Monday, October 17

First day of classes! Kindof. Went to my first one, decided there's no way I'm taking it; Second one was a success; third one may not exist and certainly doesn't this week; fourth one I never actually found, I just wandered around lost for an hour--- BUT I'm just going to focus on the fact that the second one was a success. Victory! Tomorrow should make things more clear. Class registration is extremely inefficient and confusing here, but the good thing is you don't actually have to be registered until the second week of classes, which means this week I can shop around and see which classes I actually want.

At this point I'm fairly settled in and life is mostly good. Some things I cannot get used to: 1. Walking on the left side of the path (Who does that?!)-- I am forever running into people. 2. Figuring out which way to look first when crossing a street. 3. Writing the date day/month instead of month/day-- Pretty sure my university registration says I'm born on April 5 instead of May 4. 4. Responding 'Asante' (thank you) when someone says 'pole' (sorry)-- Sometimes someone will just say 'pole' three or four times in a row before I realize the reason they are repeating themselves is not because they are overly sympathetic, but because they are waiting for me to thank them. 5. Appropriate gender roles-- I definitely knew before I came that gender relations and expectations of females are different than in the USA, but knowing that and acting it out are two completely different things. I am constantly having to remind myself that I have to act more like a girl, and that there are certain things that are not acceptable for me to do here. Though I suppose even by American standards I can be fairly uncouth-- let's face it Mom and Dad, you skimped on the proper well-bred lady skills and raised a complete savage.

The 'official' position of the university is that males and females are to have equal opportunities and rights in all things, but you will have a difficult time finding an individual who actually feels that way. On one hand, I realize that gender debates are pretty futile and I should probably avoid them, but on the other, (I am uncouth after all) I just really cannot resist sharing my point of view when guys bring up the topic of marriage and what they expect from their wives. Especially the ones that just come out and say they want to marry a mzungu (white person)-- I always first ask them to tell me their thoughts on the male/female power dynamics of a relationship, appropriate gender roles, etc., and then I proceed to explain exactly why they will have a hard time finding a mzungu girl who is willing to be controlled to the extent they deem necessary, and why they probably, in fact, do not want to marry a mzungu. To be fair, not every person has this patriarchal mindset, but it is the dominant thought process, and though I've never considered myself much of a feminist, I also can't stand being told that my role in life is determined by my gender. My attitude toward these discussions fluctuates between wry amusement and extreme irritation, but in the end there is nothing I can really do but respect the cultural norm.

Anyway, the power keeps flickering off today so I think that's it for now, until I actually have something interesting to say.

Love

One of my favorite people here, even though she doesn't speak English so our communications are usually very brief. Just a very sweet old woman
This is where I sleep. My roommate and I have actually been using our beds as yoga mats. They are that solid.
Mosquitoes- 1. Kelsey- 0.
Balcony of our room, with proof of my ability to do "the hand-washing"