Hey Everyone,

Its FRIDAY..... and I can actually get excited about this because the other volunteers and I have decided we are going out Kenya style. To be honest, I don't really know what that means but I will let you all know on Monday. We are a little nervous about it but will be cautious. This involves cab rides to the door step and being picked-up at the door step at the end of the night. I am sure we won't stay out too late either. Mom, don't worry about me. I just need a night of drinking and DANCING.

Today was another regular day in the clinic. Nothing too new or exciting. The staff has really warmed up to me, and I feel like I am a part of the team. I thought I would ask them what their plans were for the weekend and the response was not too thrilling and borderline sad.

The nurses are all Moms and in Kenyan culture that means doing everything. Its not enough that these women, unlike many others, are educated and work full time jobs but they also have to fulfill the gender role of being mother and wife. They explained to me that weekends are spent catching up on the house work they fell behind on during the week and washing all the laundry - including linens - by hand.

Men in this culture do relatively nothing but go to work. They aren't supposed to step foot in the kitchen, they don't participate in the cleaning and they don't do any of the washing. I asked the nurses how this will ever change and if they teach their children differently. "Children are meant to help their moms out but the boys, when the grow up and marry, follow in their fathers' foot steps", the nurses responded.

They did say; however, that men help out a lot before the wife has kids. When it is just man and woman together, the responsibilities are split equally. But when children are born into the family, the man must exude his role as the leader of the household and be catered to. Archaic. Stupid. Ignorant.

For the rest of the weekend, I have now planned and confirmed that I am to go to Naivasha. It is a small, small town a hour-and-a-half North of Nairobi. This town is host to another Lake, similar to that of Nakuru, with flamingos and has a mountain with a hiking trail. I am meeting the two Canadian nurses that arrived when I did. They are going to be other volunteers from the IDP Pipeline Camp, so we will all hike and be tourists together. We will be spending Saturday night in cheap accommodation in Naivasha and then I will come back to Nairobi on Sunday. I am getting to this town and back by matatu, which shall be interesting. At most, I have only ever been in a matatu for 30 min, so triple that and I am in for an adventure.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and remember... life is beautiful.

Jake