#well. this too shall pass etc etc etc im praying about it

[liuisi]

AUGH

[yyxgin]

no bar!! never fret about replying late. i know what it’s like to not want to talk to anyone. honestly. i won’t call it (my experience) a depressive episode bc one of my friends used to brush off me when i was saying things like i’m depressed and say ‘sad’ instead. like if i were to say ‘that made me/i am depressed’ she’d say something like ‘oh god same! like if it’s making you sad,, don’t do it.’ which is a v poor example of what she did but i never called it depressed after that bc she pissed me off n was disregarding of my feelings (even though she’s incredibly anxious herself) bc i didn’t get it officially diagnosed. idk if you’ve ever read about birth control pills but i always read on tumblr people calling them literal depression pills and i ignored it, thinking either 1) people were being dramatic / were over-dramatising it or 2) it wouldn’t happen to me anyway. it fucking happened and they were not being dramatic. i was never happy n always working on minimal sleep n making self depreciating jokes all the time bc it was the only way i could cope with my thoughts n constant mood swings. so what i’m trying to say is,, i know how it feels. if that’s any consolation. it’s not me trying to be ‘oh me too!’ or ‘mine was worse than you’ it’s just me being understanding n telling you it’s okay. also lemme at your friends!! i’ll stomp them out n get the barman to run them over for you!! they’re so mean to forget you!! i find that deciding i want to do something specific n then asking the appropriate people if they want to do saïd thing/place works for me. it can be a simple ‘we should do this, when are you free?’ helps. making it known that you want to do things helps. or aggressively remind them that it’s nice to be asked bc it means they thought of you even if you couldn’t go n tried to include you. or we can revisit me stomping them out w my beloved barman,,, whatever works best for you my dear <3

admittedly me and one of the girls were discussing that we are going to miss our manager. even though literally everyone moaned about her (i feel like it’s impossible to avoid in literally any job/situation) she did have her moments and she did a lot for the staff like after work-drinks, asking the chefs if we could order off of the customer menu instead of the staff menu or whatever they cook in bulk for everyone to take home in the evening. apparently she did this a lot more than the previous manager. she has a good heart but sometimes she ignored some of the girls when we ask for days off or our availability for the week which was very annoying of her. it could’ve been a lot worse, i suppose, but overall she wasn’t terrible.

thé lady who lives in my town and drops me given the chance, told me the other night that she used to be the duty manager. i asked her why she stopped and she explained that when they furloughed everyone they asked her to come back on like half pay or something? idk i just remember it being explained as they wanted her to come back sooner and take away her furlough so she said no and got demoted. but somehow she still gets some of the furlough? idk i have been taught that asking how much or discussing specifics of paychecks kind of thing is rude, growing up. she has been telling me they keep asking her to come back (now they’re asking her to be a supervisor since she declined the manager role) and she keeps saying no. i love her and want the best for her so i won’t say anything to anyone about the conversations me and her have had (i mean, apart from maybe my mum if i can remember, and you bc, let’s be real, you don’t know me and idk you) and she says they’re just difficult to work with as a management team. she even said our area manager isn’t impressed with our current assistant manager (who is currently the only person on an houred contract since our manager left) which shocked me since i personally think he is quite good considering he has a good relationship with the staff and kitchen (he’s thai so he can communicate with the kitchen better than most of the wait staff (some wait staff are thai but mostly not)) i think she doesn’t want to be the eldest person in management or she doesn’t want the age gap to be so big since she has a kid she can lecture at home, she doesn’t need to be looking after people at work, y’know?

