Wahenga walisema mtu hujua atokako hajui aendako

I'm looking at my final days in Nairobi. On Saturday (Sunday at the latest) I'm hopping on a matatu to Kampala and spending about three weeks traveling around Uganda and Rwanda. That puts me home in Overland Park in mid May. It's weird to think about leaving already, but not entirely sad. I've missed home and friends every day I've been here. I know I'll miss Kenya just as much when I'm gone, but I also know I can't live my entire life without coming back here.

I had my Kiswahili final last night. It's always the proverbs that make me fall in love with languages. The title of this entry is my favorite proverb from any language I've learned so far, I think. It means, “The ancestors say: a person knows where he's coming from but not where he's going.” It says a lot about this trip, also. Every day has been a challenge here. There's an element of that inherent in this program, but it was made significantly worse by the post-election crisis. Nothing is particularly set in stone in Kenya (or life for that matter). I've learned that I have to sit back and let things happen sometimes. Some mornings I'd wake up with every intention of going to work at the Centre or class at USIU, but protests downtown would have paralyzed the matatu system and made getting to town impossible. Some afternoons I'd come home expecting to write a research paper on my laptop, but the power would be out for eight hours. Some evenings I'd go to the internet cafe intending to send an assignment to KJ, but the internet would be down. So you do what you can. Some days it has sucked. Mostly it's been fine with me. Mtu hujua atokako hajui aendako. The only thing you can be sure of is what's already behind you.

It's going to be difficult getting back to the US. I'm a little worried, but I also know that I'm an unusually adaptable person. I'll get used to white people and odorless cities and expensive meals and processed food full of preservatives and judging stares and ubiquitous electricity and changeable weather and drinkable tap water and driving (on the righthand side of the road!) and petty suburbanite attitudes again. I think I'll be okay, but I also think you all should know that it's probably going to be weird for me for a while. There's a new Kenyan restaurant in Shawnee, I've heard. We'll go check it out.

This has been a glorious semester. I've enjoyed myself so much and learned more ABOUT more than I ever anticipated learning. I honestly wish it weren't over. But I've done some scouting of employment opportunities. Maybe I'll end up back here. Maybe not. All I know is that this has been a beautiful chapter of my life, and I'm very likely going to cry throughout our entire end of semester party on Friday, when I have to say goodbye to this place and all the friends I've made.

Naishi, natumaini, najitoleya daima Kenya. Thank you, Eric Wainaina, and asante sana, Kenya. Tutaonana badaye.