My last post (until my next adventure!)

Hi guys

So it's been just over a week since I came back into Australia, and it's taken a while to adjust back into the daily grind. I find myself saying Asante (thank you, in swahili) to check-out chicks and petrol station guys who don't know what the hell i'm saying. I still hold my bag close to me in case someone tries to take it, and it's taking a while to shrink my big kenyan stomach back to it's original size!
Family and friends ask me 'how was it?', 'is living in Kenya tough?' and it's hard to give them an honest answer. I think everybody needs to go to a place like Kenya to understand what tough living is like. Unless you see with your own eyes people living on $2.50 a day, old women trying to sell food (or anything) on the side of the street just to get some food for their children, that's tough living. Or even just not having running water and needing to fetch it from the well. On the other hand it's a great holiday destination too! So many beautiful resorts, seeing wild animals and collecting funky african bits n pieces to take home, it's pretty fun.

Personally, I'm really glad I got the opportunity to teach kids a very important skill that they will keep for the rest of their lives. I'm happy I got to explore a different country, meet amazing people who live happy lives there, and experience a different lifestyle for 10 weeks. But i'm very happy to be back home. Now it's time to knuckle down and save for my next adventure, wherever that will be..

Thank you for reading my blog, I hope you enjoyed it, and that you go out there and have your own adventures.

Kwaheri,
Beth

Donkeys need love too

So since I have last posted, I had my last full day in Mombasa teaching kids (and adults) how to swim. And surprisingly, it was a bit of an anti-climax! No schools turned up for swimming due to school exams and Ramadan (kids fasting, need to save that energy!). I'm just happy I finished the program that I started and did everything on my list:

1. Teach as many children as I can how to be confident in the water, how to swim to safety if they need to, and proper pool etiquette/safety (all the kids now walk around the pool, listen to the teacher and bomb-diving, what bomb diving?)
2. The other teachers and coaches, if they follow my advice, will keep improving the children with a handy step-by-step guide I made (warm-up exercises, drills and games). Now that I've gone, it's all up to them to carry on the good work!
3. Give them equipment to help with the lessons, and also make swimming fun. All equipment and swimwear that wasn't being used, I took to my friend Ashleigh's orphanage where all the kids now use it every day!
4. Made an underwater swimming platform! They say goals that are the hardest are the most rewarding. It was so great to see the little scared ones standing up on the platform and then swimming to me. They looked so proud they could do it! I also taught the lifeguards and teachers how to use it, and I know it will be a hit in the summer :)

As another saying goes, once one door closes, another one opens. I'm finally in Lamu for the first stage of my post-volunteer holiday and my gosh, it is insane. I'm not giving anyone any ideas or anything, but when I get married, I'm coming back to this place for my honeymoon..
Said goodbye to my host family, had brekky and took a 7 hour bus trip from Mombasa to Mokowe. Once there, I got a boat to Lamu Island, then another boat to Shela Beach. I met Moses, a friend of a friend, who has kindly let me stay at his home (for a very reasonable price!). Nice man, but went to shake his hand and turned into an awkward hug, then asked me who he looked like, I said um, the president of Kenya, more awkwardness and silence (I should have said his son Timo who I know well. President, really Beth?). Got to his house by a maze of alleyways, very cool white wash cement houses. Rama, the houseboy, said "You know what that symbol drawn in the concrete pathway is?" Yes, it's the Peugeot logo. Someone must like them cars. "Well the CEO of Peugeot lives in that house". Wow. Doesn't own a Peugeot, owns the whole company! For some reason this impresses me.Moses house is so airy and cool. First level is bedrooms, kitchen (basic but lots of bench space), second level up through windy concrete steps is the outdoor area and dining table, a loungy bed area and cushiony seating in the sun. You can see the beach and the town below.And he has a LIBRARY. My gosh was I in heaven. My main reason for coming to Lamu was to unwind, relax, take swims in the ocean and read. SO yeah, ticked all said boxes. Was a bit parched and hungry after bus trip, but due to Ramadan (and this place is 99% Muslim) all cafes and restaurants are closed in the day. I think it's to ward off temptation. So Rama sorted out a delicious lunch on the rooftop and I was stuffed. He then took me for a trip down to the beach which is so baron and goes on forever, you feel like you're in a weird arab desert land, except that there's a big-ass ocean. Also took me to the neighbouring village in the sand dunes with huts made out of sticks and sheet metal. Saw people collecting water from the well, looks like hard work. There are no roads in Lamu, just little sandy alleyways that you walk or ride a donkey along. I like these donkeys. One came up to me on the beach when I was chatting to a local and started nuzzling me. So I scratched his ear and he leaned on me for a bit. Donkeys are the forgotten pack animal I say! Hooray for the donkey!!
 I like how here people don't expect you to know Swahili but when you do, it makes them happy. And I like practising. By the time I leave Kenya, I want to be able to hold a decent conversation in full Swahili, that's my goal. And sleep in. And tan my pasty stomach (damn that one-piece). And eat as many sea dwelling creatures as I can!
Security around here is very deceptive though. I went to the beach this morning, but made sure I was around other people and close to the shops. When I got back to the house Moses freaked out and said "don't ever go to the beach on your own, a girl got raped there in pure daylight not too long ago", and that in turn freaked me out. Even walking the 20 minute track from Shela to Lamu is considered 'potential rape alley' so against the little naggy scrooge in my head, I will fork out the 400shillings needed to take a speedboat back to the house just to be on the safe side. Besides, mum and dad would kill me if I tried walking.
 I'm always careful about where I walk around (always thinking I may need witnesses if anyone did try to attack me) but just to know that this supposedly friendly town can have a dark side surprised me. I guess every town in the entire world has a good and bad side.