also today, me and one of the girls were upstairs (two floors of the restaurant!) and it’s nearing 11pm and her brother (who also works there) comes up and asks us when we’re finishing (mostly her lol) but we had two tables just sitting talking amongst themselves so she just said idk. he was saying he wanted to go bc he’s tired etc n he’s driving n she was like it’s fine go home i’ll call an uber or something n he was refusing to leave her behind. (i feel like i brushed over the two tables sitting there but it must be noted they’re the only tables left in the entire restaurant and we were the only two wait staff still there, apart from her brother but he changed and was waiting downstairs). anyway, she was sweeping (i was cleaning the booth/sofa thingy chairs as it was a mundane task we could do to pass time and while she was sweeping by one of the tables thé boyfriend was whispering to his girlfriend saying ‘should we go?’ and the girlfriend said ‘why should i care?’ and the girl came over to tell me v quietly and i got so upset for her. bc she is literally the sweetest person on the earth and the only reason i didn’t go to ask the manager to see if i could go home with the lady who offers to take me (ex-duty manager lady!) was so she wasn’t alone up there. if i had been the one sweeping near that table i would’ve snapped so fucking hard at them. i mean, we’re 18 and have lives and sleep schedules, and we’re working until 11pm on a thursday before we even get home?? like i wouldn’t have minded staying if they were reasonable tables but after the gf said that i was like ‘shall i go get our stuff from the staff room?’ so i could split as fast as possible. in the end the temporary acting manager came up and told us we could finish and she kicked the tables out ten minutes later. i told her what the table saïd and she thought that was mean and unnecessary too. i was also worried about my sleep tonight since i have my first vaccine tomorrow morning. that’s why i was more pressed about what time i left work today. oh well.

im sorry for talking so much about work! sometimes i don’t have someone to talk to about it (at home) bc of my weird hours and sometimes i don’t like re-explaining things to my mum if she doesn’t get it the first seven times. sometimes it’s just a little too draining as she doesn’t understand since she’s a lifer at her job. it’s easier to explain to my dad but then i get a whole lecture on something that i ultimately have no control over n id rather just bitch w the girls at work but the problem is WE’RE AT WORK!!!

also i booked for my first tattoo!! i’m excited. it’s for next week,, which was super quick considering i was expecting to have to wait soooo much longer. i’ve been telling people about it and that it’s happening but i haven’t had the pleasure of telling people exactly where i got the idea from. bar, my dear, you know wheein’s new album, redd? well, it comes with loads of things, including these stickers (one for each song) and the one from springtime was just so perfect and when i saw it my first thought was, this would be a perfect tattoo. and so i am having it tattooed on my body. a subtle nod to kpop whilst also having something meaningful on my body. i also have just decided i want a small, minimalistic (or one-line art) rose on my sternum, kind of in the valley of my breasts, bc my nan was a rose. i like having her close to me. i recently got her necklace fixed which has left me feeling so incomplete after it broke in august last year. it’s been almost ten years and i think i’m long overdue something to remind me of her. i fiddle with my necklace when i’m nervous which is why i love it so much but incase it breaks again (i pray it doesn’t but i have a long life ahead of me) i would like her close still.

gosh there’s never enough space in my head to remember what i want to tell you so i’ll stop here for now since i should sleep to be able to wake up in time for my first jab. i’m scared but it’s whatever i’ll do it i suppose,, eeek 😨

ilyl ~ 🌻

thank you so much for opening up to me about this, it means a lot to me :( i am so sorry you had to go through this and honestly,, i really resonate with you. i feel like when i talk about my emotions and my sadness (dont know if its okay to call it depression either but yea), my friend either always either makes me feel like my emotions arent valid or she tells me she doesnt know how to help, which is frankly, why i dont talk about my emotions to people irl anymore. i dont open up and it takes me a long long time to do so if i ever do, because i tend to feel insecure/not safe :D so really, thank you for telling me and i hope you are doing better. your emotions are valid and i am always here for you 

HAHAHA i mean i dont have many friends so theres not many to stomp on:( but i mean,, i get passive aggressive when i feel forgotten/left out so you best believe i told my friend how im feeling, but like uhhh it didnt do much. i spent the whole weekend at work and i was free on friday but my friend decided to ditch me and yeah. i havent been out in like two weeks now and i mean i am an introvert so i dont mind that much but even i want to socialise sometimes

aah i mean every manager has their flaws, no one’s perfect. my manager keeps calling me to go to work even though i was literally there for 11 hours on saturday AND sunday which means i worked for 20 hours in two days. and i work 20 hours a week at max. and i already worked some hours before the weekend so i think i have like 30 hours now and she keeps calling??? dude i need a break too,,i am so exhausted and tired of this shit :dd

oh i totally get what the lady that drops you off sometimes told you. i would feel a little iffy if i heard it too, but like,,,judge by your own experiences!! if you feel like something is off, you can always leave,, so i wouldn’t be so stressed about it.

why are people so rude ??? dude,,you should care, because we are all human. everyone has their needs and their lives and i bet he wouldnt like it if he was the one in your place. why should you stay there longer just because he didnt want to leave?? that was so unnecessary. people are weird beings and i learnt that after working with them this weekend,,,like i litereally got screamed at because i couldnt accept cash in different currency. like,,what tf do you want me to do?? i dont have every single currency with me so i could give u the change ?? tf ??

