Found: Our Kenyan Oasis

Today was Friday and we had a laf day of class. After class we went to this little hole in the wall sort of egyptian place near school that is definately going to be our new spot. From the road you could barely tell it was a restaurant, but when you walk in, it was a huge outdoor yard, shaded and breezy, with tables and chairs, as well as bigg comfy couches. The food was cheap, and they didnt seem to mind serving cold tusker before 5. You could get a beer and falafel sandwich (my favorite food) for 220 shllings, less than 3 bucks. Also, you get coplementary shisha with your food. Not to mention free and super fasdt wireless! COmbine all of this with the fact that the owner was super nice, letting us play our music through the speakers, and letting us sample what is probally the best hummus ive ever had, we stayed for about 3.5 hours, talking, eating, smoking hooka, and reading the papers.

I am really liking my classes so far. Both y development classes are taught by Dr. Jama, who is an Environmenal Economist by training, and who also works at University of Nairobi. He seems very intelligent, and I am so excited to hear the African perspective on development issues!!! Swahili class is nzuri sana (very good), and I am glad I took swahili last semester so I could start at the intermediate level now. I hope I can get quite good while Im here! Our class on Kenya is also fascinating. The professor, Fred, is very funny, and what we are leaning about precolonial and colonial Kenya right now is so interesting, ecspecially when it relates to issues that are still critical in Kenya today, like tribalism.

I have been trying to read the Kenyan papers everyday, as well as the Times and such to stay up to date on Kenyan and global issues. I consider myself a pretty aware Amaerican at home, but coming to kenya, I was amazed at how aware everyone is when it comes not just to their own issues, but to issues in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Many of our host families actually stayed up to wath the state of the union, which so many americans dont even watch. It really has made me realize that as a country, as citizens of America -- me included -- blessed with a position of such power and prestge in the world, we really fail at basic awareness of whats going on aroud us, how this implicates others, and how we fit into the world and what goes on in it. Im not sure if I wasnt currently in Africa, if I would be aware of the uprisings taking place in Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Yemen, Jordan, etc... all around Northern African andthe Middle East calling for the end of decades long one party leadership, and calling for more democracy and more freedoms. These are important events, not just for Northern Africa, but for all the world, because, today more than ever, we really are interconnected. It is embrassing in a way that while Africans realize this as if it were plain as day, many of us cannot grasp this critical concept.