going out to celebrate my birthday (ultimately using an excuse to get all of us girls out on the town) and when she came to the club she brought me a shell necklace in a little basket, "because you are the birthday girl!" i had met her 8 hours before. there's a level of hospitality and sincerity in this culture that americans are lacking.

we danced our socks off last night and had a rip-roaring good time. i got a dancing lesson and there is a little bit of hope that by the time i leave i will be able to shake my hips properly. at least a little bit.

everyone before hitting the town

today we drove to Wabuye for the AMPATH launch party. essentially it is an all day event with loads of community members enjoying each others company and getting excited about health. we were told there is over a 90% positive response rate for those who want an AMPATH counselor to come to their house and test them for HIV. after our chat, in true kenyan tradition, they fed us in the neighboring school. and it was delicious. fresh chicken, chipati and coca-cola in a bottle really can't be beat. we watched the events (tug of war, soccer, a dance off (!!), speeches) and even did a little singing of our own.

so, children in kenya don't wear diapers. makes complete sense considering diapers are expensive and WIC isn't exactly up and running around here. mothers carry their babies on their back and it is said they feel the baby wiggle and know when he or she has to pee and they just put them down, they do their business on the ground, and everyone continues on their way. i know this because today i missed the wiggle and got peed on. all was well under a shady tree and i was holding a woman's adorable baby daughter and she was sitting on my leg, and we were watching soccer and BAM! warm wetness. now i definitely have to do laundry.

ps-fun trick: kayla taught us that if you always look at the person's elbow when giving a high-five, you will never miss hitting their hand. try it. it's true.

pps-nairobi went a little nuts yesterday.

ppps-attention MASSACHUSETTS. in case you were unsure about what to get me for my birthday this year, you can just go vote for Coakley on Tuesday. Apparently the polls are close and we need the Democrat seat to move forward with health care. C'mon, you won't regret it. In the legacy of Kennedy (even if you think he wasn't a stellar person, mom). pleaseandthankyou.

waiting for lunch

tug of war

all of us at the event (plus an additional 30 children)

just being wazungus (it's a video! hooray!)