Week 14

This week was long, but interesting. Monday and Tuesday everyone was going insane finishing up their grants, which were due Tuesday at midnight. We got the guys at the internet café downstairs to stay open late. Let’s just say that Ted, Evans, and Brent are pretty awesome. They are my age and they just saved their money, took out a loan and opened this cyber café a few months ago in our apartment complex. Brent is going to college in Georgia starting next year, but Ted is going to do his undergrad degree here in Kenya, then make his way to the US for graduate school. Evans is currently going to college here in Nairobi, but is applying to transfer to the US next January.

Wednesday night Ted invited us over for a traditional Kenyan family dinner at his apartment. Carrie and I went and we had a pretty interesting time with his family, but even after being here for 3 months the thick Kenyan accent kills me sometimes. But anyway, the food was amazing!!!! Chapati, ugali, rice, chicken, fish. This only thing I couldn’t handle was the liver…yes, I tried the liver. Definitely not my favorite thing. But regardless, I’m happy to actually have some Kenyan friends here. Plus it makes doing work in the cyber café a lot more fun.

I didn’t get to spend a lot of time at Shangilia this week because of working from home on the grant, but hopefully next week that will change, especially since I am done with my last final at USIU on Wednesday and then I have 9 days off until KJ’s final, plus the Swahili exam. Gross.

Friday, we went to class at an organization called Joint Volunteer Agency. I have no idea why it is called that because it is a refugee placement agency, which I am now determined to work for when I graduate in 2 years. KJ worked there for 3 years before moving on to graduate school at AU and starting this abroad program. Basically, the agency interviews refugees and determines whether or not they are eligible for replacement to the US. Some of the interviews (there are 4 per case) are conducted in Nairobi, but the job of a caseworker involves a lot of travel. The case workers go on several circuit trips a year, which can be anywhere between 3-6 weeks all over Africa interviewing refugees in other capital cities or directly in the refugee camps. They recently spent 6 weeks in the middle of nowhere Ethiopia, which is known to be the hottest place in the world. By 6 am it is 103 degrees there on most days and then they had to spend 10 hours interviewing refugee. To the average person this might sound like hell, but I really want to apply and take a few years off before graduate school.