For the longest time I have been trying to master the art of the African headwrap and I just cannot for the life of me get it right!!! I really want to though!! It's so frustrating!!

Toast to me!!! I am over the moon!!! I got picked (note there was only one place) to go to Ireland for my exhange programme next spring semester!!! I am soooo soooo happy...I finally get to go to the home of the river dance!!! I've been waiting for something amazing to happen, but this is lush!!!!! ooooh ooooh ooooh!!!

"king without a crown" by matisyahu has been playing on repeat for like two days now! I love it love it love it!! I posted the lyrics sometime ago...I think in february or somthing....but people this song is lush!!! lusher than the body shop passion fruit shower gel!! Other than that some friends and I were talking about religion last night. I'm Anglican, two were roman catholic and one was greek orthodox. It was really interesting, but to cut a long story short, we all seemed to agree that the relationship between you and God is just that ... "a relationship between you and your God" you don't need the church, the pope, priests and all those things. What counts is the personal relationship you have with him. There has to be a higher being than you, that's why you inately know when you're doing wrong or right. You don't need the bible, or any other religious book to tell you. You just know in-se! So all in all, it was quite an insightful discussion.

I may have sent this to some of you...I got it from a friend, but it's just a really nice read, so I figured I would share it with all of you...enjoy...

To be twenty something...

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.

You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. We call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." nothing is constant......except change. whats life without a few risks? keep playin the game!

I'm sitting in the library...I know I should be working, but for some reason, I'm not! I havn't blogged about anything of much importance lately...not because of anything...just because I haven't. I've just sort of been getting on with things. School, assignments, papers, exams, presentations, parties...the usual student stuff. It's ok. I'm not complaining. I smile, I kick s**t with the student council, I have diner and a laugh with my friends, I breathe, I sleep, I function....yes that's it...I function. It's that simple. But it's become so routine. Wake up, shower, dress in a million and five clothes to protect myself from the evil cold, go to school, take off all the jackets, scarves, gloves, etc. Go to class, learn something, or maybe not and just doodle on paper, do presentations and exams, decide whether to go for lunch, go if I decide to, go back to class, get out, put on million and five clothes again, go home, dinner, sauna if it's a wednesday, watch tv and do assignments, sleep. My house mate and I were talking....humans are always in a state of crisis...quarter life crisis, mid life crisis, there's always some sort of crisis going on! hm...this is a very random post, even I don't know what the hell to think of it...

Attack of SMENITA!!!! What on earth is happening? I can't comment on blogs coz of this whole "SMENITA" stuff!!! what is going on??? AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH

oh my!!! After my conflict with the student union on friday and saturday, I got home at like 6.30pm saturday, had dinner with friends and went out to party. I went for salsa classes for like a year in Kenya, before the whole salsa craze started, and I just love it. However, it is kinda hard to be in a place where salsa music is going on and someone can actually salsa....I'm young, its mostly hip hop etc. But saturday night!!! oooh saturday night!! It was the birthday of an italian volunteer and she had all her international volunteer friends from all over Finland for the party. Among them was this hyper short-ish dude from Poland. He asked to dance and I agreed!! Dude can salsa like a nonsense....I was so swept off my feet!! It's been a long time since I danced salsa...we danced for like 1.5 hours and it was great. The type of dance that has your heart beating and you actually break a sweat! It was great! Here's to good times!!

Oh my goodness! I am so angry with this whole set up, I could scream!!!! See I am in a university in Finland. It has departments and units in different places in this region. So I signed up to be a sudent tutor. To be specific an international student tutor. My problem is yes the international students here are the minority, but for goodness sake, they could have some sort of something for us. Anything. A notice poster gets puts up with the catch phrase in english and then all the info in finnish!! I mean honestly? So I signed up, just so theat there is a voice that is heard, some sort of representation! So as part of the tutor training, there are some activities that we should take part in. Like drama assignments that you learn from. BUT!!!! they do them in finnish. Most of the students here speak english, there are 5 international students here, but its as if we don't exist. Taken that its one thing if all the international students just let it slide, you can say we didnt try. But I am here. Not only am I here, but I volunteered for one of the drama excercises! Surprise surprise, they very nicely said in english..."sorry, I would much rather someone who spoke finnish...maybe next time"!!! There are two types of tutors. International student tutors and just the normal finnish student tutors. International student tutors deal with the international students....for f**ks sake are they going to deal with them in finnish? A language that only 5million people speak in this world? I dont think so!!! Isn't that part of being a tutor, dealing with challenges and finding a way around them that makes everyone feel less uncomfortable? So I walked out. Hopefully they will notice something. I know I should learn the language, but things like this make me not want to just be defiant! Everybody says how finns are shy and its hard fro them to reach out and make friends, etc etc,but honestly! You try and they just retreat into their groups and speak in their own language even if they do speak english!!! I am going to write one nasty complaint letter to whoever is in charge. They probably won't do anything about it....probably coz it won't be in finnish. But I will have tried!!! Oh the nerve!!!

haha!!! They are going to kick me out of this uni!! guess who is kicking shit with the student union???????

