Sweaty and dusty and dirty, oh my

Just took my first test in Kiswahili. It went really really well and I don't think I got any wrong, but of course I probably did. I knew how to write everything though, and I fixed some mistakes when I checked my answers, so if I get some wrong it'll just be from working too quickly.

Today is good so far. I called to Eli this morning because I won't have the phone over the weekend & it had been a week since we talked. It was good even though I was sleepy. It's weird to wake up Friday and talk to someone on their Thursday night.

I keep forgetting to write about the animals here. Yesterday walking home from school there was a herd of cows walking down the road. Crazy. There are also goats everywhere, which I love, and stray dongs and cats, which is sad. On the road to school there are a couple of families of ducks and goats with kids and a puppy. Why are baby animals of all kinds so adorable? We go to school at a Kenyan's house, and he has a dog and a couple of cats, but the cats are skittish and might have fleas, so I don't get to cuddle. I just sit by Miles during class for that and he gives me massages. There's pictures of the whole group here: http://legacy.lclark.edu/~clifton/EA09/. I think our professor will continue to update those pages as we go. Perhaps when we are somewhere I can get consistent internet I will try to post some pictures as well.

All the homestays have electricity, but not many have running water. They may have at some point, but there is a huge drought in Kenya so they don't at the moment. My family does have a toilet though, as opposed to many who just have a hole in the ground outside. That was the case at church too, where there was also no TP. I felt appropriately sacriligous using the church bulletin but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

I will probably go into Nairobi with some kids tonight, maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow there is sure to be dancing in town, but tonight should be more laid back, which is what I'm looking for. And we will not be opposed to dancing, if the situation should arise. Tomorrow I may also get my hair braided, which will probably take about four hours. I haven't decided yet. I'm pretty sure I'll look ridiculous, but also, when else would I have the chance? And I look pretty ridiculous as a mzungu here anyway--it's not like I could stand out any more than I already do.

One more week of homestay then Saturday we'll head back to the hotel for a night--where I can videochat, Mom. Sunday it is on to Mombasa and the coast. Yay!

Oh and I forgot to say, STEPH KNOWS MY NAME! Well, she calls me "Mare-OHN!", which is close enough. We play all the time. I'm not sure she's actually ticklish but she pretends to be. We play keep away with basically anything. And she loves sitting in my lap while I bounce my legs like she's riding a horse. Every time we finish she yells, "TENA!"--"Again!"

It is very dusty and hot lately. Apparently as we head to the coast and into Tanzania the sun is only supposed to get hotter. But I haven't gotten sunburned yet, which is nice. Hilarious story about my skin turning red though: I was leaning on my hand doing homework, and when I sat up my dad asked what happened to my face. I told him I was just resting my cheek on my hand. He just looks at me and says, "And it turns red?" and freaking cracks up when I nod. So strange that he would have never known that otherwise.

TGIF so I don't have to sit through history any more this week. But obviously a sad day. It's weird not to be in America for September 11.