Orientation 08/30/10

Yesterday we spent most of the day relaxing. After meeting at the airport we drove to our place in Old Town, Mombasa which is a beautiful, antique, residence. It's a safe area, even to walk alone until 10PM, and just a couple-minute walk to the Indian Ocean. Many locals walk down to the ocean to say their prayers during the day.
I have a friend already. His name is Haldoun. He is SO beautiful and speaks the language beautifully as well. He will be a great teacher. He is 3-and-a-half years-old, and lives in our home here in Mombasa.
Around 6:30 tonight we returned from the shore for the breaking of the fast. It is Ramadan here, so we eat after sunset with the families. Of course we are allowed to snack during the day, since we are not Muslim, but most restaurants are closed until around 5. We had fish, donunt-like bread, flatbread, greens, potatos in masala sauce, rice and other things. We ate on the floor with our hands--I'm in heaven. Ali, one of our directors, says that Ramadan is a time when families cook great varieties of food and few eat out. I asked Athman, our main director, when most children begin to fast, and he says they are encouraged around age 7, and expected to fast like adults at 15.
Our room here is very nice. I share with Lauren. We each have a double bed with mosquito net and a dresser to share. This is not a typical Kenyan accomodation, but it's a comfortable way to spend our first week in the country.
Our base is next door to a very nice shop which, we found out today, is owned by one of our other teachers, George. There are some CUTE Kenyan purses that I am incredibly tempted by. We also need to take a trip skirt shopping ( I saw a Rhino-print skirt on our walk through the market that I am very tempted by as well!)
On the way back from shore yesterday we saw a HUGE centipede. This is an African bug. It was long. Probably seven inches long, very thick, probably an inch wide, with crazy fast legs and feelers. I was intimidated.