Tusker under the Sunset

So this post might be short....first of all because I am suposed to be writing an e-mail to Ronan my trip leader about my goals for the trip (but i think that it can wait a few minutes) and also because this internet cafe is about to close, and a woman that works here is passing me quite the pair of evils which is making me feel just a tad bit uncomfortable and...rebellious! So today was awesome! Had 12 hours of sleep last night which was amazing and especially good as we preapre to go out tonight for some booty shakin' (sooo going out at night in africa is kind of risque) but our 17 strong wzungu team will hopefully get by ok! We have played quite the few games of ninja (today we even did it in a pool) so I think we are pretty adequately prepared! Today we went to the slum in Kisumu where I made my theatrical debut in front of a crowd of kenyan youth about the upcoming constitution referendum on august 4th. It was amazing to see a country try to give more rights and freedoms to citizens, and follow the same paths that Canada once did many years ago!

P.s. this was all done with the help of Blue Cross, an amazing organization which helps youth stop using drugs and cigarettes in slums through drama. (Also through talking with them I think that drama would be an excellent way to help build hype and educate poeple in Kibera about my project and I will keep in touch with blue cross as an amazing source of inspiration and knowledge in the upcoming summers) oh yea...so I pretty much decided that next May come schools end...I will be back on a KLM flight to Nairobi! No big deal! So after our play and debate I had quite the conversation with an aweosme 19 year old named Kennedy who is working all over the slum to pay for his post-secondary education. It's unbelievable how expensive university is, but his drive and determination really encouraged me and had given me the final push to stick it out back in Waterloo (school can get ya down after a while). We talked about my project and both decided that if you put your mind to it, literally anything is possible. He also fixed my horrendus swahili accent (a.k.a. my attempts to respond to the thousands of "How are you's?" by the children always ended up with a puzzled look on everyone's face....Kind of like the incident with my swahili dictionary...but after his help I was able to get a mzuri sana (very good) which made me happy...so i poped open a coke to celebrate). We also talked about schol in Canada and spirituality and tommorrow he is going to show me around town, as we get into an adventure which I'm sure I will never forget! P.s. the other day we ate a fresh fried talapia fish caught from lake victoria....EPIC!

So then we went swimming where after many failed attempts at the "triple chicken game" we formed a huge pyramid, a.k.a. HAVEN'T SHOWERED IN 5 DAYS....ALSO HAVE NOT SHAVED (Can anyone say YEHTTI)! I am becoming known as the gingerbeard which makes me somewhat worried as I don't have a mirror, but I am just going with the idea of becoming a youthful santa clause. After swimming we all went to the top floor of some ranom hotel in Kisumu to watch the sunset together...insert awwwwww here...

Right now we are going to double up on bugspray and head into town for an apparently very fancy dinner with James (We are going to have a huge talk about development) and then out on the town to do some dancing!!! ( SOOO STOKED, p.s. I love to dance!)

WE head out to Maragoli on Friday but until then I am preparing my strength for an chin up competition with Emmanuel and a flight planning session with Luke, who is slowly becoming quite the ladies man in the OGEA 2010 group!

I am having a truly amazing time here in Africa, you all seriously need to come and experience this place. In all of the poverty there is so much hope, and beauty and inspiration...it is really amazing! I'm glad to get away for a bit on my own tomorrow because sleeping in a cramped appartment with 17 people can get a bit stuffy....ohhhh So i forgot to tell this story! On our way from Nyvasha to Kisumu we arrive at this tiny little appartment....with KIDS CHASING US WITH STICKS SCREAMING WAZUNGU WAZUNGU (white poeple white poeple) and then they came up in a mob with sticks to our door! Terrifying, but I am thankful to Bomortrito who calmed us down with some jason mraz on the guitar!

Miss everyone back home immensley (this place makes you appreciate the relationships you have like crazy) but also can't think of a more amazing place to be!

Until later days

gingerbeard