Matatu!

Today I had my first wild ride on a matatu, a Kenyan taxi van. In Sierra Leone, these same vehicles were called poda-podas and they always made me happy. They are so very Africa! I think I rode the whole way to the shops we went to and all the way back with a silly grin on my face, enjoying the moment and remembering funny times in poda-podas and taxis in Sierra Leone. They come careening down the road and slam on the breaks when they see you, very nearly running you over. They're usually quite full--a driver and a couple passengers in the front and then 3 rows of ancient rickety seats in the back. When you get in, people might be kind enough to move back so you can easily sit down--otherwise you push your way to the back and fall into your seat (Grace fell into a man's lap as the matatu lurched forward on our way home which was rather humorous). There's always a guy who hangs out the open door half the time during the drive and is in charge of collecting the 10-20 shillings from each person. On the same trip as Grace pushed her way to the back, the doorman opened the front door for me to get in and sit with the driver and his friend. I knew I didn't have time to get in gracefully as these matatus don't tend to wait for you too long, so I tried to swing my bags and one leg up onto the seat in one impossible swift motion and as I did so the matatu lunged forward and I nearly fell right out of the vehicle before I could get my other leg in. I laughed as I managed to keep my balance and the doorman closed the door for me. The driver and his friend didn't miss a beat and kept right up with their animated conversation. They sure didn't seem too bothered that I had nearly fallen out of their van! We had a good laugh as we got off the matatu and carried on down the road, passing a little taxi car being pushed down the road by 3 men with big grins on their faces, clearly thinking it was hilarious that their taxi had just died. Transport in Africa--gotta love it!

Today I also had my first Arabic lesson with a Sudanese man who lives on our compound and has been starting Arabic lessons with new missionaries for a while now. It was a blast! I learned 10 characters of the Arabic alphabet and how to connect them together to make words and sentences. In the process I learned how to say father, my father, your father, what is your name, my name is Amy, Lord, my Lord, your Lord, girl, my girl, your girl. The exciting part was learning the rules of stringing the alphabet characters together and then being able to read a few words that I had never heard before in my life! We'll do this every day until I leave for Sudan to give me a little background in Arabic so I can try to use it in the marketplace with Arab traders, etc.

It's been a very busy few days--lots of running around purchasing supplies, running errands, doing orientation sessions, etc. Tomorrow will be another busy one as Grace and I study Arabic in the morning and then go shopping again and try to get most of the rest of the things we need to take into Sudan. I'd better go get some sleep!