2010-11-21

 

I got up at around 6:30am, it was kind of hard to sleep with all the hair. Something I gotta get used to…!

At 8am the cyber café still hadn’t opened, so I started walking down town to find another one; and I did. The charge was 1Ksh per minute. Fair price, but the connection was soooo sooo slow!!

I started updating my blog and uploading pictures, but far from all of them cause it just took too long!

 

Later I went to Hilton to meet up with Mary. We took matatu 106 from the matatu station to Village market. Sort of a hang out place for mzungus.

This is where the masai market is on Fridays! And that was my aim.

I took a deep breath and entered and started haggling. It felt good to say that I know what the prices should me by now, so don’t even try with me.

For example, I bought a painting; He started at 2200 ksh (CRAZY!!!), and I got it down to 400… good deal!

I also bought a couple of ebony candle sticks…He started at 3750, and I got them for 700!

It’s very tiring though! I got exhausted so quickly!

 

Later we took the matatu back to River road and went in to the Uniform centre and I bought pieces for 20 500 Ksh!
-15 white shirts
-7 blue skirts
-8 grey trousers
-40 pair of socks, different colours!

 

Then we headed off to Java, Mama Ngina st to meet up with Geoffrey and have something to eat before going to Shangilia.

We were stopping by at YMCA first to drop off all my stuff and I called Simon and he picked us up at Java.

 

When we got to Shangilia the kids were practicing for the show there are having soon. They’re so amazing!

Gracie listened to the MP3 player and it is so good to see her smile again!!
We hung out with the kids until about 6pm and then we took a matatu back to the city centre.

I had decided I wanted to remove my braids, cause they were so rough on my skin, plus, they were more like ugly dreads anyway.
I went to a hair salon close by the hostel, and what was supposed to take like 1-1½ hours took 3(!!!) hours and at the most 5 people were helping out. Not even the staff at that place could figure out what had happened.

My theory is that when they put it in hot water, it was TOO hot, and melted the hair a bit and caused it to shrink… And look like crap (in the back). There were like 5 braids that actually looked perfect. Oh well.
I sent Mary in alone to negotiate a price and I got it for only 200(!!) :) Bet they were annoyed when I came through the doors.

 

One of the women who was working on the hair, told me she is luo (spelling?) (the tribe luo, that is)… And she wanted to give me a luo name; Achieng (spelling?). I don’t think it had a meaning. I have asked around and no one knows, and the woman told me it doesn’t mean anything in particular.

…Oh, did I tell you that a matatu driver called me Wanjiku the other day? …No clue what that means either…!

This is it for now! LOVE!

 

Village market

At the uniform centre

Gracie and I

Enjoying life!

Crappy no-good hair...

Frizzball...