Tuesday I travelled back from Kisumu after meeting with KIRDI (Kenya Industrial Research Development Institution).  The facility tests different products and works on making them, then turns them over to NGOs and CBOs in Kenya.  They are taking the fish skins from fish processing plants and making leather out of it, which is then turned into shoes, belts, bags, and wallets.  The process is pretty simple (but a bit smelly), and the plan is to give the leather to entrepeneurs at different stages that they would then develop into products. I bought a very nice bag made from cow and fish leather and told them they would certainly have a huge market back home for them.

The ride home from Kisumu was long.  We (Paul, Berend, and I) tried to leave by four, but were not on the road until close to six.  The President has ordered police road blocks to check for the insurance on vehicles.  People explained that the government needs money (for teachers after they were striking), and this is how they get it.  Our Matatu waited in a gas station for about an hour for the police to leave.  We listened to a Nigerian hip hop song on repeat and bought peanuts from the ladies who sell them out of buckets through the windows of the bus.  We finally were on our way, only to have a puncture ten minutes later.  We filed off the bus as the sun was setting.  They changed the tire and we got back on the bus.  I found a chicken in a black plastic bag (alive) in the seat that I was in.  It squawked as I pushed it over and took my seat.  Silivia called me every five minutes demanding 'Where are you?!' and that we shouldn't be travelling at night.  We arrived home safely and Emmanuel collected me on the piki piki.  I was very happy to be home in Kochia.

Abba is going under a bit of restructuring.  We have formed a management team with someone from the outside who has managed schools in the past.  He is extremely organized, and I have been busy typing lists of kids into excel spreadsheets. This has been extremely satisfying for my type A brain, and is moving the school forward.

I was worried in Kisumu about what I would do upon returning to Kochia.  There are many different projects that can be done, but I am racked with indecision about what I want to actually be doing. I find myself asking similar questions about what I want to do that I did back in Bellingham.  I have asked many people here and back home, and their answers are mostly the same.  Find something that you love, and do that.  People then follow up this answer with 'and don't worry, it'll take your entire life to find it.' Comforting.

I have met so many different people from all over the World here. They are all doing different things and are at different stages and ages in their life.  Silivia explained that at the end of the day, it doesn't matter as long as you're laughing and smiling. I fully agree. Maybe it doesn't really matter what you end up doing, as long as you can laugh during the process.

Silivia and I headed to a big market that is close to the house on Thursday. When we were on the way there, she received a call that the police had stopped the school vehicle.  We were dropped off some distance from where they were, and she instructed me to walk in front of her and towards the market.  She headed in the opposite direction to talk to the police.  People stopped and greeted me the whole way there, and I waited on a rock for Silivia to come meet me.  If the police see me with her, the price goes WAY up. 

She met up with me as dark rain clouds rolled in to cover the market.  We hurried to buy cabbage, and onions.  The rain started to come down, and everyone scattered and ran for cover. We struggled to carry the ten cabbages we had just bought to somewhere dry.  I laughed the entire time, as Silivia told me to hurry - she hates the rain! We crowded under an awning with about twenty other people, and waited for the downpour to stop. We continued shopping after, with mud collecting on our shoes and legs.  Emmanuel picked us up on the piki piki, and we sped home under a dark sky.

I find myself missing the baby grand piano at my parents' house more than ever.  My fingers itch to press the semi-resistant keys and to be seated on the hard bench.  I am kicking myself for not buying a roll out keyboard before coming here.  I love playing the piano, and miss being consumed by the music. What do you love to do?