Vacation in Kenya, Day 2

I didn't have the most restful sleep, but I felt pretty energetic as I set out to tackle the day. I started at the University of Nairobi again and found the director there. I asked for five minutes of his time, which he said was the exact amount that he could spare (at one point he asked if I had made an appointment, to which I probably could have told him yes, but I admitted that I figured it would just be easier this way).

After that, I picked up a 107 matatu (which is apparently the same as 11B) and rode down Limuru Road. As we drove, I listened to a radio ad that told me that if I wanted better eyesight and stronger bones, I should eat more sugar--now fortified with vitamin A. I wasn't sure whether I should be impressed or worried about this nutrition strategy.

I hopped out where I saw the sign for the Ghanaian High Commission. I met a nice woman named Kate who was very helpful. She told me that the letter that I had received in Dar es Salaam was probably not going to help me to get into the country, but that it would suffice for the Tanzanians and Brit for whom I had obtained similar letters. I was relieved that it had worked out this way (I was dreading having to have them send their passports and find time to do all the processing) and felt once again how special being American can be. Sighhh.

I walked to a nearby supermarket where they had peach yogurt (how luxurious!) and made that my breakfast. I also discovered that my sunscreen had leaked all over my bag. Fortunately, it mostly just got on my laptop cord and a folder that I had and everything seems to be all right. I hopped on a matatu and after about two minutes, the rear tire blew out completely. The conductor changed it rather quickly and I was glad that the tire had blown in a nice scenic part of Nairobi instead of one of the many areas filled with dust, exhaust and other unpleasantness.

After that, I walked to Sarit Centre and decided to take advantage of their Tuesday movie deal*: 1 ticket + 1 hot dog + 1 popcorn + 1 soda for 450 shillings (just under $6). As it happens, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 was playing, so I got my first experience seeing a 3D movie. While I was very entertained by the movie, I found myself nearly as entertained by the 3D glasses and spent a lot of the movie playing with them to see what happens if you close one eye, or have one eye looking through the glasses and one without the glasses, or holding the glasses at different angles. The whole experience was a lot of fun.

After that, I ran across the street to Pizza Inn, which has a buy-one-get-one-free deal on pizzas every Tuesday. An important part of being a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya is knowing the deals in Nairobi so that you make the most of your time there. (Also, there are tons of radio ads everyday in case you somehow forget about "Teriffic Tuesdays"). I felt more of my exhaustion melting away with the day and I was happy to head back to Upper Hill and have an easy evening.

I mostly sat and wrote a lot. My friend Sarah showed up later and we talked for a while. My sign language is pretty dismal these days (as my grandmother would say "you rest, you rust"), but I didn't let myself speak at all and she was patient as I misspelled most of what I was trying to finger-spell and then she would show me the word for what I was trying to say and she signed slow enough for me to get most of her meaning. We caught up for a bit and it was nice to talk to a Peace Corps volunteer who has readjusted to life in the states.

* This was my third trip to the movie theater since 2008. My last two trips were to see Inception and Harry Potter 7 Part 1.