Hello from Kisumu!

So I know it’s been a real long time since I’ve posted…I have limited access to the internet here, unlike I did in Nairobi. Unless I get on at my internship, I have to pay for it 
Anyway, here’s the scoop of Kisumu:
1. It’s soooo much better than Nairobi.
a. The city is smaller and cleaner. My buggers are not as black as they were in Nairobi. Gross.
b. The people on the matatus and busses do not try to steal your stuff at any chance.
c. There is almost always a matatu ready to take you where you want to go, with an open seat.
d. The food my family makes rocks. They are mostly vegetarian, so we eat more meat substitutes (except chicken, they like chicken-and know how to cook it!). They make their own peanut butter and honey, so we always have both on hand-without preservatives! They also make brown ugali, so I feel as if I’m eating something other than ground corn.
e. My family is pretty well off
i. I have a flush toilet and a running (COLD) shower.
ii. We have 2 bathrooms
iii. 2 televisions and DVD players and Nat Geo
iv. We have an oven—I CAN BAKE!
v. We have an electric water boiler. My water tastes like water, not smoke!
vi. We eat lots of different varieties of fruits
vii. We have this delicious cabbage, tomato, onion mixture at dinner almost every night (it’s loaded in cooking fat, but tastes good!)
f. It is only a short bus ride to Lake Victoria.
g. It’s so much safer here-I can walk after dark and not feel as if I’m going to be killed/robbed/raped at any given moment.
h. The food is way cheaper-like half the cost or less than Nairobi
i. I don’t have classes
j. My family is teaching me Kija Luo (that’s the tribe Obama is from, in case you didn’t know, but everyone in Kisumu will tell you. They also think that Obama is Kenyan (not American or the result of an exciting trip…)
k. Taxis and transportation is MUCH cheaper-and there are pikipikis (small motor cycles/large mopeds) everywhere (a 20 minute ride is about $1)
l. The sweet lady who runs the Kiosk keeps track of me every day and is very nice to me. She has even invited me into her home and made me eat and drink soda
m. The markets are cheaper than Nairobi’s. I’m going next weekend, if there’s anything you want-let me know now!
n. I know what things cost, so if someone tries to rip me off, I know right away and can tell them. Most of the time I’m escorted to a hotel or taxi, etc. so they can’t rip me off.
o. My fam has a baby-she’s the eldest son’s daughter. She’s 6 months old and beautiful. I get to hold her every day and sometimes she sleeps on me 
p. The man who sells pudding (cut up fruit) comes to the office every day for me because I told him to. It's 30/= (about 45 cents) for a bowl of fruit (watermelon, pineapple, avacado, and bananas). Delicious!

2. Things that are not so great about Kisumu
a. I get constant attention from each and every man (except the white ones). This is becoming very frustrating and exhausting-I just want to feel invisible most days, and it’s making me long to be home much stronger than when I was in Nairobi.
b. It’s freaking HOT. All the time.
c. There are a ton more mosquitoes…and malaria
d. I have to finish all of my papers by the end of the month. I haven’t finished even one yet.
e. Internet access is limited-mostly just cyber cafes. Also, if there’s a place with wireless, it’s slow and I have to pay for it.
f. My family is super religious-they are Seventh Day Adventists (which is a sect of Christianity, but they are biblical literalists-if it’s not blatantly spelled out in the bible, it didn’t happen. Consequently, they do not celebrate Easter or Chirstmas because they are explicitly dated in the Bible. This means no Easter eggs or Christmas presents. )
g. I miss my family in Nairobi, they were always so excited to see me and let move around more freely.
h. My family has 3 very angry guard dogs that they put outside between the gate and the house that will attack any intruder (including me). This means that if I want to come home late, I have to call someone to save me from the dogs at night. The last weekend I went out with my friends, I just paid for a hotel room downtown to avoid this. My family does not believe in drinking or going out to have fun.
i. There are no chocolate banana milk shakes from Java or Heinz ketchup
j. I don’t have a good place to get exercise, like when I was in Nairobi-walking to and from school every day. I live too far away here. On that same topic-I have to pay to take a matatu each way to my internship here (40/= per day, which is about 50 cents). This is the place where I get asked for my phone number most often.
k. Everyone speaks Kija Luo—NOT Kiswahili, so I feel as if I’m trying to learn another language as fast as possible, without using my skills in Swahili)
l. There is no good dark chocolate in this entire city.
m. People don't eat lunch until 1-2pm. And we don't take a 10am or 4pm tea break. I have to bring snacks every day and then I have to share with everyone.