I could sure go for some tropical paradise

Monday was the longest day yet at USIU, knowing we'd leave for Lamu today. We're flying to this little island on the Kenyan coast because the roads aren't considered quite safe enough to drive there. Lamu is in part a tourist destination, thanks to beautiful tropic weather and the most beautiful beaches you've ever seen, but it's also a really unique place. Lamu has preserved coastal Swahili traditions better than most towns. Because of the strong Islamic influence, it's a fairly conservative place – there are essentially no cars on the entire island. Assuming the weather is good, I should be able to see every star in the sky and breathe the cleanest air I've ever had in my lungs.

Needless to say, the Port O'Connor girl and anthropologist in me are madly excited. I haven't been able to focus on anything important for days. Even if the weather is bad, I'll be able to do some shopping and eat fantastic seafood every night. If it's sunny, I'll be living at the beach and should return to Nairobi looking significantly more Kenyan (but yes, Mother, I'll be wearing layer upon layer of sunscreen the whole time, and I've been taking malaria meds).

In preparation for Lamu, I took my first major shopping trip today. Honestly, shopping is exponentially more fun in Nairobi than at home. Since the Kenyan police forces were deployed around the country to control people during the election, hawkers have absolutely taken over downtown (it's technically illegal for them to be there, but there aren't police around to enforce it anymore). You can buy almost anything for absurdly low prices, generally without haggling. As usual, though, some of the vendors try to overcharge you, and you can barter a little if you know they're trying to cheat you. To give you an idea of the possibilities, I spent around $25 today and came home with a beach towel, sunglasses, three DVDs, two skirts, and three cute tops. You can also buy fruits and vegetables, shoes, scarves, jewelry of all kinds, make up, silverware, plates and cups, kitchen knives, rat poison, keychains, towels, mosquito nets, loofahs, feather dusters, car mats, place mats, shower curtains, CDs, suits and ties, jeans, socks, bras and underwear, belts, purses, and sometimes puppies or kittens. I was in the midst of these hawkers when people tried to steal my purse and when someone tried to grab my necklace. It's exceedingly easy to get distracted by the merchandise and stop paying attention to your surroundings.

Kenya is quite calm these days, though a lot of folks are skeptical that Annan will succeed in guiding Kibaki and Raila to a political settlement. The more I learn about Kenyan politics, the less shocking everything seems. Kenyan elections have never been particularly fair, so there's no reason to believe the current negotiations will result in a groundbreaking compromise between PNU and ODM. Raila is probably just going to get screwed and Kenyans will have to try to move on. But the tribalism! This practice of pinning political failings on ethnicity is far from a new concept. Kenyatta and Moi picked up the practice from the British, and now Kibaki and Raila have done an excellent job of reviving tribalism and turning their own disagreements into conflicts on the streets. It's infuriating, given how long this has been going on. Plenty of Kenyans are aware of how they're being manipulated, but plenty are just angry.

The week after we get back from Lamu is midterms, a huge paper for KJ's class, and preparation for a Model UN-style simulation at USIU that I have to do for Politics of International Economics (I'm Jamaica... hah). Then we're off to safari before we come back to finish the semester and write our grant proposals for our internships. I know I said I'd write about my internship, but I'm afraid I haven't had the time, so I'll do that shortly. I also know that quite a few of you are waiting on email responses, but it's been a busy busy week. I'm back in Nairobi on Sunday and will do my best to get back to everyone and update my blog with something more substantial. In the meantime, I'm going to go have the time of my life in Lamu. Wish you could come with me!