NAIROBI, Kenya — Around the corner from Grace’s house in an impoverished neighborhood on the north side of Nairobi, the woman selling small purple onions slapped my hand, shook it and grabbed my fingers, smiling excitedly. I didn’t think anything of it until our traveling companion, Simon, said that the woman had told him in Swahili I was the first white person she’d ever met and touched. In this part of the world, I am a mzungu — a... Read more
Experiencing technical difficulties … Please stand by. This is the first time since Tuesday we’ve had Internet access here in Kenya. We have TONS of photos and video and stories to load and will try to do so tonite. In the meantime, our African sojourn has been, in a word, remarkable. Can’t wait to share it with you. Sorry for the long silence. Africa is, well, Africa. And technology here is a challenge. We’ll be back soon. Asante sana,GG &... Read more
This is Floice. She has four children and two orphans (children she took in after their parents died, presumably from HIV/AIDS) and lives with them in a tiny flat in the Kibera slums, the largest in East Africa and the second largest in all of Africa after Soweto in South Africa. Floice struggles mightily to provide the basic necessities for her family. Food every day, school uniforms so the children can attend school, basic medical care, etc. For the... Read more
We’ve arrived! File photo of the Kibera slums — the largest in East Africa with 1 million residents Landed in Nairobi last night. Spent today in the Kibera slums. Astounding, marvelous people. Proper post to follow … GG&CB Read more
Wanderlust We’re packed. We’re ready. And we’re headed to East Africa. While we make our way to Nairobi, we thought we’d leave you with a favorite song from our friend Bruce Cockburn, “Child of the Wind.” We think of it every time we head out on the road for a new adventure, and on this perhaps greatest of our adventures yet, his words seem that much more poetic and true. Hear the wind moanIn the bright diamond skyThese mountains are... Read more
Into Africa Back on the bus, y’all . . . We’re going on a fieldtrip. God Girl and Crime Boy are heading to Africa on Saturday for a almost month-long visit to Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zanzibar. Grace-spotting in the Birthplace of Humanity. Our plan is to post diaries from our adventures in the Great Rift Valley and environs – with photos and (gasp) video – every day or as often as technology allows. GG will also be writing dispatches... Read more
Sunday: ‘Hallelujah’ By the late great Jeff Buckley. Baby I’ve been here beforeI’ve seen this room and I’ve walked this floorI used to live alone before I knew yaI’ve seen your flag on the marble archBut love is not a victory marchIt’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah Read more
GODSTUFF ALL GOD’S CREATURES: IS IT KOSHER TO PRAY FOR MY CAT? First, my mother. Now, my cat. I had no idea cats could get breast cancer until a couple of weeks ago when I felt a lump on Cleo’s tummy. It’d have to come off, the vet said, and there was a good chance it was malignant. Deja vu to not quite a year ago when an oncologist told Mom the same thing. The medical ritual for my cat... Read more
Over coffee this morning … We heard about a new sitcom coming to the CW network called, “Aliens in America,” described by Chicago Tribune TV Critic Maureen Ryan as, “a topical, sharp comedy about a Pakistani Muslim exchange student who arrives in Medora, Wis., to live with the Tolchucks, a family that is less than thrilled with his arrival — at first.” We prayed for Britney and Steve and for cool heads to prevail. We wondered if it is and... Read more
Their joy is contagious … How much do we love these guys? And Ricky, of course, maybe even more so because he skipped the Emmys. Big shout outs from GGHQ Read more
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