It feels like the temperature has been increasing over the last few days. When we arrived there were a few days that were quite chilly—we needed sweaters at night and hardly had any desire to lounge by the pool (yes, we have a pool... it is quite luxurious I know). But the last few days have been completely different, and I think this is the norm rather than the exception. The heat mixed with the hills makes trekking around the city quite challenging. But my tan is finally returning which is nice. On Valentines Day we went to a wedding of the brother of my friend Gerald. It was the biggest wedding we had ever been to, 800+ people. It was such an incredible ordeal it was hard to believe we were in Africa. It seems remarkable that in a place that has so much poverty and issues sending children to school, there could be such outrageous ceremonies with 2 wedding dresses, 6 cakes, dancers, food, drinks, and the works (fireworks). But we were told that the bride and groom had been saving for about 5 years for the event, and that the whole community helped raise the funds. It was definitely a site to see, and a great experience! And africans sure do love their speeches!
Everything is going well. I have been splitting my days between ReachOut and AMICAALL, the two organizations I am volunteering with. I plan on going out to do more site visits in the next few weeks and collect more information to hopefully aid in my senior thesis.
I am just on break for lunch, so I should head back to work. Will try posting pics soon!
