bonking sticks

(february 19, 2008)

i was walking to work this morning and passed a masaai man with his bonking stick and his stretched ear lobes and i thought to myself, ‘there are some things i am really going to miss about kenya.’ and then later that morning, i heard gunshots from my office.*

all signs are pointing to me leaving kenya in the next 4ish months. and as plans are solidifying on
The Next Step, i am already thinking about the things that i will miss when i leave this country; here they are in a user-friendly list:

· flip flops in february
· my housekeeper
· having a housekeeper
· being able to afford to have a housekeeper
· eating a brilliant indian dinner out for less than $10
· going to outdoor markets
· filling my entire fridge with fresh produce for pennies
· 10 shilling avocados
· constant availability of fruit like passion and tree tomatoes
· my friendly neighbourhood taxi drivers
· going to parties with people from all over the world
· renting pirated tv shows and movies
· flowers blooming all the time, including frangipani, hydrangea, and hibiscus
· chocolate fudge cake
· fresh cut flowers bought on the roadside
· the tailors
· weekend trips to other african countries
· the women carrying their huge loads on their heads or their backs walking down the street

*the gunshots were from the police who gunned down thugs who had carjacked someone in the ploy to escape the police. because that always works. and this information courtesy of the all knowing friendly neighbourhood taxi driver.