SMELLS ::MOMBASA::

So my commute is not so different from the one in New York, except here is like i'm taking a roller coaster day and day again... The Matatu drivers are suicidal, yes, worst than in Guatemala. Every day it's like the race of death and then the Ferry to Likoni which is worst than a NYC subway station at peak time. Everybody hurries in and out and if you are not quick enough the crowd will literally step all over you so running is the next best thing. Ok, crowds and the heat! you can imagine how that smells like right?

Smells have this amazing thing of transporting you to the past. Memories are linked in a way to smells and tastes and so far every smell and every taste has been different so it's like having your memory wiped out and having all these series of new things come in… although I must say I wish my memory don't remember the smells of Kenya when I leave… uffff, smells, what can I say, I once worked with someone who in my opinion stank but the smells around here are a thousand more times stronger than what I've experienced before… It's the coast right, so sun = sweat + no deodorant = ikkkk (can you just smell that???) + days and days without showering = OMG, can't even describe it but sometimes it reminds me to the first time I had wasabi, that spicy thing goes into your mouth, going up into your nasal ducts and into your brain, well, it's something similar, although China always tells me she rather have wasabi every day, the smells  just go up into your nose and it's like a brain killer… it's hard to avoid it sometimes so I try to sit close to windows, put some  liquid sanitizer in my hands and just inhale all the alcohol in it until my nose can't feel a thing anymore… this only last a couple of minutes but while I'm doing that I pray for the stop of this guy or woman giving us a brain freeze… nice right?

There are things we can change and things we can't so we have to adjust, smell the smells, taste the tastes and experience as much as we can… two years may be nothing or it could be a lifetime so the least we can do is just enjoy it while it lasts and laugh about it….meanwhile take a look at out first weekends in Mombasa...

WEEKEND AND BIG 30'S :: KILIFI ::

Big 30's... although it is supposed to be celebrated big I really don't see the difference between any other birthdays so I just went to the beach with my favorite person and some other volunteers and relaxed a bit... but wait, it wasn't just any other beach, we went to Kilifi, a small town along the North coast of Kenya, about an hour from Mombasa and it really made my birthday... I'm 30 now and I'm in Kenya, what else could I wish for right... by the way, thanks to everybody who wrote and wished me a happy birthday, I really couldn't be who I am without all the amazing people that has crossed my path one time or another... Thanks a bunch!!!

So Kilifi was great, it's winter here though so a lot of sea weed all around but that doesn't bother us at all, we still could enjoy the beach for a bit before it started raining again... Don't think this is all we do, this are only weekends and one day we'll write about how work is but in the meantime we need a break from work so the beach is the closest thing to fun around here so the beach it is for now... work talk will come later so stay close 'cause we're not going anywhere...

Funny story though... we haven't had water for more than a week now so showers are out of the question, more like bucket baths but hey at least we have water somewhere right?... so we were looking forward to showering in the hotel and guess what!!! no water either...jajaja... we just had to laugh and had another bucket bath...

ok...that's it for today so don't forget to say hi once in a while... we've told you our story and we'd love to hear yours! Stay in touch... Tutaonana baadaye!!!