Lamu ISP 2

[Aly]

Hello everyone.


Lamu is a funny place with weird people. They pride themselves on their clever nicknames such as Fish Brain and Donkey Face.

I went to Takwa ruins yesterday and took photos of my house . well not really my house, but the one I want.


So i am once again fighting a losing drama battle and it is making me depressed just thinking about how people could turn against someone who has given them so much. BUT WHATEVER.

I wouldn't be in Kenya unless I had run away from Drama to cool down and I certainly wouldn't have been writing a book, or drink Mango-Coconut shakes every day, or meet amazing people and learn amazing things.

Of course I wouldn't have done a lot ofthe not so cool things I did this semester, like get stuck in a matatu with a cop and a automatic weapon... But eh. Better than Boston anyway.

I am running around today doing work. Call me if you can.

For all of you sleeping right now, lalaa Salama (peaceful sleep)

Go red sox.

Dad, you're in Vancouver mom says. STOP GOING TO PLACES I'VE NEVER BEEN. Not fair.

Love love,

Aly

[Aunt Donna]

Hey,
We can talk about places you have been that I will never get to! Same with Kate and Brian. They've been tons of places I haven't been and will probably never get to. But I've been fortunate to get where I have and still have a few good years left to do a few more I hope!!!!!!!!!!! Of all the places you've described, Lamu seems like where I'd want to go if I got to Kenya. What has been your favorite destination so far?
I don't understand your reference to Drama, but if you don't want to explain here, we can talk when you get home.
This weekend we are all (Glenn, me, Kate, Ty, Cally, Brian and Uncle Joe) going to Joey's graduation from Keene. We will be there for the weekend, then Uncle Glenn and I are taking a few extra days in the White Mountains to hike to the waterfalls. I'm soooooo looking forward to that get away. Right now I'm rushing around finishing work projects and preparing to pack for the trip. Miss you lots.
Love,
Aunt Donna

[mommy]

Hey
every time I remember to call since we spoke I have been at work and can't or I have been home and its been too late
I get it right soon

Ted called and said you had malaria again! I told daddy and we'll make an appointment with a jungle medicine doc for right after you're home.

no news but you have me a bit worried--i can't do anything from here and I know you are totally competant at taking of yourself, but I'm a mom and its my job to worry
so
worry worry

the drama thing sounds like it sucks--you know honey--there are lots of jerks in the world who just don't get it move on (and up)

its my lunch time now and if i don't get outta here on time I can't get out because the next class arrives-so
I'll try to call very soon darlin
feel better
mommy

[Boy]

Hi

Feel better baby. I wish that there was more I could do to help you feel better. I will call you as much as a can. Stay safe and get some rest. I can’t wait to see all your pictures. How is the book coming along? Don’t worry about the drama stuff too much. Just focus on getting better and remember when you come back you will have time to chill then you will go to Buck’s Rock which sounds pretty cool.




El Pelon:



Aside from family legal gibberish driving me nuts, things are going ok for me. David Ortiz hit a great homerun last night to beat the Yankees in the Sox first game against them. I did not want to tell you over the weekend with all of your drama drama but We are doing a play in Kindergarten; The Wizard of Oz. It is really cute and the children are doing well, but we are still working on Laura and I not having to whisper the lines to them. I wish you were here with you expertise to help me. My class at UMass in done now, so aside from Teaching and babysitting Jenny spending most of my free time Volunteering for the Deval Patrick Campaign, playing basketball, and writing in my 2 blogs.

[Boy]

Oh yeah one last thing: Last weekend Stephen Corbert was invited to the Whitehouse correspondence dinner and completely went at Bush while bush was only 5 feet away. It was hilarious and made even more so because most of the time the crowd of government officials and press people was too uncomfortable to laugh.

I saved the video on Youtube so you can check it out when you get back.

[Boy]

One more last last thing. I forgot to tell you one of my blog posts was quoted in the Boston Globe. It is the last paragraph of the article. www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/04/23/wellesleys_claim_to_sports_fame/

[nana]

Hello, pretty sharp that we can communicate so often......I so look forward to what is going on with you...Spring is really here.
All the trees have fresh bright new light green leaves. Everything is in bloom and so are the allergies! ! ! I talk to your Mom on her cell every morning as she drives to school of her hands free "stuff" in the car. Had a great dnner last Friday at the "Sleepy Irishman" with Aunt Donna, Uncle Glenn and the Kupfers. She and Maddie are busy with Graduation Invitations...guess that is when I will see you. I really don't have any special news...just my usual busy schedule that I have devised to pass the days. How is the book coming along? Will you be in Lamu until you return? Luv Nana

[Aly]

I hate Malaria. I am so tired of being sick.

I am tired of patchy internet and of donkeys. I am tired of Lamu and Lamuians.

I am tired of crazy people who tell me about somalian terrorist camps and discs.

So here's the deal.

I am going to take care of this problem today. I am going to find out if he is lying or not. I am going to get as much information as humaly possible and then i am going to send boy a text message.

