4th of July

Well, as promised, I went to school today to teach a bit. That makes
two out of my last three 4ths of July (yep, that's how the plural is
written) spent in a school (2007 was in a primary school in India
where they also have school during the summer and where American
Independence Day is not a big holiday).

I came home in the afternoon not feeling terribly energetic and put on
my iPod. Chicago came on and as I heard the lyrics "Saturday / In the
park / I think it was the 4th of July," I realized that seeing as the
4th falls on a Saturday this year, I owed it to their immense musical
talent to go to the park. As it happens, there is an entrance to the
largest national park in Kenya just 1 kilometer west of my house.

I've lived here almost 6 months, and I haven't traveled more than 100
meters west. I knew that I needed to rectify this, so I walked along
the railroad tracks and came to the immense gates. Since no one was
standing at the post, I decided that fate wanted me to go inside. I
walked through the opening and was admiring the scenery and a plane
that a tourist had parked there when a gatekeeper approached me. I
apologized for being a bad neighbor and not visiting ever. We chatted
a bit, and then I talked with her son (he is named Baron. What a great
name!) about airplanes. Peace Corps language training did not
adequately prepare me for that conversation. Then I went over to see
the other gate (the Voi-Taveta road cuts through the park and there
are gates on either side) where the people were not as friendly, and
the view wasn't as nice, but still pretty amazing.

As the sun was starting to set, I realized I should head home. As I
was walking down the road, I met a woman walking towards me. She was
very friendly and she seemed very hospitable. That usually means a
prostitute. After trying to refuse her without making things
uncomfortable, she decided to introduce awkwardness of her own. "I'm
one of your students," she lied. I explained that I know all of my
students and hurried away. I think that last line was supposed to be
part of her sales pitch. ::CRINGE::

As I continued home, there was a car that wasn't starting, so I joined
the effort to give it a push so it would start. On our third try, the
engine finally turned. (I just wrote that and realized that that is an
allusion to One Headlight by The Wallflowers, which also talks about
independece day, albeit less cheerfully.)

I won't get to see a proper fireworks show until 2011. That will be 5
years without. :-) and :-(