the emailz

It's been hard to find time to do everything I've wanted to do using the internet. I'm always running on somebody else's schedule, so there are usually people waiting for me to finish. When I do make it here, and by the time a computer opens up, I'm paying to be online by the minute for a tortoise-slow dial up connection.

My only friend here who is not related to me in some way is the guy, Sam, who works here at the internet cafe. He patiently puts up with my threatening not to pay every time the damn thing freezes. He even invited me to his family's for Christmas, during which they offered to kill a Kuku (chicken) in my honor. I graciously declined. Our family will be throwing a "bash" on Christmas day, and will be slaughtering a whole host of livestock for the occasion.

I was given the tip that the best time to go to the internet cafe is early in the morning, before the rush. I was like, word. So I today I got up at 6am to make the journey to Webuye. I made it here, bought some "biscuits" from the market for breakfast, then sat on the stoop of the place until it opened.

I worked online for a good hour or more, before the electricity crashed for another hour. And nobody here acted suprised or disappointed. Now it's back up, and I've been in this place for a solid minute. I can't go anywhere because my people are coming to get me from here, under the stricktest of orders that I am not to "go and be adventurous".

The scene is just hilarious - I wish you could see it. There are 6 computers, each of them occupied. One person it pulling up Lil Wayne lyrics. Another 2 are on facebook. One is browsing through white women's myspace profiles. Someone is streaming American gospel music. The one next to me is researching get-rich-quick pyramid schemes and other such tycoonery.

And I shit you not, about a half an hour ago, a lone chicken wandered in and out of the shop.

Just outside, ancient looking barefoot children, grayed by the dust, are resting in the shade and chewing long peices of grass.

I'm google image searching "winter in minneapolis", because I've already forgotten it, and am trying to get a good sensory reminder of what I'm so lucky to be escaping right now.

And I'm starting to think my people have forgotten me here.