OK back to the bright side, absolutely love Lamu and is well worth the 7 hour trip. Gonna try some fishing and ride a donkey tomorrow, let you know how that goes!

Cheers,
Beth

Coming to an end.. LAST WEEK!

HI guys

Well it's finally come.. my last week of volunteering, then off travelling the land until 13th, then off to Bangkok then back home to Australia. I would say it has gone fast, but surprisingly it hasn't. Everything's been at a cruisy kenyan pace, and gotten in to a bit of a routine here, working in the mornings/early arvos and exploring Mombasa the rest of the day. Honestly (I can't believe i'm saying this) but i'm looking forward to going back to a paying job, lots of veges and salads, and most of all my friends and family. I will miss the people i've formed bonds with here, and i'm sure i'll see them again one day. It's funny how many people ask me when i'm coming back, like what month.. or early next year? I have to tell them it cost thousands of dollars to come here, and as much as i'm a whitie, I just don't have that kind of money lying around. I know it is a compliment though, they want me to come back :)

Things I did on the weekend:

• Met up with a lady who runs an orphanage near Nyali Beach. Basically, Ashleigh came over to do a volunteering placement in an ophanage. She met these kids who were suposed to be looked after in a home but were been treated horribly (little food, dirty drinking water and were basically being prostituted out to men by their carer). She got a kenyan lawyer and tried to get the kids moved. The only way they could move them is if Ashleigh organised a new place for them to live in, so she did just that. She looks after other kids too and babies, and a child with cerebal palsy, about 25 kids in total. To say Ashleigh is amazing is an understatement. She does pretty much everything herself, and has a house lady to help cook and clean. She does all the fundraising herself too, as she gets little help from the government. Anyway moving on, I met her and we took all the kids down to the beach for a couple of hours. Even just getting the kids there is crazy! Walking for about 40 minutes carring crying babies (and the cerebal palsy child) and yelling at kids to stay off the road, we finally got there. Most of the kids ran straight in the water  but I stayed with the others to build sandcastles.  Then a man with a camel came past and Ashleigh arranged for all the kids to have a ride. They LOVED it! Got lots of photos and videos from the day. Just in that time is enough for you to fall in love with those kids. Each one has gone through heartache and trauma but they still manage to laugh and smile. It got dark quickly so I arranged for all the kids to get a taxi-ride back to the house. I will try to ee them again before I go, give them togs and goggles and teach them a bit of swimming.
• Went to awesome gospel church again Sunday morning (7 in the morning, after a late night out, the church is that awesome) then got my hair braided african-style! Took about 5 hours, see pic below.. It's kinda cool but feels weird like you have rope on your head. Once I got all finish I had a bad thought..how the heck am I gonna swim every day with this?? The chlorine is going to destroy it. So I've decided to peeve off the fashion gods and wear a awful looking shower cap. Yes, the frilly kind is all I could find. But I intend on keeping my hair when I get back to Oz, so I shall sacrifice looking cool for one week. 