If what this absolutely crazy man says is true, then I will need you, mom, to follow my list of needs in the email I sent you.

if what he says is a lie, i am going to contact SIT and make sure he is punished for lying about terrorism. I'm sure there are punishments for false information.

Then i will go back to writing, and after that i will go home.

The thing i hate most about Lamu (sorry to dissappoint you Aunt Donna) is that no one here seems to understand what i say.

For example, I had designed a Bao game. I had drawn a design and carved some of it as an example. THEN they completely disregarded my example and did something entirely different and now want me to pay for it. No. That's not going to work for me.

So now i have to go explain that i need them to either try again, or discount the price being that I did not even remotely get what I wanted.

Oh kenya... how much i am beginning to hate hot nights and flies. The stench of dung and sewage, the understanding that i can't eat meat as even the chickens are fed garbage and the fish swim in the waste of Lamu.


Yes, its pretty, but who cares. It smells bad, the beach is dirty, when its not raining there's a drought and i sweat while not being able to wear tank tops.


And to top all of that off, while I was getting diagnosed with Malaria, AGAIN, i was weighed and apparently I have lost 20 pounds since the last time I was in Lamu (the last time I was weighed).

That's crazy, because I don't feel thinner.

i am going to go have breakfast.

If i do not get phone calls today, mom, thats fine, the marines will be in town this weekend and if he's telling the truth, i'll stop by the hotel on my way home.

have a good day everyone, sorry I'm so cranky, but, you know, Malaria sucks.

-Aly-

[Aly]

OH YEAH, and possibly the worst news of all.... I've gone blonde.

make sure at the airport there is:

1. a carne asade burrito from El Pelon with guacamole, extra salsa, hot sauch and sour cream

2. boy

3. my kitty cat (if this is not possible i understand)

4. A bottle of either dark brown (with caramel highlights) or auburn red (with light brown undertones) hair dye.

5. clean clothes. I want a nice, clean pair of medium blue jeans and either my green sweater or a black tee shirt (depending on the temperature)

6. a plan ticket to mexico if there is no burrito

7. my computer, fully charged.

8. a bottle of the coldest poland spring/ aquafina water that can be found as ice apparently doesn't exist in africa.

thanks,

Arrival: may 21 4:40 pm JFK

see ya then.

Aly

[Boy]

Hi Aly,

I understand and applaud your diligence and concern regarding the terrorist matter, but even thought I don’t have first hand knowledge of the situation like yourself, I am guessing that this guy is a random night so don’t worry too much about it. I suggest not even trying to contact the crazy nut in any way.

Don’t expect too much help from the U.S. government. The government just released its plan for if there is a bird flu epidemic and I am not joking here are a few of the things it says: The federal government will not help provide local officials with medicines for the disease, nor will it help local hospitals in funding, if an epidemic hits people should stay 3 feet apart from each other at work, and best of all the government expects civilian volunteers to be the ones helping at the hospitals and other places where the crisis hits not any government agency. If the department of homeland security states itself it will not do anything for anyone they should at least refund the tax dollars that went into it back to the public. K, my rant is over.

I will be at the airport with Mexican and the bottle of cold water, but I will let your mom handle the hair dye thing because I would mostly get the wrong one.

Stay safe and remember it is only 2 and a half weeks left.

Miss you,
Boy

[Aly]

yeah.. but you are also, boy, going to take a train to new Haven and arrive at around 1pm so you can drive to the airport with my mom.

Its more expensive the other way anyway.

you and mommy can talk about it later.

Its really hot today and i have been trying to jump in and out of the three A C ed buildings all this morning but i don't think thats going to work anymore and I might as well find a shady place to go, or just go swimming or something... except that the water is dirty from spring tide.

but its hot and i have five more days in lamu and 14 days in kenya.

sad, but not really THAT sad. I haven't really decided if I'm going to cry as i leave or not. I think I'll see what everyone else does.

Next time I go to africa I need to bring a portable fan, a tiny ice maker and some sort of ALL BUG protection... next time I come to africa I want to be in a bubble and make all the bugs stay out.

I miss TV. Especially Project Runway and V-Mars. Also all my X-Files dvds.

I miss my laptop. seriously.


I now have to go back to Ramak Computer Sevices where Paul keeps trying to convince me to marry him, and finish typing some chapters.

bye all.

love and kisses from Lamu

Aly

[mom]

Hey,
We've been trying to call for a couple of hours this morning and we are getting a busy signal after a long connect time. We are also getting a please hang up and try your call later message from some guy who i do not know that has recorded his voice on my phone.
anyway, we'll keep trying as the day goes by--its sunday at noon
we'r going to Wilma's to have lunch with karen and jack and wilma. we'll be back in a few hours and try calling you again
mommy

[Aly]

hey I don't know what happened. My phone was fine.

Try calling today. 011 254 736 932 303

I saved a kitty cat! its so little it fits in the palm of my hand. its head is the size of a golf ball.

I love it.

Mommy, pretty please? Can i take home the kitty cat? Pretty please he's so little and cuddly.

He almost got eaten by a rat. I saw him get born last week and him mom won't feed him milk. I saved him.