ALSO ITS OKAY TALK ABOUT YOUR WORK HOWEVER MUCH YOU WANT !!!! i also feel like i dont have anyone to talk to about work bc my parents dont listen to me as much as they used to these days and my friend unsurprisingly just doesnt care bc she doesnt work,, and i dont wanna talk to my internet friends abt it as much bc i feel annoying so i am glad us two can talk about these things together !!!! 

YOUR FIRST TATTOOOO WHOAAAH thats so cool. i love tattoos hihi dfkja idk if u already had the appointment but tell me how it went after !! i wasnt able to find the sticker on the internet but im sure it looks hella pretty. also i love how it reminds you both of kpop and your grandma, its wonderful <3 i really want to get a tattoo one day,, and i also want something meaningful (not that i am hating on people that tattoo themselves just for fun and have no meaning behind their tattoos i just have commitment issues so i want something long lasting). alSO my crush (yes i have a crush now ew) has a tattoo and it looks like satan lowkey,,but apparently its a japanese something (i forgot the word oopsies) and it means jealousy, bad past and wisdom ?? i was like BOY IF U DONT??? fjdkla he has blue hair btw i am very much whipped but he also doesnt know me and i am older than him so this is embarrassing

ALSO I HOPE YOURE FEELING WELL AFTER GETTING THE VACCINE !!! 

ily <333

[survivor-themyscira-blog]

Raymond left, I'm extremely happy about that since he comes off as a huge comp threat and not at the hindrance to my own tribe! Premerge I want comp threats with me but he wasn't with me! This challenge I really want the reward, I have the effing clue, if I we get it, I can get Madeline to burn her searches to give me more insight on the island for my searches.

Oh boy this challenge is about to be.......... not fun. 1/3 of our tribe is present. 1/2 are asleep and the other 1/6 is Madison and she's NEVER HERE jfkldsjflas I can't wait to lose!!!!!!!!!! Logan and I are gonna try to pull this out anyway but

who tf designed this challenge! it makes me mad. i better get some sort of advantage outta this grr.

We stan being the only one awake! LOL but it's fine I'm gonna stay up late and chat with my friends I haven't talked to in a while. But this game... I love it! I love all comps. So cute. But also ... tag yourself ready: On 10/20/17, at 10:10 PM, charlotte (themyscira host) wrote: > f4 On 10/20/17, at 10:10 PM, jaiden nolan wrote: > fact On 10/20/17, at 10:10 PM, Jack (Ginga) wrote: > fast On 10/20/17, at 10:10 PM, Emily wrote: > free On 10/20/17, at 10:10 PM, rhone (ios host) wrote: > fork On 10/20/17, at 10:10 PM, Jordan Pines wrote: > fate All of these ... tell a lot about a person. I'm a psychic. This means things. Jack is fast and this has been proven with this challenge. Emily is free meaning ... I don't know but it's very me. Rhone is a fork and I think that suits him and Jordan is fate because like idk. It just SAYS THINGS about us okay Also I feel bad volunteering Amanda to sit out but :-/ she's less active than the boyz and Andreas will help out once he wakes up. I'm silly to think that the Europeans wouldn't be able to help this round! Because they can cover the graveyard shifts for us hehehehehehehehehe HA I LOVE IT thank u europe

I love this challenge! And right now, we just passed Hippolyta and we're two points away from passing Antiope. This is great! Like we're so close! And right now, we're not going to tribal! But we still have until 10PM tonight... Hopefully we can just build up more of a lead and keep ourselves safe. I'm scared!!!!!!!!!!!

On 10/21/17, at 12:55 PM, Ruthie wrote: > loser On 10/21/17, at 12:55 PM, Jordan Pines wrote: > Loser what they’re gonna be by 10PM tonight hehe

HONESTLY, I know this was last challenge but I'm still pissed about the music video challenge. HOW WE GOT DINGED ON PARTICIPATION WHEN WE HAD OUR ENTIRE TRIBE IN IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. OR CREATIVITY. OR PROPS. I MADE SLIME, I GOT A SLOTH PUPPET INVOLVED, WE MADE BLOOD, WE HAD WIGS. IT WAS A SPOOKY SONG FOR HALLOWEEN. We were robbed and whoever this Kayla person is I'm literally coming for you.

