Alright, I have been neglecting the blog, again. Here is a short summary of the last month or so here in Kenya. 

What I have done in the last month[ish]:

• Been really grateful when the Teacher’s Strike ended. The strike has such a harsh effect on the impoverished children of this nation and continues to happen year after year without progress. Seeing kids run the streets when they should be in class breaks my heart. 
• Got electrocuted for the first time.  It hurt. Kenyan electricity is janky. I thought I would never be able to let go of that plug.
• Renewed my visa for an additional 3 months, placing my return to the States at sometime in mid/late October.
• Booked a flight to Ethiopia. Can’t wait to travel outside of East Africa!
• Spent plenty of time playing with the Faraja babies. They are all growing up so much! They are as smart and healthy as ever.
• Got mugged for the first time.  That sucked, a substantial amount. 
• Drastically improved my Swahili. I am beginning to have full conversations without the use of English and it is one the best feelings I can imagine.
• Got pickpocketed on a bus. Even though I knew it was happening I just couldn’t figure out what was lost till it was too late. Thankfully it was mostly unimportant.
• Spent a week with the house to myself while my flatmates went to Uganda. 
• Endured a mighty chilly Kenyan winter. I am so grateful I am not withering away in the Texas heat. I have really had to work to stay warm, but I am never going to complain about a cup of hot coco in July!
• Got chased by a cow to my apartment gate. Equal parts funny and alarming.
• Spent an almost unreasonable amount of time cuddling with my Afri-Cat, Nala. 
• Got rear-ended by a matatatu while sitting in the boot of a car. Oww. Kenyan transportation is the bane of my existence. 
• Watched (via media) as the Arrivals Gate and Immigration areas burnt down at NBO. Guess I will never walk down those stairs to see friendly faces at the bottom again. 
• Said goodbye to Zach as he left the +254 with the promise of a speedy return.
• This video. Well Benjamin really did it. But this is just shameless promotion. If you have't watch it you should. 
• Watched as all my best friends fell into adorable inter-racial relationships and worked on my 3^rd Wheel Skills (and sometimes 5th Wheel and on a few occasions 7^th wheel)
• Welcomed the ever brilliant Joe to the #5/#7 Apartment Complex, now making it the #2/#5/#7. Our neighbors are really confused as to why white people just keep showing up to live here. 

     As I look at that list, I can't quite say I am missing July. It was probably the toughest Kenyan month I have ever had. I was continually coming dangerously close to real danger, and by the end of it I really just wanted to wrap myself in a bubble. My work load was not an easy one and every day seemed to come with a new challenge. However, I can also say that last month made me realize some really great things. That I am a hell of a lot stronger than I thought, for one. More importantly though, that this job means more to me than I ever knew could be possible. It is never easy, but it's worth every challenge we overcome. The kids I work with have faced more challenges than I will likely ever meet in my life, and they are often just a quarter of my age. They are so strong and so beautiful. They are my role models.
     I am so grateful to have met Ben & Liana last year and to have been welcomed into Longonot Education Initiative. Our organization is growing, and we are learning as we go. It's been such an interesting experience to spend these last three months as the person on the ground, but I am more than ready for Benjamin to return next week. Together I feel like we will be capable of  making some major changes, and I look forward to seeing where things go.

xx