is that man selling hankerchiefs?

I spent Saturday and Sunday in Thikatown, with two other volunteers - Emily and Rory - as a get away from the orphanage. It's no big city, and certainly not a tourist spot, but we got "western-style" bathrooms consisting of a spigot dripping water from above and a toilet (with a seat!) that almost flushed. Pure heaven. They also have a superstore called Tusky's where the items actually have prices on them and you can find just about anything (except Coke Lite, or beer).

In going to bars and restaurants I realized that when all the tables are in use, new people coming in just sit at open chairs at tables with people who they don't know. My first encounter with this was when we walked into a bar and couldn't find a table. A waiter helped us out, and told us to sit at a table where a man and a woman were already sitting. I felt awkward anyhow, being stared down as the only mzungus in the place, but even worse, as we were imposing on their seemingly intimate space. It was no big deal though, and when I paid closer attention at restaurants we ate at, I noticed that new people coming in would just plop down at tables with open seats, even though people were already there eating.

The matatu is always an experience. Every single time. It's interesting because they don't have schedules, but whenever you need one, you go wait at a stop and one will come. I've never waited longer than five minutes for one to come by. This lack of schedule simultaneously means that they don't depart at a specific time, just when the matatu is filled to the max. The bus leaves when enough people are on it. This can equate sitting in the matatu sweating my butt off and waiting while person after person climbs in. This is also a perfect time for street vendors to attempt to sell a variety of items to you: fruits, peanuts, sausages, crackers, cookies, jewelry, handkerchiefs, music... Anyhow, I have no idea how people possibly get to work on time. Though I should know better, "on time" doesn't really exist here.

I've done field work all week. WONDERFUL. It's starting to get "colder", which means I need to wear a hoodie when the sun goes down at 6:45 PM and in the morning. Apparently though, this is the coldest time of year (though I would argue that the weather is tolerable now). I don't have much else to report, except that I finally know almost all the children's names, and no longer hate the meal of beans, maize (not the corn I know from home), and pumpkin. I think I'm just mostly food-deprived. I'm also planning a mini-vay-cay to Mombasa in a couple weeks, and I'm very excited about that. THE COAST!