My blog - June 2003
Back In The Land Of Rain
June 30th 2003, 5:18pm
I'm back in England. It was raining in Birmingham when we landed. I only got about half an hour of sleep. I'm knackered. I'll write something vaguely interesting when I've had some sleep. Or if I can't cope with interesting, I'll at least try something more verbose.
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Last Post?
June 27th 2003, 8:56am
This is probably my last blog entry from Kenya, at least for a year or two, as I leave the country on Sunday night and I won't have internet access after I leave the office today. So I thought I'd show you one of the sights I'm going to miss once I get back to the UK.
This morning at chai break then we were saying goodbye to a couple of people who've worked here for several years, so they said goodbye to me as well even though I've only been here for a year. At lunch time we (the computer services department) are going over to Westlands for a curry as my leaving meal.
Tomorrow I'll be trying to pack and decide which stuff to leave behind and which stuff to give to people to bring for me in a few weeks or months when they visit the UK. Although I've given loads of stuff away, I think there's still far more than 20kg left. Especially with all the drums I've bought.
On Sunday evening the youth have a party, after which I'm going straight to the airport and flying home via Dubai. I should be in Birmingham by midday on Monday.
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The Burning Tower of Pizzas
June 22nd 2003, 8:04pm
This evening Andrew discovered a new way of cooking pizza - the chargrill. In order to keep the pizza warm while the youth group was busy playing football (boys) and gossiping (girls), he put the four pizza boxes in the oven. Result: Smoked Pizza.
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In The Bleak Midwinter
June 22nd 2003, 12:59pm
Yesterday was the shortest day of the year - the official middle of the winter. And just to rub it in, the weather was so cold last night that I almost got up to put a T-shirt on. But today it's pretty warm and sunny again though.
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Return of the Jedi
June 21st 2003, 12:11pm
Just one week to go, so I need to do all the things I didn't get round to doing during the last year. Unfortunately, that'd involve travelling to Malawi and the Masaai Mara, climbing Mount Kenya, learning Swahili properly and loads of other things which I just don't have time for now.
However, this morning I did finally get to go up the Ngong Hills, which was nice. I finished off most of a roll of film. And the weather was really nice too, which made a change.
I've just moved house for the fourth time since coming to Kenya. I'm now house sitting for Wendy in Hardy while she's in the US. So I have a house to myself again and I've got her car too, so I have a bit more freedom. And there's a borehole here so we get clean water straight from the tap. Luxury!
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Comment posted by Maret at 12:11pm on June 21st 2003
And now you won`t want to grumble about anything in the U.K.
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Lipstick
June 18th 2003, 7:58am
At the house I'm currently staying there's a four year old girl called Akiiki. Yesterday she asked me why I was wearing lipstick. I explained that it's the normal colour for a mzungu's lips.
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Comment posted by Maret at 7:58am on June 18th 2003
What is a msungu and what colour are his lips?And does your mother know about this?
Comment posted by James Ots at 7:58am on June 18th 2003
A msungu is a white person.
Comment posted by Matt Ots at 7:58am on June 18th 2003
What were you thinking a msungu was, Maret?!?
Comment posted by Maret at 7:58am on June 18th 2003
I really dont like to say what I thought, Matt. No seriously maybe a stranger or something.
Comment posted by katie at 7:58am on June 18th 2003
it's spelled "mzungu"
your friendly neighbourhood swahili geek
Comment posted by katie at 7:58am on June 18th 2003
(oh and Maret may be onto something:
search for "msenge" on
http://www.yale.edu/swahili/
and you'll see what I mean - bad idea to get "mzungu" a little bit wrong)
Comment posted by James Ots at 7:58am on June 18th 2003
Msenge is more than a little bit wrong - it's 50% wrong.
(P.S. Anyone else who in future criticises my Swahili (or English or Sheng for that matter) will have their posts edited so that they look like they don't know what they're talking about.)
Hakooner Matatu.
Comment posted by Maret at 7:58am on June 18th 2003
hope I did not start a war by making a simple enquiry.
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Feel The Love
June 11th 2003, 9:19am
I went to see Anger Management at the cinema last night. It's very funny - go and see it!
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Comment posted by Maret at 9:19am on June 11th 2003
Never heard of it ,is it a new release? and if so we may not get it for a little while here.
Comment posted by Matt Ots at 9:19am on June 11th 2003
I'm going to see it tonight. The local paper only gave it 2 stars so I hope the critics are wrong (they usually are).
Comment posted by James Ots at 9:19am on June 11th 2003
According the the web site it was released two months ago, but it was only out in Kenya last week.
Another film which was supposed to be released two months ago was Johnny English, which opened here last night. I though it too was very funny, though not as funny as Anger Management.
Comment posted by Maret at 9:19am on June 11th 2003
Then if it is so funny when it comes here i will try to go and see it, thanks.
Comment posted by Matt Ots at 9:19am on June 11th 2003
I went to see 'Anger Management' on Friday night. It had quite a few laughs in it but I didn't think it was that great a film - not much of a 'plot' or storyline, and the humour was a bit 'random'.
I've seen 'Johnny English' twice a couple of months ago. I thought it was one of the funniest films I've seen in a long time, and a lot better than 'Anger Management'.
Oh well, each to their own!!
The best film I've seen recently was 'Phone Booth'. Apart from it having a *lot* of 'colourful' language (to put it mildly!) it was a really tense, gripping film and I'd highly recommend it.
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That Was The Week That Was
June 9th 2003, 7:48am
Sorry about the lack of updates recently - I was on holiday last week and tried to avoid using the internet.
I didn't really do much, but it was nice to have a few lie-ins instead of having to go to work at 7am. I went to the Village Market on Friday, but the Maasai Market wasn't there, so I didn't get to buy much stuff.
Saturday night I went bowling which was fun. I haven't been for a long time so it took a while to warm up, but I managed to finish on a spare followed by a strike which took me to 107 which isn't a terrible score.
I was meant to move house yesterday but was unable to so I'll be moving this evening instead. I'm moving in with a Congolese family in the next block across in the same compound.
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Comment posted by Maret at 5:18pm on June 30th 2003
Welcome back to sunny!!!England.Glad to here you arrived safely.
Comment posted by Maret at 5:18pm on June 30th 2003
I can not spell (hear)
Comment posted by kevin at 5:18pm on June 30th 2003
glad to hear you arrived safely from here. welcomed by rain when hear its hot. did not know how to say bye that bowling night.
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