PLAN THIS WEEK: Do as much swim teaching as I possibly can for as many people as I can reach. Get last minute gifts from the disabled peoples workshops in Bombololu (they make cool stuff) and keep taking photos of the locals. Sometimes I just wonder around the villages and take photos of people deep-frying fish on the streets or men who sell blocks of sugarcane that you chew on (it's really good for you, not like crystalised sugar). I always ask them before I take the photo, to show respect. I have come across some kenyans who refuse to let me photograph them unless I give them money. Firstly I was offended (friggin everyone want my money!) but then I realise that they are just trying to get through the day and provide for their families.

OK have to go, man is kicking me out of cyber cafe (it's nearly dinner time).

Keep safe all, and remember to wash your hands first! (National handwashing campaign this week)

Ciao,
Bethy

Idiots Guide to Kenyan Food

Hi all! I have to apologise for my last post. I just read it and man, was I being negative...I promise it won't happen again. I've come to realise that every experience I have here is teaching me a lesson, so I should just accept it, move on and be happy! On that note, I did have an attempted mugging the other day. Well, second attempt (a few weeks ago a man grabbed my bag strap walking past but I was all tangled in it so he let go and ran off). So this time I was sitting in a hot smelly matatu and I opened the window a little to let the air in, only about a handspands width. I'm always cautious of people walking towards the window (even if they're just crossing the road) and if I see them in the corner of my eye i'll turn away from the window just in case. In this instance I was texting on my phone, foolishly now come to think of it, when I saw a man walking towards the window. I automatically turned inward and he went past the back of the bus. Suddenly I felt fingers scratching my neck and a hand from outside trying to grab my necklace (my 'lucky' seven-ring necklace!) It got caught in my hair, he pulled for a bit and I banged my head on the window, heard a snap, then the man ran off. I screamed like a crazy person and everyone turned around and looked at me. I was grabbing my throat and someone must've thought I was choking and rushed over to help the poor crazy white lady. I explained what happened and a man helped me find parts of my necklace still stuck in my hair. I found 6 of the lucky 7 rings. That's gonna be a hell of a pub story next time someone says 'oh, thats a nice necklace'. I have to see the bright side of this, and realise that it could've been a lot worse, I guess those lucky rings really did work. 
I've been hanging out with my friend Caroline some days after work. She is the headmaster of one of the schools I teach. Caroline and I were preparing for this awesome Swimming Gala for her school and I made up certificates and prizes and we did a few race rehearsals and the kids were all pumped, but on the day half the parents said they didn't want their kids in it because it was Ramadan (muslim holy month) and the kids were fasting and swimming would make them tired. So unfortunately they will be doing it next term after I'm gone. Oh well, i've been working a lot with the frightened swimmers, trying to get them confident enough to swim across the poolfor the Gala in a months time. That makes me happy.
My new favourite place on a hot day in 'Basa is a small ice-cream shop in town called Ooh! and omg their icecreams just ooze goodness. I sit in their airconditioning and close my eyes and savour the ancient flavours of cappuchino, cookies and cream, and mango sorbet. Then I open my eyes and get a fright due to the floor-to-ceiling mirrors and for a second I think I have found my twin in Mombasa but it's just me.

I thought I'd put a few pics of the main types of swahili food I eat here. Please note that I have procured a bit of african lady-lumps due to this food, so if you do try it, eat in moderation! 

Ugali and Sukuma Wiki
Ugali is a kind of sticky maize cake that you eat with most meals (lots of labourers eat it in the morning as it fills you up till lunchtime!) The sukuma is a shreaded boiled spinach combined with garlic, onions, oil and tomato. You grab a bit of ugali, push a bit of sukuma onto it and eat. We eat this most nights in the house along with a beef, chicken or beans dish.

Coconut Beans and Chappati
I love coconut beans! the milk from shreaded coconut is stirred into the beans and eaten with chappati, a baked (slightly oiled) flat bread, sometimes with rice. Delish!

Wild Rice Pilau
Quick and easy and fills you up (what am I saying, all kenyan food fills you up!), most people put different spices, oils, tomatos, onions and chopped up beef into it.

Beef Stew and Ugali
The lady of the house cooks a mean beef stew here! Takes an hour or two, but so much flavour and the meat keeps it juices. Eat with Ugali or rice.

