The Life of A Celebrity

The last two days have been pretty similar. We’ve started the water testing so I’ve been going to the lab on campus to oversee that work. I’m starting to get a better feel for the limits of what I can ask of the students, and I believe they are happy to be officially started.

I’ve been getting back to town a little later than I would prefer, but I have made it home with a little time to spare before dark. I got a little lucky today with getting to the matatu stage right as one was ready to leave both on the way to campus and back. On the return trip, I was given the front, middle seat. It was nice being able to see the scenery, but I had no leg-room and was crammed next to the driver trying to keep my leg off the gearshift. I also managed to make it back right before it started to rain. Overall, the day went well other than a hiccup in the samples being collected today. Basically, transport to the lab is an issue so Timothy was going to arrive later than we would have liked. We’ll have to analyze the samples early tomorrow morning instead of this morning like we planned. I don’t want to bore you with the actual research since it’s likely that my interest level is significantly higher than yours. If you want more details, send me an email.

A common daily highlight for me is watching and interacting with the kids here. Simply put, a white American becomes an instant celebrity in Africa. It is common for kids to stare at me; to walk by, notice me, and then turn around for a longer look; to try out there English (usually “how are you?” or “hello”); or to just giggle, laugh, and talk about me. There are a lot of young students that walk through campus on their way home and they tend to be more enamored since it’s further removed from a city center. Today, I had one small girl headed in the same direction as me and the students on our way to lunch. She would run past me until she was 20 feet ahead before turning around and just watch me. She then would follow from behind while laughing and repeat the whole process. After a few iterations, Ivy called her over, and I said ‘hi’ and shook her hand.

I’m continually amazed at the independence and maturity of kids here. There are children that must be no older than 5 walking a few miles between home and school with no escort other than the other school kids headed in the same direction – even along busy highways.

-Steven