Yeahhhhh we probably lost this one. I can just hope the bond I sparked with Jaiden holds true, Madeline will work with me I know,(we swapped actual phone numbers so we can't be quoted when we talk bout the vote, iconic) and Toph should be on board as long as it isn't him. I'm looking at taking out Billy or Ruthie

God F U C K I N G damn ITJDFJCSAKFJLSK;D I LITERALLY SAID THE SECOND I DECIDE TO ACTUALLY TAKE A SHOWER AFTER WAITING OVER AN HOUR FOR THE NEXT LETTER WORD COMBO...... THE HOSTS WOULD SEND IT AND GUESS WHAT THEY DID? THEY SENT IT RIGHT WHEN I GOT INTO THE SHOWER AND IM SO ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but this is still fun u know I'm just pissed the heck off

Just send us to tribal already, this challenged f**ked our sh*t up fam.

I really hate feeling like I'm giving 120% on challenges and everyone else on my tribes aren't and I DIDN'T EVEN REALLY MEAN TO SIGN UP FOR THIS SO IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME.

Word Up should just be named whose the fastest cheater. NO ONE KNOWS A 17 LETTER WORD STARTING WITH Q OR SOME SH*T. It just makes this whole thing cater to a lack of sportsmanship but it does show whose willing to cheat and that is telling for later in the game.

My tribe right now- [10/21/17, 7:20:00 PM] jaiden nolan: SHE says she thinks a pipe burst and that’s why the ceiling was leaking......not at all that she flooded a fucking bathroom....... [10/21/17, 7:20:12 PM] Ian Layne: WHO FLUSHES PAPER TOWELS? [10/21/17, 7:20:34 PM] jaiden nolan: okay but who flushes less than five paper towels and has it clog [10/21/17, 7:21:06 PM] jaiden nolan: like I know for a fact I’ve accidentally flushed things like paper towels, baby wipes, makeup wipes, etc and not had anything happen [10/21/17, 7:21:26 PM] Ian Layne: She took a mega dump and was embarrassed, I'm calling it [10/21/17, 7:21:53 PM] Madeline The Juicy Goose: Sounds like when I had a green bagel on st Patrick’s day [10/21/17, 7:22:06 PM] Ruthie: oh yikes [10/21/17, 7:23:19 PM] Ian Layne: I once drank too much at a bowling alley and had to get rid of my underwear so I flushed it, fun fact

Everyone is saying we can come back, we can come back! No it's mathematically impossible for us to comeback, never mind the variables of the other tribes do you really think 12 points is possible in one hour? We didn't defend a 13 point lead on Man Lips. We going to tribal Hippos

So! We thought for sure that we'd have to go to tribal, but as GOD would have it, we don't have to!! Menalippe? More like men-a-leaping to conclusions am I RIGHT

i am so sad that we lost i just need to make sure i'm not on ANYONE's bad side so i can stay :)

i am sad that we lost immunity, but now is the time to vote someone out. i think we need to vote out madeline because she is such a big threat to my game and i am pretending to talk on call about what i am reading this makes no sense also i think that she is going after billy too strong hehe

Me because no tribal: https://tmblrsurvivorextra.tumblr.com/post/166663831976

Hello my sunshines! WHAT IS GOING OOONNNNNNNNN! "Not much." "OK, cool." So, what happened this round? Not much. OK, cool. But really, the 24h challenge was cool, but Emily really carried our tribe. I got to chat a bit with Kai, finally, and he suggested that both of us should stick together with Emily - something I wholeheartedly agree with. Even if I don't trust Kai very much. We also agreed that SHOULD our Tribe lose, we'd go after Madison, since she's kinda invisible. Logan is in a similar position like me, not too revealing, but there and involved. I don't worry much about Amanda atm. She isn't participating much atm, so both our tribe and her old tribe would agree to vote her out at merge or something surely. She isn't a valuable ally to me either. I feel like I'm in a good spot atm and I hope that Ian and Billy survive todays Tribal Council! So I'll just leave you with my favourite quote from the last challenge: "Andreas scores for Menalippe with Circumcision!" SCORE!

