Tuesday, October 26, 2010

OK so where to begin…. Last month I was in Nairobi for two weeks of training. It was the last time all the volunteers from my group will all be together again. In all honesty training was minimal while fun was in no short supply. Highlights included frequenting the casinos, visiting an animal orphanage and even a Peace Corps “prom” ( that’s what those ridiculous pictures of me dressed up and posing behind a cardboard limo are from). The animal orphanage was awesome. It was pretty much a zoo but with orphaned and rehabilitated animals. Unlike American zoo’s however the zookeepers are more than willing to let you into the cages of dangerous animals for a kitu kidogo (small bribe). I did just that and was able to pet and get licked by a full grown cheetah. Nairobi was a lot of fun and I was actually quite lonely for the first time when I arrived back at site. An emotion very common among Peace Corps volunteers I am quite lucky to just now be feeling it 5 months into my stay. After I arrived back I was very eager to begin work only to find that there had been major setbacks to my bottled water project during my absence. There have been financial as well as technical issues and I strongly suspect some “misallocation of finances” something unfortunately very common in Kenya. For now this project is on hold. As of late I have trying to find some new projects to work on and have begun designing a website for my school and in the process have been teaching my self how to build a website. I have also been in contact with several wildlife organizations and have a meeting set up with a whale shark conservation group for next week. I really hope that works out as it would be an absolutely perfect passion project for me. Socially my site is amazing I have literally met people from ALL over the world. Diani is full of tourists, backpackers, expats, locals and volunteers from just about everywhere. On the weekend I stay at a little backpackers retreat on the beach and consistently meet new people to party with. I have also made good friends with a pretty wild group of locals. Most of which are Europeans born and raised in Kenya or tourists that never left. They honestly remind me of the St Auggie crew back in the day. At times I get frustrated and wish I could hit the bars with them every night but its cool to have people to chill with when I have the time and money to do so. Last weekend was Diani Beach Music Festival and I totally forgot how much I missed live music. They had a big ass stage set up right on the beach overlooking the Indian Ocean with a couple 1000 people. Music was sick too mostly more traditional african music with some western influence, a lot of heavy drums and percussion. I cant wait to go again next year. Something definitely worth planning a trip around (hint hint). That’s really it for now. I can honestly say I feel pretty settled here. Kenya is my home for now and its pretty freaking sweet! If anyone has any specific questions about my day to day life or anything else let me know. Oh yea I recently discovered everything I miss from America begins with the letter “F” friends, family, football and food. Love you guys!!

Dino