In the hopes of bringing a little of the Americana summer time fun to Kenya, Tom and Michael had a cookout on Saturday to celebrate the 4th of July. Lots of our friends came when we explained that while December 12th is Independence Day here, Americans celebrate independence on the 4th of July. The food and company was great and the whole afternoon was very low key. They made hot dogs and
hamburgers and potatoe salad. I brought ice cream and watermelons. We
sat around with all our Kenyan friends, had some beers and listened to
some Michael Jackson and Tom Petty. It was a very nice afternoon. Tom
has some pictures up on his blog, so if your interested in seeing
proof that I'm still alive, go to www.aviewfromthecave.com.

Otherwise, there's not too much to report on. I bought some new
bootlegs last week so now in a addition to like 100 movies, I also
have the first three seasons of One Tree Hill, 3 seasons of How I Met
Your Mother, 3 seasons of Lost and 2 seasons of Ugly Betty.

Last Friday I went to the orphanage in Kakamega where my roommate
Katie is working. It is a special home for abandoned and abused
children. We spent the morning in the baby room, waking them up,
playing with them, giving them baths and their bottles. When they went
down for a nap mid morning, we played with some of the older toddlers
who are still too young to be in nursery school. There was a little
girl (I can't remember her name) who had just come to the orphanage
last week. She was removed from her home b/c of abuse and you could
still see the scars on her face, legs and arms. She was soo beautiful
though. I sat down on the ground and after a few shy seconds, she
crawled right in my lap and laid her (somewhat snot covered) face
against my chest. I think she really just needs someone to hug her
alot. Although in many ways, I wouldn't trade anything to have Katie's
job, she really does get to have a profound affect on the lives of
these children. I mean she has them when they come out of terrible
homes or as little babies. She gets to show them that someone loves
them. And that can make all the difference. Don't get me wrong, I love
St. Julie's, but Katie has a chance to make a real difference