Dar es Salaam

Strangest city I've ever been in. Roads and traffic are unbelievable and incomprehensible. It rains every day, mud and water everywhere. The power is down also every day, most of the day. And running water is off too mostly. And the people are not very polite either. If they don't understand you they just ignore you. Very frustrating. And the things they say about Grace and me.... very shocking. Good I don't understand it, Grace just laughs at it all. She translated just a piece every now and then, I can laugh at it too mostly. After all it is somehow very funny.... because every one has an opinion about us, but nobody knows except us.

Grace will be going back to Mombasa tomorrow. She promised to try to find a job as a hairdresser and to go back to the village she comes from. I must say I have not much faith she will actually do that, she probably never will get further than her old friends and go back to her old life. But hey, I've trusted her with all I have sofar, so I'll try to be positive.

I will miss her a lot I think, but I look forward to be alone again too. The last days were extremely hellish.... but I also can say this really is the best time I had since a long time. Just to walk in the city with her is like an extreme rollercoaster ride, every time you think you can take a breath.... and there you go again. I'm afraid I was a bit too naive thinking that it would be enough keeping her away from the street and away from drugs, and getting her a lot of sleep and good food. She seems to be having some real psychiatric problems. I have no solution for that, and honestly not much patience anymore either. One more hell day and they can take me away too.

I made contact with the Hekima school. I have started painting. The old school... not the new one as I expected. But the new school is still a coconut wilderness, they have just planted the fruit trees for the garden. Nothing else is done yet, still they hope to be able to move next year. Funding will be welcomed!!!

More news soon. Let me catch my breath when Grace is gone, haha. I'll be back!