Pure BLISS (pun intended)

Today isn't even over yet, but I feel like I need to get these thoughts out of my system before my heart and/or body explodes from joy and excitement. I wish I could pick up all of you and bring you here with me to experience what I experienced today, but until teleportation technology is developed, this blog will have to suffice.

This morning, I was literally woken up by the crowing of a rooster outside. That's Africa for you. We ate breakfast here at Thiiri and started the 15 minute walk to the secondary and primary schools we'll be working at. I was absolutely blown away by the scenery we saw on our walk-- it rained last night, so a light, dewy coating covered all of the flowers, greenery, and worn-down trees. We walked along the side of the road, receiving kind waves from all of the men on bicycles who crossed our path. After getting a bit lost, we finally ended up at BLISS and met with some of the teachers who work at the school. They gave us a basic rundown of their positions and welcomed us to the area.

As the rest of the group embarked on a more formal tour, Laura and I decided to break off from the others and spend time with a classroom full of Kenyan students. I have never felt so welcome by a group of individuals (let alone teenagers) in my life. Nearly immediately, a girl stood up to offer us her desk so we could sit and chat with the students. Another girl was fascinated by my camera, so I let her take it around the room-- this resulted in a handful of awesome photos, which I discovered on my camera after leaving the school. I quickly became engaged in a conversation with several students, specifically a girl named Karen. She asked me question after question about myself, all of which I tried to counter with questions about her life. However, she was insanely curious, and I ended up answering far more questions than I asked. Karen is 17 and she plans to be a lawyer-- Kenyan students choose their career paths at a very young age, which allows them to spend more time preparing for their university entrance exam. She was especially fascinated by hearing tales about my boyfriend, Matt. I had to be careful about what information I divulged, but her curiosity was hilarious. "Why isn't he in Kenya?" she inquired. "Do you swim together?!" The best part of this particular conversation, however, was when I showed her a picture of Matt that's stored on my camera. "Oh, he's cute!" she exclaimed, and then proceeded to walk around the classroom with my camera so she could show Matt's photo to all of her friends. As Karen correctly predicted, "Matthew will be happy to hear about this!"

I also spoke with several other students, and I was blown away by their intelligence, curiosity, and kindness. I answered question after question, hardly being left with a free moment to catch my breath. I wish I had a transcript of our conversation, but here are a few of the questions they asked:

"Why do you keep your hair so long? How do you clean it?"
"Tell me the story of your country." I knew AP US History would come in handy some day...
"Were you happy when Osama died?"
"In your country, are girls who become pregnant seen as outcasts?"
"Who is better, Beyonce or Rihanna?"
"In your country, how much does a mobile phone cost?"
"What is your career? Do you want to become an actress?" (Their reaction to "I'm a film major")
"Do you have beaches near your home? Can I see a photo of the beach?"

I wish I could recall everything, but I was so overwhelmed by this happy interrogation that I probably forgot 50% of our conversation topics. Ask me about it the next time you see me in person, and I'll be glad to give you more information as it comes to me! After our time at BLISS, we walked next door to see the primary school students-- holy cuteness. Honestly, it should not be possible for children to be that adorable. I took a lot of pictures, as you can probably imagine.

The rest of the day has been fairly uneventful. We ventured to the Nakumatt, which is essentially a Kenyan Wal-Mart. It was really not much different from a grocery store here, aside from the fact that it is plopped in the middle of a dusty African town. We also ordered hot chocolate, tea, and coffee from a small cafe, one of the few established businesses that I've seen since arriving in Meru. Yum.

I need to go write more in my actual personal journal, so here are some pictures. Thanks for all of your comments and support-- it makes me even more eager to keep documenting this journey! Tomorrow we're off for a trip to Mt. Kenya... so many adventures, so little time!

Me, Laura, and a few of the BLISS students we hung out with. 

Morning walk from Thiiri to school.