my happy place

My day began today in a truly sobering way. Witnessed 2 men hauled away with their lives snuffed out in a traffic accident before I was even fully awake. Then passed the carcass of a (quite large) snake that we saw attacking someone on the very same road yesterday. Talk about a wake up call, reality check, slap in the face by life to remind you exactly what kind of environment you are in.

The heat and dust have been brutal and my skin is officially peeling off both of my arms.

This afternoon I sat on the seed bank floor threshing a mountain of truly artistic, musical seed pods ("Sehamn" or something like that, a vegetable popular with Eritreans) with my colleague, Matisi, I felt consumed with gratitude for where I am and all I am involved in. The temperature is cool inside the seed bank. The room is a modest size and doesn't see a lot of traffic. There were comfortable silences between the two of us and some fun conversations too, about small things. The seed bank is my happy place. I'm still looking forward to fund raising for glass jars and revamping the whole place and making sure it's kept in good working order.

Rose and I continued to tackle the solar dehydrator project. Really impressed by how many steps there are to what I originally thought would be a really simple project. It's entertaining to catch the construction workers at the center staring with jaws open at two women doing carpentry. It's seriously as if they've seen aliens or think they are dreaming. Women?!? Using tools? Fascinating!

It's also been a riot to notice how the students in the women's group all simultaneously crack up super loud each and every time they see me talking to Simba. Pretty sure they think i'm mentally challenged, but I can't help it when she follows me around or sits in my office doorway with those adorable eyes and perky ears. Apparently talking to dogs here is much less common than it is back home.

I finished my grass bracelet with beads that I made in hopes of replicating the one I got from Kindred that supposedly came from Kenya. Pretty happy with the way it turned out. I also find it amusing that the dried grass I used came from the remains of the former thatched roof over the training hall at the center. Who knew a roof could become a bracelet? Only in Africa.

I really like my morning traditions at work so far. Jumping out of the car to go feed Simba. Shaking hands and saying "morning" with all of the staff. Checking on the seedlings and trying to figure out where the puppies ended up, watering the worms and looking to see if the sow had her piglets yet. Then, before I know it it's tea time and everyone puts their work on hold for about 20 minutes. It's not optional. Then we all work on various projects until the heat is so crippling that you just want to go lay in a ball in the shade and sleep- but instead you power on in a coma-like state going through the motions of trying to accomplish something you could do in half the time if you weren't feeling like your blood was sizzling.

Hoping to walk to the Thika River this weekend with Karanja and Rex- and also find cheaper fish for the dog at the market. Pretty wild, I know.