Now not many people eat dessert over here, but they drink. After dinner you drink a soda, or local Tusker beer, or I tend to like like Redds cider on a night out! For breakfast most people like to eat mandazi with a cup of tea (mandazi is a hollow fried bread which you can eat plain or stuff sweet beans into it). I usually go into town early in the morning before swimming starts, grab one and sit down with some highland tea and read a book/newspaper. Great way to start the day.

I think i've become a bit of a new age hippy here. Read a book called The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari and i'm not a great fan of the actual book, but a few things in there have really grabbed my attention. Simple stuff, like our mind has the potential to just cut feelings off quickly. For example, the necklace incident. I was shocked and scared and angry at first, but then I thought of my family and how my sister makes me laugh and all those bad things just stop. I have the option to keep feeling those bad things, or I can choose to learn from mistakes and think good things. I know, new age hippy stuff eah!

Anyway, this blog is getting off track. After weeks of buying tables that keep floating in the pool instead of sinking, I have finally created a table platform that works! It's taken a while, researching tables and finding one in Mombasa where everything is word of mouth, drilling holes and packing stones into the plastic table legs, we're there. It's to help the little kids learn to swim small distances in the pool. I will put photos of the table 'in action' this week.

Ok i'm heading off to go to a cultural village today and check out some authentic african drums, also help my friend Ashleigh take her orphanage children to the beach. Hope you have a great day!

From B-dizzle

Please feed my fish while i'm gone :)

Just found out if you click your mouse cursor over the koi fish above, you can feed them. Thanks for the tip dad, don't want them dying on me!

Don't know why but I haven't had the best week. And i've promised to be honest in this blog, so I will tell you the following things:

• I know it's a stupid thing to think (seeing I am living in another country) but I can't stand it when kenyan people start talking english to me (everyone speaks english here) and then turn to everyone else at the table and start having a 20 minute conversation in fast swahili. It just makes me feel silly because I don't understand what they're saying  (I can understand words but not a whole conversation) and you feel a bit left out. I can't help but think they're saying things about me. I don't think they mean to do it, so I should just harden up a bit and learn more swahili words..
• I know not all kenyans are like this, but a lot of people expect me to pay for things, just because i'm white. Buy this lunch, bus ticket, drinks, taxi. People see mzungu lady and just think I have a money tree growing in my aussie backyard! I try to explain to people i'm volunteering, that i'm currently unemployed and using my very minimal savings just to treat myself every now and then, but they just think i'm a rich woman. Take the other night for example. A friend that studies at the local college has been saying we should go out for dinner one night. We finally set a date and meet in town. She decides to bring along a few friends, which is all cool with me, and we set out to a funky swahili restaurant in the heart of the city. After drinks and big meals of biriyani piled on plates, they all say "Thank you Beth, that was really nice". And my heart sinks. They want me to pay for the bill. I don't want to be rude to them and say "Hold on a minute, you pay for YOUR meals!", I don't know what kind of customs they have here. So I pull out all my notes and don't have enough to pay for the whole meal (I didn't think I would be paying for 4 people!). The girls take out a few coins from their pockets and I realise they never intended on paying for anything all night. I felt really crappy and used and had to go get some more money out. I don't think I will be friends with people anymore who just expect me to pay for everything. I'm not a sugar-mummy!

• Ok, so enough wingeing from me. In the wise words of another friend, for every bad person who exploits your good nature, there is a kind person willing to let you into their home and give everything they have to you. And that is so true.

• I went to church this morning with my kenyan friend Tonny. Wow what a place! A giant church with big windows filled with coloured lead light, so when the sun shines through the windows it feels like you're inside a rainbow. They had a full african band with drums and shakers and guitars, and even though the whole service was in swahili, I really liked it. Everyone gets involved and claps, sways and waves their hands in the air. At the same time, I felt really guilty as I haven't been to church in a long time. I think it's a good place to clear your head. I'm going again next Sunday (i'll be on time next week;  my dear friend made us 30 mins late for today's service, but it still went on for 1 1/2 hrs!)
• There's rumors of another bomb threat over the month of Ramadan, so security has been beefed up another notch. Got to admit I was a bit weary about going to church with 250-300 other people but they have two security check-points to get into the actual church and a great big paddock around it, so there's no way someones sneaking in. Going to lay off going out to pubs for now, just to be safe. I may go a bit wild on my last night though!

