Happy Valentine's Day!

Our group takes the bus to the city center. Several people want to buy cell phones (those going to remote areas of Kenya will not have access to buy cell phones) and others want to see where the internet cafes are located. We visit a Nakumatt, much like a Wal-Mart or Target. Before entering, a guard at the door tells all blacks to check their bags at the special window. White people are allowed to walk through with bags and backpacks and we are not comfortable with such obvious discrimination. Nakumatt carries everything from jam and produce to dishes and tv.

Everyone in Kenya has a cell phone. Their wireless systems are better than in the U.S., but I'm not yet convinced I'll need a cell phone. David and Babara, a couple from Canada, have been in Kakamega (just north of Kisumu) for 18 months. They kindly give me the name of a hair stylist in Kisumu who can cut "soft" hair. They also recommend a butcher and a dentist, all just around the corner from the Nakumatt in Kisumu.

We're so busy orienting ourselves to Nairobi and our fellow group members, it's hard to believe we'll be in our new home and new city this weekend. I'll be visiting Nairobi often over the next two years, so we're being instructed on how to use the central bus station for travel to and from Kisumu and for bus routes in town.