Unakwenda wapi?

So in case you haven't noticed by the title, I'm trying to use any swahili I know as much as possible. Living here on RVA's campus, it's not spoken much, but it's quite useful for communicating with the locals. Anyways, "unakwendi wapi" means "Where are you going?" So we're going to pretend that you asked me this question... except you really meant "Where did you go..." which I don't know how to say... hm...

Today me, Cassie, and our hostesses went into Nairobi to stock up for the next month, or however long it will be before we make the adventurous/crazy trip back in. The drive began with potholes that babies could fit in - some bigger, actually - and winding our way down the hill that the "School in the Clouds" sits on. After passing through two smaller towns filled with little wooden shacks, a couple orphanages, and some questionable "hotels" about the size of my bathroom, we make our way to the main highway. This "highway" is usually 2-3, sometimes 4 lanes with faint lane-lines every once in a while, with dirt paths on the sides for donkey carts and goat grazing, and a divider only when you get a couple miles outside of Nairobi. Oh, and it's filled with crazy drivers, so be sure to drive defensively!

And then, welcome to Nairobi! It was so strange to see such an obvious clash of Western and African culture. One moment we were driving past the markets - little wooden booths set up one after another for a couple blocks, filled with anything and everything that you might want to buy - dishes, scarves, blankets, shoes, food, necklaces, etc.; and one moment, you're shopping in a mall that looks as nice as the Galleria! Nairobi's sort of a big mixing bowl of Kenya - there are people from all sorts of nationalities mixed together, so it's fascinating watching the different people everywhere - the colors, clothing, and behaviors were absolutely fascinating!

After the mall we headed to lunch, but first we had to pass "Doggy and Bunny and Kitty Road," as Cassie calls it. The traffic on this road backs up quite a bit, and moves pretty slowly, so salespeople have learned to sell their goods right there in the middle of the street. It starts with pets - Kenyans holding bunnies and puppies up to your car window, and you can't look and make that "oh how cute!" face or they'll run along side of the car and try their hardest to sell it to you. After the pets comes the artwork, skirts, sculptures - pretty much anything else they would want to sell. And all the time, just keep your eyes forward, and learn the word "hapana," or "no." :)

Lunch, veggies, matches, then back up the treacherous roads through the wind and the fog, into what truly is the "School in the Clouds" tonight.

I think it is imperative for me to make a last remark about the monkeys I saw today. I saw 2 - one in the morning, and one in the evening. Both were in my loquat tree (who can blame them?) and both heard squeals of delight coming from some crazy girl who's been a little obsessed with monkeys for about 8 years now. I'm sure they're chatting (or blogging?) about it tonight as well. What a funny world... :)