Emily just suggested an alliance of me, Kai, and herself. Perfect. I won her over a little bit, and I think I got her to trust me a little more. I told her Dan and Raymond were my closest allies and they both got early boots, which they didn't deserve (true!), but I also told her I want revenge. That means Amanda and Jaiden are first on my hit list, next comes Jordan Pines. Not only did he probably help kill Raymond (fuck if I watch tribal) but he's also a MASSIVE threat. So gotta go. Updates to come~

Ian is taken way too long to respond to my simple question of ‘is billy still the plan’ what the heck

Well this vote is gonna be a rollercoaster ride for me due to Billy and Toph scrambling, but at least going forward(as long as I don't go tonight) Ruthie sold Jaiden down the river to Billy and not me about throwing Billy's name out. Seems like Madeline and I have protected ourselves well enough for this vote, but we shall see.

What is even HAPPENING why am i listening to JAIDEN

Nervous poop central, now boarding. I got a little mixed up in the chaos of pretribal anxiety because we were so close to having a stress-free vote, and Billy started scrambling. I crack so easily under pressure and for some reason, I just can’t stand being voted out so I did what I had to do in order to keep my name off the chopping block. I guess this includes forcing a clean vote to get messy and getting everybody to draw a colored rock... I think Ruthie is down for that. I told her to vote Toph with me and Billy in case of an idol and I don’t know if she IS or isn’t. But either way, my game will be damaged after the tie happens. My alliance will know I turned and my only escape route is to draw rocks with them involved ... fuck. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. The trust I established with them is thrown out the window if we tie. Idk what Ruthie’s intentions are but we’ll see :/ I’m scared. So scared.

[10/22/17, 9:14:04 PM] jaiden nolan: Ruthie. If you draw the bad rock I’ll play my advantage on you. I doubt we will go back to rocks [10/22/17, 9:14:15 PM] jaiden nolan: I love Ian and Madeline too but like, we can be a tbreesome with Billy if he stays JAIDEN IS INSANE WHY THE HECK DID I LISTEN TO HIM

I can't believe my number one in this game is going to be JAIDEN i don't understand how i trust him so much all of a sudden, this was not who was supposed to be my ride or die but here i am about to draw a ROCK.

I........ Jaiden said I was going to be safe in the redraw and DOT DOT DOT it's okay, it was fun I'm glad I got to go to rocks without being safe even though I hate that one was drawn for me! I've had fun playing this season and can't wait to see who wins the game!

GUESS I GOTTA ADD EVERYONE ON HIPPO TO MY HIT LIST HUH

My tribe? Assholes. Ruthie did not deserve that at all. And what's worse is none of them have my back. I want to hope Jaiden does, but he was just as on board for me to go until rocks was an option. I'm here to cause chaos now, and the silent people on my tribe better pray to god that I don't find an advantage or something. The best is, they made me sit out. And then I was targeted for not pulling my weight. Fuck. Y'all. Like mccuse me? It wasn't my fault that THE TRIBE decided I would sit out. I didn't ask to. And then THEY LOSE. THEY. FUCKING. LOST. UGH then they're all gonna lie to me. Where's that lasso of truth when you need it?

Fuck you and all your flash games R U T H I E W A S R O B B E D and I can’t believe I’m going to tribal in two days HUH SKSBSJSHEJ

I can’t believe that just happened. Honestly, poor Ruthie. She didn’t deserve to go out to rocks. For a moment I really thought that maybe my messy moves would work out for once, but NOPE LOL. I dunno, as sad as I am for Ruthie, I’m living for the utter chaos around camp. I can’t say I didn’t do something wild and reckless for the sake of having fun, and although this will probably send my ass out premerge, I played the messiest move I could think of. Unfortunately it was at Ruthie’s expense, but you win some and you lose some. There’s gonna be a LOT of heat on me the next few days. I’m gonna continue to do my best in the challenges and hopefully we’ll get a good immunity streak going until a swap happens. Tonight was the most fun I’ve had in a while, tbh.

This is literally me right now. http://78.media.tumblr.com/5180e47f3f3a1ad0bd0f04a6742989cd/tumblr_oxoavge6N71qd49gbo2_540.gif They're not gonna like me now that I'm frosty.

MY FIRST TRIBAL AND MY FIRST ROCKS AND I'M THE FIRST ONE SAFE.