No but honestly, mommy, I want to take the kitty cat to America and give it a good life because I can not save any of the chldren and I feel useless. its just a kitty. His tail is broken from the rat attack (THIS RAT WAS HUGE) and everything and he walks all lop-sided cause he's so weak. And I've been giving him milk and fish, but he doesn't eat much.

please mommy?

have to go write now. And then back home to take care of the kitty cat.

paka- cat in swahili
mpaka - until
kupaka - to apply (like Henna)

see mom? I worked all hard this semester and stuff and I'm not getting my house...

[Boy]

Hi baby,


Good job saving the kitty from the mean rat; there is a a children's book to be written somewhere in that. I am not sure if you would be able to get him past customs. did you name him? I got to run to work. ( well actually bike)

I will call you tommorrow.

Boy

[mommy]

I bet the kittyy is cute, and little, nurse it to health and find it a good mommy since I don't think the airplane people, customs people and HOMELAND SECURITY people are gonna let a kitty escape into america for freedom. you could try the political asylum thing at the gate, but if they say no, then kitty has no further optiona and is at the airport. not a great place to abandon your kitty.

besides, mulder is here and desperate for your attention.

I'd love to say yes, but I'm sure you won't be able to get a kitty on the plane to France then the plane home

take care of the kitty by finding it a good home for when you leave.

SIT has just sent us a "re-adjustment manual for parents". I'll show it to you when you get home there are some very good themes addressed in it about the reverse culture shock students feel upon return. talks about having parents and friends be patient --the pace of life here is different, consumerism, ways people communicate, returning to school, a changed world view, self-image, and how we should remember to be patient, listen, and support our returning student. They are good things to think about.

I tried calling again this morning but the system said you were not available--I'll keep trying honey
Daddy will too
Talk to you soon,
mommy

[Dad]

I just re-read the thread, and hate to inform you that the wonderful Colbert riff on the president and the pusillanimous behavior of the press is off the YouTube site, but the good news is that is up on the Salon site and available through C-Span itself.

We did get a return phone call from the US State Department person in the US on Friday saying that he had not yet heard back from his contact in Kenya but would try again Monday. Let me know if you hear anything.

[Aly]

I don't care anymore.

If my government doesn't care enough about a threat of nuclear information being passed around, then neither do I.

But I haven't seen him in a few days, more the better for me.

this is probably my last word from Lamu as i have run out of internet card and don't want to spend another 100 shillings to buy another ($1.25). That's like a whole meal.

Anyway, Fupes says he'll keep the cat, who is about the size of my fist, with a golf-ball head.

AT any rate, I am still in Lamu and I am writing frantically trying to get at least the first 13 chapters finished by next monday. I have 1-5. I also have four other Plot heavy chapters done for other sections of the book, but they are definetly not in the first thirteen.

I am fine though, healthy and tired. Been waiting for phone calls, and talked to dad yesterday, but i understand if you can't get through.

I am going to need a very long rest from this "vacation" to kenya... I am still tired and weak from the Malaria and even the waiter at my usual restaurant said i looked thinner... not a good thing.

I don't look that much thinner, all my clothes still fit reasonably well.

Three people asked me to marry them yesterday during lunch and i think it broke the record for number of proposals at any single meal. That is a common occurance because people here seem to think if they get the single white female to marry them, or even date them, they will get a ticket to America.

Let's see how long I can sit in the post office and work before they kick me out for not using the internet.

Love you all,

Talk to you from mombasa on Thursday.

-Aly-

[Boy]

Hi baby,

Good to hear that you are feeling ok. Sorry to hear about the (This is edited, it is a matter that we do not speak of). I apologize that I could not get of work long enough to call you. I was running around doing crap on my lunch break and forgot to call you. Hope you can forgive me. I don’t have to be at work really early tomorrow like today so I will give you a call before work.

Also about the parts of the book that you emailed. When ever I download the document, it comes out all crazy squggles and squares. I think there might be a way that I can make it be normal, but have yet to figure it out. I windows Millennium addition and the 2001 version of word and I think that might be causing some of the problem. I am going to try to download it from the Library and then email it to myself.

Miss you,
boy

Edit: we shall not talk of the D**** of the K**** nore the D***** of the P***. Mkay?

[Dad]

This is to you Ted:

Noel received the chapter in readable Word format. She can send them to you as a Word file and as a pdf file (in case the Word weirdness sets in). I will remind her to do this in the morning.

[ivylane16]

Aly, be careful with the hair dye... last time you tried the auburn-red route, you ended up with PURPLE hair!!! lol.
Miss you and we should try to get together this summer, maybe you can meet my future step daughter, hehe.
Hope the malaria icky-ness is gone, didn't you have to get like a vaccine or something?
Am currently writing a 20-25 page paper for Abuza's class titled "Pandemic: A Global Epidemic for Foreign Policy" about the effect of epidemics/pandemics on US Foreign Policy, including a lovely intro on what would happen if bird flu could spread person-to-person. Am on page 2, lol, but that's single spaced, it's due monday, at least I started it this week, and not Sunday.
~Christie
Oh, get me your address or we'll figure out a time to meet up and I'll give you your little "res life card" with your room number & extension on it.