Kentucky Fried in Kenya is no Kentucky Fried in America

I was right, the pizza was delicious! The ride after, not so much. The ride home was really long and our driver was swerving all over the place. I knew I was going to get sick but vans here do not stop for anything. Finally someone in our van bribed the driver to stop so she could pee in a bus. I was able to spring out of the van to get sick in some bushes. I hope another incident like that doesn't happen.

Ta'Vonna, Julie, Hilary, and I came to town for lunch today so we could eat some "real" food. I saw Kentucky Fried Chicken on the menu and I went for it. It was seasoned well but it was also fried and did not sit well with me. It was definitely not like the chicken at home. I don't think the food is too bad, but some of the people here are going crazy. Many people will say "I'm starving" which I try to never say. Although many times I feel extremely hungry here, I know I don't know what it feels like to truly be starving. I always tell the other people here "You may be hungry for a few weeks or even a month. Some of the people here will be hungry for their lifetimes." I keep meeting amazing person after amazing person here. It amazes me how positive people are even with some of their cirumstances. I think this quote relates well: "The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These people have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep, loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen" - Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

I was able to attend a Catholic mass on Sunday. One of the girls who is volunteering on the farm is Catholic and she was going so I tagged along. Her name is Felicity and she is from Down Under (Australia). She thought mass started at nine. When we walked in at five til everyone was going up for communion, Whoops! Mass actually started at seven I guess. Catholic masses here last anywhere from two to four hours. This particular mass ended at ten, so it was around a three hour service. It was so incredible to be there with all of the singing and dancing. These people were just praising the lord so joyously. After mass I was asked to join the youth group. They want to discuss issues like AIDS and other things with me. I also met some Brothers who invited me to have pizza with them on Friday night and discuss some issues. I'm excited to be meeting so many people. I feel very wanted and accepted here. Oh and I have already received two marriage proposals :). I'm starting to think I live in the wrong country. One of the teachers at school that I work with asked "If we were to marry, would your family give a dowry?" I was cracking up. I told me that traditionally when a man and woman in the states gets married the man's family would pay for the rehearsal dinner and the woman's family would pay for the wedding. It thought that was crazy. Then I told him about drive through Vegas weddings and you can imagine how that went, haha! I just love talking to these people. At lunch today our waiter told me his name was Johnathan and he wrote it down for me. He then asked me to write down my name, so I did. Then he said "I would like your address and number as well" and when I asked him why he said "I would like to call on you", ahaha. I laughed so hard and told him that I would never give someone my address so they could come and find me at anytime. He laughed too and then just walked away. I have also had men come up and tell me that they would like to be in my company and I just politely decline.

The teachers at school are constantly asking me questions about America. They think that at the age of 18 everyone in America is paid by the government. They think you get an income whether you work or not, it's so crazy! I told them the way it really is and they are shocked. Ta'Vonna, one of the girls in my group is black and no one believes she is from the U.S. They think that everyone in America is rich and white. When I told them about all of the homeless people they didn't believe me. I wish I would have taken pictures to show them. We laugh a lot at school. The teachers have started calling me Bridge, just like my friends at home. I just joke around with them all of the time and we really enjoy ourselves.

Side Note: Some of the girls I'm with realized how much I adore gumballs. One night Courtney said "Bridget, I have a surprise for you" and she held out her hand and said "pick a color". I looked up to see a big pile of gum balls! I'm loved here :)

It doesn't look like I will be able to upload pictures here. It takes almost ten minutes just to load a page on the internet. Pictures would take me hours. Maybe when I travel we will find a better internet source.

I hope everyone has a good Halloween

"The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun" -Chris McCandless