KENYA

No pictures due to slow internet- but there will be plenty.

Kenya- where I go little children in tattered school uniforms follow shouting "how are you". White people are called Muzungos and we are endlessly entertaining to Kenyans. Public transport into town to get to this internet involves a Matatu- VW bus crammed with 20people, a Piki Piki- back of a motorbike, or a boda boda- back of a bicycle. In the morning I get up, shower with a bucket of water- heated over a fire, and have breakfast of bread and peanut butter. I get on our VW bus with supplies and 4 other nurses my age and we drive..... maybe 1 hour, maybe 2. We go to surrounding towns and set up in churches, huts, whatever. I sit down with a translator and diagnose and prescribe. I teach things so elementary it's painful. Back pain- because you have been carrying things on your head your whole life....etc. So much tuberculosis, STDS, AIDS, Typhoid, ........ so many sick people and children. And when I ask "when did this begin" 75% of the time the answer is over a couple years ago. Yes yes we are blessed and yes it is beautiful to see these small communities in their huts with their cows... and the most beautiful snotty children... More to come.

Athens to Africa

I love Athens..... I have fun durring the day.. At night I go around to the bars with kids from the hostel and the Acropolis is lit up on the hill. Amazing :) And now I drop down into Africa. I have to run to catch my flight... so this is my goodbye to all. I will write as I can. Internet is 10km away but Im sure I will manage. Dont you worry bout me... Im smiling and in good hands :)

Santorini

I fly to Greece with my friend and we take a 7 hour Ferry out to the Island of Santorini. We rent a scooter and spend the next few days driving around, catching sunsets, eating good food, and taking a million pictures. Santorini is beautiful and friendly.

DAHAB

In Dahab I have entered a fish tank. It's world class diving for cheap...for so so cheap. 15 Euro a dive. I finally eat full meals watching the moonlight red sea with Saudi Arabian sandy mountains in the distance. Every day I dive at twice, eat, and lounge on pillows and smoke shisha with friends. Paradise.

Egypt

This one will be long:

In the airport in Rome the bartenders have started to feed me free drinks with all the crying Im doing. Im tired. My last flight scared me. I have a good cry and a nice sleep to Cairo.

In the airport there is a crowd for the taxis and a lot of hollering. Luckily Ive done this before...but I have clearly left Europe. I get a cab to my hostle and arrive 40min later after driving through a city of cars who dont use lanes. There are no traffic lights... only organized mayhem and communication via horns. I drive past cement buildings and green lighted Mosques. When I arrive at the hostle I walk down the street to buy a beer and everyone is staring at me, men hollering and practicing the inappropriate English they've learned from American movies. I am a white woman with her head and ankles exposed and I didn't think Cairo would be this Muslim. This is my first time in a Muslim country and I've never received so much attention in my whole life.

Day 1: Pyramids

We drive out to the pyramids. There's cars dating back to 1950, farm animals, palms, and sand. I climb down the long shaft into one of the pyramids. Ive worn a skirt that comes past my knees for the occassion and it was a bad choice. It's about 90 degrees, dark, and Im sharing this experience in a 3x3ft shaft with traffic both ways. A little claustrophobic even for someone who isnt usally bothered by that. At Giza, I hire a camel after a lot of bargaining. 2 hours for 50$ and I ride around to each pyramid and think about all the different people who have stared at them over the ages.

At night a nice Italian at the hostel goes out for Shisha with me and he agrees. Even men with their burka'd women in tow turn around to take a look at me. The Koran forbids drinking soooo- the alleys are lined with Shisha bars where men gather to play backgammon on folding chairs and tables. Works for me. We pay 4$ for 2 smokes and 2 teas- and our bartender- a devout muslim- gives us the local price.... for which he recieves a good tongue lashing from his boss and he motions for us to move on. He's got this one.

The next day I decide to go shopping. Ive had it with my two outfits. I want to be pretty. And I wouldnt mind covering my ankles. First- everyone is Cairo is trying to rip you off. Wherever you go-someone is following saying "i seen you from across the street" "where are you from" "can I give you advice" "i lived in america- where are you from". Natural born hustlers- they're good at what they do. I am followed, hustled, touched, hissed at----- bothered allll day long. I go all over the city. Here they are all escorted by their husbands.. by each other. They must be good women. They look at me with dirty looks.

I take the metro home after a million story worthy things happen. This is one of my favorite experiences in Cairo. 1st: to get a ticket you push through a group of people to the window. I had a large bill which I didnt think would be a problem until the clerk started emptying his entire drawer. The equivelent of giving me about 200 1$ bills. I drop my head in embarrassment and look around with "im sorry" eyes. This pushy group ralleys around me and just when I think all Egyptians are swindlers- they are counting my money to make sure I have it all for me. The kind of thing that makes you nervous- but when I see it is all there I take my huge stack of cash and say "Shokrum" with a big smile. 2: the train is smashed full of men and Im thinking "crap". Then I notice the women's car. When I step on I am in a sea of beautifully covered head scarves, women in burka with gloves, and they smile at me sweetly. Im part of the club- chicks.

When I get back- my friend has arrived- and we are off to take the night bus to DAHAB on the red sea.

Rome

Rome is where I go after I leave Sorrento. That is how it feels to me. I walk down to see the Colloseum at night. I walk to see the Vatican. I wander around looking at fountains and squares.. all beautiful. I have left friends at the hostle to go my own pace and meet up with them again to go out at night. Rome is filled with history and beautiful sights but it's no Sorrento. It's a different Italy all together.