[carmenhekima]

Arrival: I arrived late around 8:15pm. I was picked up by Alex (the taxi driver). Alex is 22 and believe he is aspiring to be a planter or something. But for now he is a driver.The drive from the airport to kisieran was about 30-40 minutes. I passed Mama Ndinda house and it brought back so many memories. I am excited to see them soon. From Ngong to Kiersian is about 20 miles give or take I’m not sure. When I approached the green gate, I believe it was Steven that was there at the gate ready to greet me! He welcomed me with a huge smile and a Karibu. I then met Jenny, the incoming director who was waiting for my outside in the cold. She was very welcoming and gave me nothing but smiles. Once I entered the guest house I met three ladies from Erie. Stacey, Katie, and Jennifer. They are in hopes of starting their own Non-Profit. They are donating tablets to the girls for educational purposes. This is suppose to help them with their studies and accesses where they need help. Hekima Place is the first home they visited. Day 1:

I was given some personal time so my body could adjust to the time difference. I woke up to Katie, one of the volunteers, cooking us breakfast. After that we walked around the compound and I met baby hope and baby Mercy Medivia. Mercy has never seen white people before so when they approach her she begins to cry. I introduced myself to her she liked me and let me hold her. The mum said I was a lucky one. Then Katie and stacie showed me their tablets that brought over. They brought over 25 tablets for grades 5-8 to play on and get help tutoring. I played the games and they seem great. I think the dilemma is two things: 1. We cannot push western culture onto a group that has not asked for it. And 2. Kate the director does not want to introduce a new element to the program that might deter the girls from the goal. In the US I believe girls and boys in low income neighbors and even unemployed neighborhoods could use this program. But after watching them be engaged with it they loved it. I hope that it goes well. Today I got to meet most of the girls. They are extremely friendly and well mannered. At dinner they danced for us. I believe it was a Somali dance. They sung a prayer too. I hope to better my Kiswahili while I am here.

Day 2.

I woke up at 6am to get ready for 7:30am prayer and staff meeting. I made myself a sandwich and cleaned the dishes. I don’t like bugs so if the kitchen stays clean that means less bugs. I went to the staff meeting. We began with a bible verse from James 3:1-4 afterwards we prayed and started the staff meeting. Mum Kate said today will be going to Smith Hotel with the Mums and the Laura and her daughters will be left behind to take care of the children. Baby Mercy does not like Muzungus (white people) so I would like to see how that goes. I hope that the Smith Hotel has wifi so I can in contact with my family and friends here in Kenya. I talked to Lucy and she said she would come by on Sunday.  

Day 3:

We did not go to the Smith, but we did go out to the Hub. Which is a really expensive mall for tourist and people who have money (so not me). Yesterday I was frustrated because the visitors here from GW keep asking the girls to speak English. This frustrates me because one: the language of the country is Swahili. And they are mad when they girls speak the language of their country like I think when visitors come they should try to learn their language.

Day 4:

We taught the 4-8 how to use the LeapFrog tablets.  I normally get up at 7am for the staff meeting then I ask the mums if the need help with chores. On weekends the girls wake up later and start chores for the house. They do things like clean the kitchen and bathroom, sweep the floors etc.  Like today I washed the dishes with the red house. Then I played soccer with some of the girls. Then in the afternoon I pealed and plucked corn my thumb started to bleed. The other volunteers did not come until the chores were finished. The girls expressed to us how they were bored. Laura one of the members on the board suggested a dance party. This was especially nice because all the girl were home. Some of the girls from university were here and most of the girls from high school were on break. It was a Huge celebration! We had a chocolate Party everyone danced and laughed. Day 5:

Today was long, It began with mass at 11am. we set up the cafeteria like a church and the priest flew in from Tanzania. The sermon itself was not long but the formalities were long, like prayer and the songs. After that we had some time to relax but not much because we had to transform the cafeteria into a celebration ceremony. Some of the Kenyan board arrived and almost all of the staff was there. Once we began, it lasted until dinner time. all the house sung songs and the older presented speeches. They even choose me to speak and I've only been her for five days! I was really nervous. After the ceremony we had dinner and finally went to sleep. Day 6:

I woke up early to teach preschool. Todays lesson was about recognizing number. After that we had to train the house mums on how to use the tablets and set the child protection settings. At the end of the night Laura and her daughters left there were only here for about 3 days it was not long. But they have been to Hekima before.

