Homesick

So I'm not sure what to say. I was planning to write about my arrival to Nairobi and talk about advertisements (billboards and commercials) that struck me...as the advertising in Nairobi is quite impressing (in the most literal way). Also, I was going to tell you about Nelly, the woman Michael brought to stay with me in Nairobi, and how I nearly gave her a heart attack with the bloody nose I got from all the dusty, dry air while riding around Nairobi. But today has been somewhat of an emotional day, as it was my first day to enter into Pokot land, and attempt to start my anthropological research, and to eat ugali.

I'm not sure right now if my stomach is churning from the ugali (which I really hope not), or from a combination of the heat, sun, failure with attempted research, and waking up at 5:30am this morning (after having intermittent sleep) to start this physically and emotionally draining day. I also haven't showered in two days, and I haven't washed my hair since the morning I left the States. ...I think this can be diagnosed as your standard homesickness. And in the case of my failed attempt to do research today, I think that may be attributed to the fact that I am strangely interesting to my subjects (not that it is strange they are interested, but that I am strange to them), "What is this Tylenol and hand sanetizer? And why does she refuse to eat goat meat?" I don't know how to politely return the questions back on them...especially when they keep using Swahili to talk to each other about me.

Although I am not sure exactly how to deal with my present situation, I have better ideas for it tomorrow. Also, I am only in East Pokot right now, not West Pokot (where the majority of my time is planned to be). I feel as if the questions I have prepared concerning religion would be best presented in the West Pokot environment due to the intended length of stay; other more general questions concerning decision-making processes, leadership, etc can be asked in most situations.

*Sigh* Ok, I feel better now. Again, I hope I don't get sick from any of the food I've eaten this evening, but my anxiety has settled down enough to let me know that my stomach is not upset (at least yet) from the food. By the way, ugali isn't bad! It reminds me of Cream of Wheat after it has been cooked and then let to dry, although, ugali is a corn-based food item.

Michael has been very helpful in telling me what food I should and should not eat since I arrived. Even though he, Nelly, and Peter (my welcome party) usually only eat one meal each day, he has seen to it that I have lunch and dinner in addition to morning chai. This evening, though, we are visiting a friend of Michael's in East Pokot, and out of sheer politeness, I had little choice but to eat regardless of how it would make me feel afterwards. ...Can I be called a true anthropologist now?

The plan is tentative, but Michael and I were discussing staying one or two nights, depending on what is available for us to do tomorrow. Based on my brief mention earlier of new ideas regarding how to use my current location and situation, I think I will encourage us to leave for West Pokot tomorrow, rather than stay two nights in East Pokot. I know much of what he is trying to cram into our to-do list is for my benefit, and I know he is very open to adjusting the plan as I make discoveries (even as small as the one I made earlier this evening).

Well, that's all for now. We took some great pictures today that I will post next chance I get. I'm sure those will be much more interesting and light hearted than what I've sorted out in real-time above.