My time here is coming to an end soon, well 3 weeks, so I thought i'd mention a few things i'm going to miss about this place:
* The funky summer music that plays from giant speakers at the swimming pool (western and african songs)
* Muslim kids that kiss you on the cheek or hand
* Calls for prayer from the local mosque (reminds me of my sisters crazy made-up singing when we were kids)
* Watching the sun rise every morning on the bus trip to the pool
* My little 8yr old friend Joy who loves dancing and singing to pop songs and ads on the tv
* The smell of buttery corn cobs being grilled in street stalls (for some reason smells like peanut butter)
* Big-eyed babies wrapped in their mum's kangas
* The cruisy kenyan way of life (people never mind if you're 15-20 mins late!)
* The vanilla pastries from the local bakery, and most of all people-watching. Looking out the bus windows, there's always something being sold, being cooked, or being carried on the dirt streets. The way the ladies gracefully sweep the ground with long reeds bound together, with one arm resting on their lower back, sometimes with a baby attached to them. Men don't use lawn mowers here! They 'mow' by making long sweeping cuts into the grass with a hooked knife on the end of a long pole, and in the boiling heat.

Ok, enough for today. I will finish with a few photos i've taken. I've put a bunch of fresh ones on HERE, feel free to have a squiz!

Mum eat yer heart out! I know you love shell collecting but I think you would've had a heart attack seeing this beach..shells for miles I tell ya!

Traditional swahili family dinner with Peter, Tonny and his family (you can tell who is the lady of the house!)

The little monkeys at school, just about to get their togs on. They are hilarious!

Peace and love to all, and special love going out to Rob and his family (very sorry to hear about your mum..thinking about you over here)

Bethy xo

I'm worth 1 camel, 5 goats and a few crates of chickens

Keeping things brief today, what a weekend!

• Friday:
  Went to Wasini Island for a day trip. The island is just off Shimoni, about 2 hrs from Mombasa. I heard the snorkelling was out of this world so my volunteer coordinator hooked me up with this company that does boat trips where you go swimming with the dolphins, have a sweet seafood lunch on the dhow boat and go snorkelling. Well I got the food and the snorkelling but not a dolphin in sight. Not even a glimpse of a fin or dolphin blow-off bubbles. The boat boys said they were dolphin researchers and knew where they all hung out, maybe they were chilling down in Zanzibar? I know I would. They also said we could go walk on the actual island, but being Kenya with no real sense of how long an actual day lasts, we ran out of time and had to get back to the bus. Anyway, bought a $15 underwater camera, once I develop the pics they'll be straight on here. I met some young German girls who were in 'Basa for a week, one of them took photos of me trying to be an underwater mermaid, I'm sure its gonna look hideous.
• Saturday
  Don't usually work on Saturday, but promised one of the coaches that I would help with his classes. One of the mothers asked me how long I have been teaching swimming, and I told her 10 months, she was a bit shocked. She said most coaches here have been teaching for at least 5-10 years and they don't improve the kids as much as I do. I thought that was nice. I just try my hardest, remember all the things i've learnt from my mentor Tracey (in Brissy) and make the kids feel good about swimming. Even the kids who struggle, it's important to praise them for just trying.
  

  

  Modeling my new african dress at Caroline's place before going out to the club..fun fun!

  
  Met Lisa and Leonie, the German girls, at lunch as I had promised them we'd go out to the markets and find some funky african fabric to make into scarves and wraps. My gosh, I didn't realise how much fuss us 3 white ladies would cause. I got a little protective of my new friends, and had a few arguments with bus drivers and shop owners who demanded 3-4 times the price than usual. I bought some cool dresses and some kikoys, big cotton pieces that you use for a towel or beach wrap, or a scarf when it's a bit chilly. It was a fun day but very tired by the end of it. But no rest for Bethy! My friend Caroline (one of the school principals) met me in town to go to a club for some dancing. But when we went through and the security guard frisked me, I asked Caroline if all the clubs are like that. "Oh, this club got bombed earlier in the year so they like to be safe". Wow. From then on, any time I heard a car alarm or saw someone looking suspicious I got anxious. But just like lightening, its very rare for the same place to be struck twice, and therefore had a great time. African ladies really know how to shake their moneymakers! The Bella Vista Club was pretty cool, good music, lots of 90's classics. Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls people.

