"I Thought You Had A Skin Condition," She Told Me.

My fingers look pathetic. I would take a photo, but I'll spare your eyes. No, I don't have a disease, just scabs and that kind of cool stuff on the tops of my fingers. It's called: handwashing my clothes. Haha... I don't mind hand washing, but it is time-consuming and since my hands aren't used to the wear and tear, they bleed if I wash too much. Now, this wouldn't be such an issue if I didn't have to wash white socks covered in red dirt from soccer. I will be solving this complaint by buying black soccer socks asap.

I want to share a little bit of my Sunday with you. Monica, my good Canadian friend, and I were invited to Paula and Kurt Tjossem's home in Nairobi for brunch with some of their other friends. I didn't know Paula and Kurt, but I was connected to them through a friend-of-a-friend kind of deal, which was really random. Monica and I matatu-ed (public transportation buses for 14 passengers are called matatu's) our way to their home for an afternoon that proved to be a very unique and exciting opportunity for us. Let me describe some of the people we met: Kurt is the regional director for International Rescue Committee; Maria is working with a developing organization in Nairobi, which helps street boys start businesses; Kelly works with Nobel Peace Prize winners to raise funds for an NGO that promotes women's development; Another woman was the director of the World Bank in East Africa. Get the idea? How did Lora and Monica manage to end up there? Haha, only through the grace of God, I'd say. Everyone at this small gathering was friendly and very experienced in his or her field.

This networking will hopefully open some doors for Monica and I as we continue searching for internship/volunteer opportunities. We are hoping to meet with Maria and her Kenyan friend, Wycliffe (?), this week to talk about the possibility of helping with the street boy outreach that they are launching. I am overwhelmed with the opportunities before me. It would be a shame to come all the way to Kenya for a year and just stay on the university campus, especially as a Social Work major.