Day7:  

Today was relaxed, I woke up late then went into town to one of the local malls. I had KFC which probably wasn’t the best choose for my digestive system but at least I had a taste of home (sort of). Then I came back to prepare the actual tablet pilot to allow the girls to see them. One of the volunteers had an emergency at home which caused her a lot of stress. Jenny friend also had an emergency which caused her to leave the compound. But Laura (Hekima board member) said she would write me a recommendation letter so thats nice. I’ve learned that networking is not that hard. Ms. Laura just saw my work ethic and pulled me to the side and told me how impressed she was with me.

Day 8:

I went into town with Edith and Ruth we took about 6 Matatu altogether. Things I noticed was that gas is 99 cents here but really lower than that because of the conversion. Once we arrived into town I got touched like 3 times, once I was called a Muzungu then one guy tried to touch my arm to get my attention. It made me quiet angry because I’m use to having my own space and for the most part being respected. In town we attended a play.Of course we missed the one in English so I watched a Play in Swahili, I was surprised because I understood some of it. I managed to follow along. It was really intense. It was about abortion, domestic violence, college. Several pressing issue that plague this country. Afterward it started to rain and we needed something to eat. So we went to Big Square. I got Fish and Chips (fries) . The others got chicken and chips. After, while walking in the rain we Sam (the driver) and he didn’t pick us up, that was unfortunate because I was cold and it was raining. But Jenny picked up us in Ngong at the mall. This morning I taught Preschool and they are learning to spell their names. Since that cut short because of the trip to Nairobi. I gave them biscuits. They were so happy.

June 23-25:  

This weekend I went out with some friends I met from my last trip we went to a rugby game. I ran into some of my friends I made last year. It was like a reunion. There's some days, I never want to leave this place. Its truly a paradise. The only things I would change is the convenience of little things like reception wifi everywhere. Knowing the lay of the land. But I love Kenya. Im learning more Swahili everyday. I could see myself living here. Sometimes I consider it. The other girls. Katie, Stacey and Jess left for Uganda but there are coming back! June 26:When I returned to Hekima Place I was. Welcomed with many arms. I also met Aku and Bravon they are Jenny friends! Afterwards Maddie, myself and the girls went on a hike and you could see EVERYTHING even the city. It’s so nice. I also braided Tracey’s hair everyone was impressed I knew how to cornrows here they call shiku or something like that.

June 28: 

Today is really cold and rainy, I was to work in the office but because Jenny is working on policy paper work and mum Sophie is gone it looks like I will be doing my own thing today. Dilemma, I really want to make a trip to Mombasa! We shall see I’m not sure the next time ill be able to come back. Time goes fast here I only have 3 more weeks. It was uneventful today. I mostly colored. It was also very cold like winter almost. I might work in the kitchen. Today they have slaughtered chickens. But I did not want to see. Tomorrow we are suppose to do the inventory for clothes and donations. Which should be all day, at least it’s not the shamba or animals so I’m kind of happy. Although I was suppose to have personal time Friday we are going out to elephants and bead factory. Id rather just be allowed to roam myself.  Sometime you can get such tourist aspect of Kenya. I also felt like the house mum I helped with homework made sure some of the littles ones were to bed. Little grace and I even did homework that was ahead so she is free tomorrow.

June 29: 

Today was FUN. First I sorted clothes, there were so many clothes then I helped Maddie cook vegetable pasta. I do not think I introduced Maddie she lives near Pittsburgh and goes to Penn State she is an aspiring doctor and has traveled a lot. After Pasta I read Sisters Solidjah Im at the part where winter loses everything and is pretty much alone. Reading has been so exciting when you have nothing else to do but kill time, I feel like such a book worm. After I read I took a nap. Thought about the movie La La Land and how the couple did not end up together but it was for the best because they would not have lived out their dream. After Rabin, Bravon and Maddie we all cook chapati with egg. Rabin and Bravon are around 27 and 28. It was probably the best thing I’ve had in a long time. It was not soon after the girls were home and we ate dinner. I have pimples, and everyone asks me what's wrong with my face. I think for the most part everyone's skin is here pretty much perfectly smooth like no blemishes. The know what pimples are but I guess they don’t show often. They ask are they mosquitoes bite is it rash. At this point I don’t even get angry over it. I just play it  off. Soon Ill be helping with homework again! Last night I was not feeling well. My stomach was very upset from all the food I ate but it turns out it was just gas