• Sunday
  I learned a lot of new rules today. First, if someone asks to come with you to the supermarket and you say yes, sure you can come with me, you are obliged to pay for their bus ticket and offer to buy them something to eat. That took a little getting used to, but it is their custom and I have to respect that. It is a little awkard though when you don't know about this custom and two people are waiting for you to pay their bus ticket and buy them a snack. Also, I learned that when you are doing washing, you do not, I repeat DO NOT let your undies hang out to dry where people can see. Mrs Carey was quite embarassed about my undergarments and I had to take them down and put them on a special line behind the toilet block. I wasn't very embarassed though, they are nice lookin undies.
  Lesson Two: White women are in demand as wives. I was invited to my new kenyan friend's place for dinner (refer to previous post, Peter is the little boy I met when jogging in a village). Very nice people. A bit too nice. They had future plans for me, and proceeded to explain how a marriage dowry works. Aparently I am worth 1 camel, 5 goats and a few crates of chickens and ducks. I'm still not sure if they were joking, but Tony's mother kept saying I would make a very nice daughter-in-law. These Kenyans don't wait around! The family is so lovely though. We had a traditional family dinner accompanied by watching dramatic spanish soap operas on their fuzzy little tv. It was a great night.

Ok, done for today. I'm now off to teach some swimming for the rest of the day and keep practising my swahili conversation skills with the kids. As long as they don't teach me any more naughty words (when I don't realise they are naughty words and proceed to try them out on the coaches who laugh at me)

Keep safe you good people,
Beth

It's raining mainly on these Kenyan plains..

Before I start, if you want to get updates when I write a new post, become a follower on the tab to your right!

I had one of those days yesterday where it felt like I didn't solidly achieve anything but I did a hell of a lot.

• Went to Milele Beach to help Burhani Playgroup/Kindy with their beach day. The only reason i'm helping is because only 1 of the 10 teachers knows how to swim and i'm worried there will be a mass of little toddlers with floaties floating all the way to Australia. Horribly raining but they still want to go ahead. You know that kids who find their fun beach day is being postponed, they spontaneously combust. I arrive at the beach, school decides that they'll go another day now. When it's nice and sunny.
• I take a matatu to the school instead. No schools expected in today due to the rain. I don't want to sit around and wait all day, so I go to the mall and get $15 mani/pedi combo. I nearly kicked the nice man who scrubbed my feet... it was nice though.
• Bought a few things in town...A sturdy plastic table to put in the pool so the little ones can learn a bit better. It's not heavy enough so one of the workshop boys at the school has offered to screw weights to the legs. I'm also going to purchase a very large rubber tube and attach rope around the outside so children can hold on and take a breather in the middle of the pool. I try to remember what it was like learning how to swim and I remember the pool being very big in my little eyes, so hopefully this will help. Also bought a ring binder, lots of paper and dividers and i've started a Swimming Bible. All bits of info on how to teach swimming, what not to do, how to save someone if they are in trouble, little  things that can help fellow/future coaches. Gotta leave my legacy right!
• Very tired when I got home so had a nap. Woke up feeling guilty about eating fish and chips earlier in the day, so went for my daily/sporadic jog. A little boy started trying to race me so we raced for a while and I got too tired. I then tripped on a rock and old men sitting on the street-side laughed at me. I stopped to see the beautiful glowing red orb of a sunset that I saw between the fields. And then that little boy, now called Peter, jumped out of the bushes and scared the crap out of me (it didn't help that I had a mugging-dream the other night). He took me to his house to show me his chickens. His dad bought me a fanta and when I asked him why he freely let me into his home even though I was a stranger, he said 'doesnt matter where you're from we're all brothers and sisters'. Its nearly made me cry, how honest the words were that came from a 6 year olds mouth. I want to take that home with me. It makes me want to meet my neighbours and pool customers and start opening up to people. I've tried and it's not easy, but every time you open up and just say hi (or Jambo!) it does make you feel good.

Random memory from the other day: Listening to Heartlines by Florence + The Machine (awesome african drum beats) while running and jumping waves along the high-tide beach and getting seaweed stuck between my toes and feeling free to sing and make a fool of myself. What a great feeling.

Speak soon,
Love to all
-B