About that Kiswahili...

Er.... I just BOMBED my practice oral exam in Kiswahili. Something about being asked questions I can't answer in English ("Why did you join...? What will you do when you get back...?") threw me off... and then I started forgetting things like "I am..." and "I have...". Awesome. At least I'll be able to show HUGE improvement when I have my real exam in four weeks. :)

I forgot at the beginning of this blog to post the disclaimer from my PC training manual, so, for the record: THE CONTENTS OF THIS BLOG ARE MY OPINION AND DO NOT REFLECT THE OPINION(S), FEELINGS OR POSITIONS OF THE US PEACE CORPS OR GOVERNMENT. (That's not it exactly, but I don't have it in front of me. I'll fix it next time.)

I also didn't post my address last time, if anyone wants to send me a letter, so here it is... at least until August 2nd:

My name, PCT
PO Box 30518
Nairobi, Kenya

Some people were curious about a typical day in the life of a PC trainee.... or at least in MY life, so I will, as much as I can, try to give you an idea of how I'm spending my days. I have yet to experience any two days that are the same, so it's hard to choose a "typical" day to describe, but I'll split the difference(s) and take creative liberties for the sake of.... you. :)

On week days, I usually wake up between 6 and 7 am (7am is known as 1 in Kenyan time... the hours are counted from sun up to sun down. Makes sense, no? So 8am is actually 2, etc etc.), usually because the roosters, cows and dogs are going NUTS and/or because Mama is boiling water for bathing and/or Baba is blasting the Kamba radio station in the next room (the walls don't go up all the way to the roof, so I can hear everything, expecially when it's crazy loud. Any multi media, it seems, must be listened to at an unbelievable volume.... I have yet to figure out why...). If the bafu is unoccupied, I get my basin and fill it partially with boiling water, then the rest of the way with cold water. I splash it on myself, never as successfully as my Kenyan family members do, but I'm learning. (I use a cup to wash my hair-- so mzungu like).

Breakfast every morning consists of white bread with margarine and Chai.

Uh oh. Looks like I need to go get fitted for a bike. Ha. Soooo.... I'll keep you all on the edge of your seats ("What happens after breakfast?!?!?!?!?").... promise I'll continue soon.

Xoxo
H