Post by Aly on Mar 29, 2006 8:22:49 GMT -5
Hello again from Kenya!
If you are wondering where I have been, I was on safari and in my rural homestay in Taita -Taveta in a small town called Mghanga Dawida. It was actually cold, and by cold I mean 70 during the day and 55 at night… oh how I miss it so now that I’m back in Mombasa.
Safari was so cool. Wait til i show you all my pictures, you'll flip out when you see how beautiful elephants look set against the mountains. SO AMAZING.
My Malaria is gone and I feel much better. Tonight I will return to me homestay in Mombasa (groan) for five days and then Dar-es-salaam for a day and ZANZIBAR for nine.
ISP UPDATE: so sadly for everyone who really wanted me to do work with NGOs I have decided to pursue my own wild, dreamy ambitions and will be writing a book. No, I’m not kidding. I’m writing historical fiction about the Swahili Culture on the coast of Eastern African during the pre-colonial era of the 1870-1890s. Yeah you know you want to read it when I’m done.
Athman, the project director says that there is almost no historical fiction about this part of the world and he’s really excited to help me out. So my advisor will be Donna Pido and I will be staying in Lamu (sorry Boy, because I won’t have internet or phone for most of that time, maybe a cell phone with a different #) and maybe some time in Mombasa.
So I bet you all want to know what my story is about. Too bad it’s a secret until it gets published. You’ll have to buy it.
Actually lets all face that fact right now—there is no way it’ll be published cause I’m not that good a writer and you call all read it when I post it online.
But that’s the news from mombasa. Not very eventful since the last week was spent entirely in a rural community full of goats and cows with beautiful scenery of mountains, rivers and green trees. Not to mention lots of flowers and people too.
We worked on “the site” building a medical clinic and moving large sections of the hills so as to slow erosion.
In addition to the extremely cool village that was Mghange Dawida, I also got to cook Mexican food for all the peoples. I made Guacamole (except instead of lime juice, unripe oranges, and instead of chili peppers, chili sauce and no cilantro) and chapatti Burritos with rice and salsa and grilled veggies. They were yummy. I then slept for a few hours in a warm and fulfilling food coma.
I love Mexican.
I got letters from nana and Cards from Aunt donna and boy! I was so happy to get mail;, thank you all so much.
And I got a letter from dad too.
Simmons girls, get your act together and write me a group letter. I miss you all so much!
I have my ACTFL on Friday, I’m going second, and I know I’ll do fine because I can actually speak Kiswahili.
My professor told me that she was so impressed with me in class because I always got everything right away and she and the other teachers thought I had been studying in the states. I was so happy to hear that right after my practice exam that now I have the confidence to actually speak the language. And I know what you’re all thinking, and I asked other students and no, she definitely didn’t say it to anyone else.
I wrote post cards to people so be looking in the mail boxes in about 7-10 days…
Also, thanks dad for contacting those people, but since I changed my topic to something completely unrelated I won’t be needed them. However it was very considerate of you to talk to them for me.
Oh yeah, I want to buy a house on Manda Island (near lamu). Its only 1 million Kenyan Shillings (or roughly $12,000) for a half an acre ploit of land with a little house on it that overlooks main land Kenya and the Tawka ruins (form about 1200-1600 AD) on one side and the Indian ocean on the other.
Please mom? And dad? I’ll even go with you to the island and speak Kiswahili and cook Mexican and stuff… No, I will not empty the dishwasher that is where I draw the line!
Common coolest graduation present ever!!!!!!
Boy you can come too. You won’t like it though cause its not in Boston and not Greek. And is in the middle of an island that looks like its taken from “Land Before Time.”
But if you go to the island I promise to walk around a little… It might be where I end up going to write my book.
Well, so long for now and I will write again before Zanzibar after my ACTFL.
Love and peace, Upendo na Salaama
-Aly-
If you are wondering where I have been, I was on safari and in my rural homestay in Taita -Taveta in a small town called Mghanga Dawida. It was actually cold, and by cold I mean 70 during the day and 55 at night… oh how I miss it so now that I’m back in Mombasa.
Safari was so cool. Wait til i show you all my pictures, you'll flip out when you see how beautiful elephants look set against the mountains. SO AMAZING.
My Malaria is gone and I feel much better. Tonight I will return to me homestay in Mombasa (groan) for five days and then Dar-es-salaam for a day and ZANZIBAR for nine.
ISP UPDATE: so sadly for everyone who really wanted me to do work with NGOs I have decided to pursue my own wild, dreamy ambitions and will be writing a book. No, I’m not kidding. I’m writing historical fiction about the Swahili Culture on the coast of Eastern African during the pre-colonial era of the 1870-1890s. Yeah you know you want to read it when I’m done.
Athman, the project director says that there is almost no historical fiction about this part of the world and he’s really excited to help me out. So my advisor will be Donna Pido and I will be staying in Lamu (sorry Boy, because I won’t have internet or phone for most of that time, maybe a cell phone with a different #) and maybe some time in Mombasa.
So I bet you all want to know what my story is about. Too bad it’s a secret until it gets published. You’ll have to buy it.
Actually lets all face that fact right now—there is no way it’ll be published cause I’m not that good a writer and you call all read it when I post it online.
But that’s the news from mombasa. Not very eventful since the last week was spent entirely in a rural community full of goats and cows with beautiful scenery of mountains, rivers and green trees. Not to mention lots of flowers and people too.
We worked on “the site” building a medical clinic and moving large sections of the hills so as to slow erosion.
In addition to the extremely cool village that was Mghange Dawida, I also got to cook Mexican food for all the peoples. I made Guacamole (except instead of lime juice, unripe oranges, and instead of chili peppers, chili sauce and no cilantro) and chapatti Burritos with rice and salsa and grilled veggies. They were yummy. I then slept for a few hours in a warm and fulfilling food coma.
I love Mexican.
I got letters from nana and Cards from Aunt donna and boy! I was so happy to get mail;, thank you all so much.
And I got a letter from dad too.
Simmons girls, get your act together and write me a group letter. I miss you all so much!
I have my ACTFL on Friday, I’m going second, and I know I’ll do fine because I can actually speak Kiswahili.
My professor told me that she was so impressed with me in class because I always got everything right away and she and the other teachers thought I had been studying in the states. I was so happy to hear that right after my practice exam that now I have the confidence to actually speak the language. And I know what you’re all thinking, and I asked other students and no, she definitely didn’t say it to anyone else.
I wrote post cards to people so be looking in the mail boxes in about 7-10 days…
Also, thanks dad for contacting those people, but since I changed my topic to something completely unrelated I won’t be needed them. However it was very considerate of you to talk to them for me.
Oh yeah, I want to buy a house on Manda Island (near lamu). Its only 1 million Kenyan Shillings (or roughly $12,000) for a half an acre ploit of land with a little house on it that overlooks main land Kenya and the Tawka ruins (form about 1200-1600 AD) on one side and the Indian ocean on the other.
Please mom? And dad? I’ll even go with you to the island and speak Kiswahili and cook Mexican and stuff… No, I will not empty the dishwasher that is where I draw the line!
Common coolest graduation present ever!!!!!!
Boy you can come too. You won’t like it though cause its not in Boston and not Greek. And is in the middle of an island that looks like its taken from “Land Before Time.”
But if you go to the island I promise to walk around a little… It might be where I end up going to write my book.
Well, so long for now and I will write again before Zanzibar after my ACTFL.
Love and peace, Upendo na Salaama
-Aly-
