the good, the bad & the ugly

We're in week 5 of our training, and all is going pretty smoothly. Tony and I did really well on our mid-term tests (oral Kiswahili, written Kiswahili, and technical proficiency), and we went on our first safari last weekend! Let me say one thing: having to stop your car so that a wild giraffe can cross in front of you is an experience that everyone should have! So here are some sweeping generalizations about our lives here so far:

The Good
*Going on Safari and seeing giraffes, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, 1 hyena,warthogs, impala, wildebeest, cape buffalo and zebra. In the wild. Not in a zoo. Amazing!
*Doing well on our mid term tests. Big relief. Now we have a little proof that we're doing something right.
*Being able to say some complete thoughts in Kiswahili--not many, but it's becoming a bit easier.
*We have made some really great friends; we have gotten close with a few of our fellow trainees, and this has been excellent.
*We love living with our family. Our mama is patient and really loves that we live with her (she told our trainers this.) We eat delicious food at her house, and she couldn't be nicer. We will be sad to leave.

The Bad
*Moments of horrible homesickness. Sometimes I can barely think about my family and friends, because I miss them so much.
*Moments of overwhelming frustration with learning Kiswahili. When I can't say what I want to say, and maybe I'm having a bad day anyway--this can sometimes make me want to start packing my bags.
*Malaria. We all take anti-malaria medicine regularly (I hate the idea of doing this), and none of us (Peace Corps Trainees) have gotten sick with it yet. Lots of our families have had it, and some of our teachers have, too. Some of us have had really bad diarrhea and vomiting--there are threats to our health around every corner.

The Ugly
*Smoke. People cook on wood-burning outdoor stoves, and cooking goes on all the time, so the air is constantly smoky. In addition, people burn their trash, too, so these fires are extra-big, and we inhale the ashes all day long. We also use kerosene lamps and stoves, and the smell of kerosene makes my head hurt.
*Garbage. There is virtually no garbage collection, so people burn their trash--including plastic--sometimes. The roads are covered with garbage, and kids play with it.
*Dirt. Our bus trip for our safari took 2 1/2 hours, and we took it to the park and back. We inhaled endless amounts of dirt through the open windows; our boogers were rust colored (like the roads), our eye boogers were black, and I'm still cleaning dirt out of my ears 3 days later.

We miss the comforts of home: movies, being able to pet dogs, hot showers, clean water. Hot fudge sundaes. Down comforters. Stuff like that. Some days are good and some are not-- just like in the US. Keep those letters coming--we love them so much!!