Thanksgiving in Kisumu

The Thanksgiving celebration in Kisumu was great! It was a short trip, but it was well worth it! We really had a feast!-fruit salad, vegetable salad, green beans, green bean casserole, corn, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dinner roles, pasta salad, jello salad, banana bread, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and of course turkey. The day before our dinner, one of the guys in my program killed the turkey and then one of the host moms plucked the feathers for us. We had a total of about 30 people at the dinner, 15 of them being MSID students. All of the students got together and worked as a team to prepare everything. It was a lot of work! We were a bit concerned about how everything was going to turn out having to be creative at times, for example making pie tins out of tin foil, but the meal was delicious! Before we ate, we all went around the table and said what we were thankful for. I think it is one of the most meaningful Thanksgivings I've ever had. Yesterday morning, I made the 12 hour journey back to Meru by myself. I was nervous about how it was going to be, but it went well. Everyone is so willing to help people out here! I rode a bus to Nairobi and then had to find my way to the place where matatus going to the Mount Kenya region congregate. I asked a lady if she knew where it was and not only did she tell me the location, but she also walked me there and found me a matatu to take. When I arrived in Meru at 9;00 in the evening, one of the ladies on my matatu waited for me to be picked up and so did one of the taxi drivers who happens to be a friend of the founder of Ripples International.

The internship phase for this semester is ending on Friday, so I will be headed back to Nairobi this weekend to take 2 finals and hand in assignments next week. Then I get a 3 week break before the start of the 2nd semester. I'm really excited for that! I need a vacation! :)