The city and family

Yesterday I went to town to get a sim card. I was nervous about heading into town alone, but I made it unscathed. The trip to town by bus was 20 shillings, but coming back the same distance was twice the price, which I don't quite understand.
When I arrived downtown, I just hopped off where I thought was the center of town and got my sim card. It was very busy and very polluted. A sign hung over the main street stating something about the goal of going greener, which somehow lost its meaning due to the brown pollution stains all over it, making it hard to read. I understand that going greener is a goal here, as they do not allow smoking in public in Nairobi, however I feel that the first place for them to start is with the vehicles billowing out big black puffs of smoke as they ride along the road.
When I returned from town, I texted Kennedy, a friend of Erin's (she lived in Kenya for 14 months and now lives in Oregon. I met her through her sister who recently got a job at my work). He was very friendly and trying to find a water project for me. He said he would send his sister to come get me in 20 or 25 minutes to show me around.
When she arrived a little after an hour later, (that's Kenyan time I have learned), I expected to hop in a car for a tour, but instead I was met by a girl on foot who said she would take me to their home. We walked there together through the mud and rain. I was happy to have my raincoat, but my pants completely changed color as the rain poured down on us. Many folks looked and stared at me and she informed me that it was because I was white. She said many children may come up to me and shake my hand, as white people are sometimes rare to see.
As I walked through the mud path, we came to many apartment complexes near the hospital, which she informed me were the housing for people who worked at the hospital. Her mother is a nurse & she will be attending medical school soon. When we entered, we removed our wet shoes and I met a few members of her family. They were all very sweet and I think amused by my presence. She offered to make me some tea and we took a short walk to the "market" which was really a small hut around the corner from the building. There she bought some cream which came in a bag like frozen vegetables would.
We returned to the home where she boiled the bag of cream with some water and added the tea leaves. She said that it was Kenyan style, and when her sister arrived, she teased her for having added too much water. Although I thought maybe it was "tea time", I was the only one who drank it, which was a little strange for me.
Her sister, Ana, arrived a short while later and said Kennedy would be there soon, and perhaps we would go around town for a tour. Time passed and we chatted for a while about differences between countries. Sara, the younger sister who came to get me was amazed at the fact that most folks do not wash their clothes by hand and have machines.
When I needed to use the lavatory, I found there was a toilet, but no flushing mechanism. Instead, a bucket needed to be filled in the kitchen to pour water in it when I was done. Her mother arrived and greeted me in swahili and then continued to speak in the language, when Sara informed her that I didn't speak it and informed me that her mother thought everyone did.
Me and the two sisters continued to talk for a long while about school, babies, movie stars, etc. Kennedy called a couple of times and was stuck in traffic.
He arrived a few hours after me, at which point I was having trouble staying awake. The 11 hour time difference is still a bit difficult on me. Ana had begun cooking and fixed me a traditional Kenyan dish of maize and beans. I wanted to try it, and did, but I have been having some issues with feeling queazy and have not had much of an appetite. I ate the small bowl she gave me slowly, as I was waiting for others to be served, but that didn't quite happen. I felt a little silly eating alone, but I feel they were trying to honor a guest in their home, which was very sweet.
Kennedy grabbed a bowl towards the end and ate it, stating he would walk me home when we were finished.
It was dark when we left, and I know that it is not okay for me to walk at night in the dark alone. We walked without anything but a little light from the sky, trying to bob and weave through the massive puddles and mud. We went down in one direction (the back way, so as to avoid a dangerous area), and found the gate had been closed. I learned that the way gets blocked at night to avoid theives from coming in and having many ways to exit. We had to turn around and go back another way, still avoiding the dangerous area. We found that the road had been flooded badly. I asked if there was another way and Kennedy informed me there wasn't. He removed his shoes and socks and rolled up his pants. My shoes were wet already, and I think perhaps I was not brave enough to walk without shoes, so I simply rolled up my pants. The water came up to my knees and I was amazed at the car who made it through the water with it having risen up to the headlights. It was flowing across the road to the river & I had to step carefully.
When we finally made it through about 100 feet of flowing water, we made it to the main road where we caught a matutu, or taxi van. We had to wait for it to fill and a little girl hopped on with a big smile and shook my hand in excitement. She waited as people pushed past her on the tightly fit van, so that she could sit next to me.
When it was close our time to get off, the matutu sputtered and died. Kennedy walked me all the way to my door before he had to catch a bus to his own apartment which was a ways away. He informed me that his sister would take me around the city today by bus and show me some things. He has a very sweet family & they are very welcoming.
This morning, I had breakfast with two women travelling and one offered for me to come deliver babies with her. Apparently all you have to do is say you are a student and want to volunteer and they will let you scrub up and deliver babies. She is not a medical student and her friend is a business major. This makes me leary about going to a hospital for care.
I had a little panic moment yesterday when I thought I was crazy for coming here. Believe it or not, wading through the muddy water with Kennedy cheered me up, although my shoes are still soaked and I'm wishing I had those hiking boots I left behind.
I will see what today has in store for me & keep you posted. Sorry that everything I'm writing is so long, but I'm kind of using this as a journal. 30 days is a lot to remember.

Take care everyone.