Last night I watched a very touching documentary on Rwanda. It was centred on Romeo Dallaire's period spent in the country and followed him as he went back, ten years after the massacre....from an extract I found...

"Dallaire who, as the former head of the U.N. Peacekeeping Force witnessed unspeakable horrors in Rwanda, as extremist Hutus massacred over 800,000 Tutsis and Hutus in the space of a few days in 1994. General Romeo Dallaire did everything he could, pleading for 2000 more peacekeepers to be added to his insufficiently equipped 3000 man force. If they had answered Gen. Dallaire's pleas, the U.N. could have stopped the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Rwandans. instead, following the deaths of 10 Belgian Peacekeepers assigned to protect the President, his forces were cut down from 3000 to a mere 500 men, who had to watch as one of the most horrible genocides in human history took place before their very eyes. Gen. Romeo Dallaire, frustrated, and disheartened by the U.N.'s passive attitude, nonetheless stood for his beliefs, repeatedly confronting his superiors who did nothing to prevent the horrific events from unfolding.
In 2002, he was honored as the first recipient of the Aegis Trust Award.

Romeo Dallaire is now working on the problem of war-affected children, and has visited countries where children are used as soldiers or are being sold into sexual slavery."

More of his story here...http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Heroes/Gen_Romeo_Dallaire.html

If only the world listened to this man's pleas! So here is to him!

In one of my classes today...a class of twenty people, the following countries were represented :

kenya
finland
china
mexico
poland
lithuania
sudan
australia
germany
spain
france

Amazing how we were all sitting together in one class!! The world truly is becoming a smaller place, but I'm loving the experience!

my faith in certain things this year have been rocked to the core! Quarter life crisis y'all!!! I was talking to some friends the other day and it seems that everyone out of my blog life thinks, kipepeo is always happy, with a smile on her face...a bubble of energy as someone once called me. The said they had never seen me upset, sad or anything to do with that! Wow if only my life really were that!! My blog is one place I can lay myself bare. I can rant away, complain, bitch, do and say anything that I want because it's kipepeo saying all these things, not really me. I can hide behind that mask and lay myself bare. So thank you all you wonderful people for staying with me, encouraging me when I most need it and nobody but you all know it. It means a whole lot....butterfly kisses to all of you....

volunteers in Kenya

I seem to have been reading a number of blogs of volunteers in Kenya. Given they are working in the rural areas of Kenya, but geez!!! Talk about generalising...here is one of them that is...interesting....if thats the right word...

http://www.geocities.com/aeyates/journal1.htm

"There's a decent variety of vegetables, although nothing really that good for you".....this being said about Kenya!!! Say what???

Anyway, read it for yourselves....

just a thought

I found this on a friends journal on Hi5, so after I informed him that I was going to steal it, here it is....

Why you pick the wrong one!!!

#1. You pick the wrong person because you expect him/her to change after you're married. The classic mistake. Never marry potential. The golden rule is, if you can't be happy with the person the way he or she is now, don't get married. As a colleague of mine so wisely put it, "You actually can expect people to change after they're married... for the worst!" So when it comes to the other person's spirituality, character,personal hygiene, communication skills, and personal habits, make sure you can live with these as they are now.

#2. You pick the wrong person because you focus more on chemistry than on character. Chemistry ignites the fire, but good character keeps it burning.Beware of the "I'm in love" syndrome. "I'm in love" often means, "I'm in lust." Attraction is there, but have you carefully checked out this person's character? Here are four character traits to definitely check for: Humility:Does this person believe that "doing the right thing" is more important than personal comfort? Kindness: Does this person enjoy giving pleasure to other people? How does s/he treat people s/he doesn't have to be nice to? Does s/he do volunteer work? Give charity? Responsibility: Can I depend on this person to do what s/he says s/he's going to do? Happiness: Does this person like himself? Does s/he enjoy life? Is s/he emotionally stable? Ask yourself: Do I want to be more like this person? Do I want to have a child with this person? Would I like my child t! o turn out like him or her?

#3. You pick the wrong person because the man doesn't understand what a woman needs most. Men and women have unique emotional needs, and more often than not, it is the man who just doesn't "get it." Jewish tradition places the onus on the man to understand the emotional needs of a woman and to satisfy them. The unique need of a woman is to be loved-to feel that she is the most important person in her husband's life. The husband needs to give her consistent, quality attention. Men are goal-oriented, especially when it comes this area. As a wise woman once pointed out, "Men have two speeds: on and off." Women are experience-oriented. When a man is able to switch gears and become more experience-oriented, he will discover what makes his wife very happy. When the man forgets about his own needs and focuses on giving his wife pleasure, amazing things happen.

#4. You choose the wrong person because you do not share a common life goals and priorities. There are three basic ways we connect with another person: 1. chemistry and compatibility 2. share common interests 3. share common life goal. Make sure you share the deeper level of connection that sharing life goals provide. After marriage, the two of you will either grow together or grow apart. To avoid growing apart, you must figure out what you're "living for," while you're single-and then find someone who has come to the same conclusion as you. This is the true definition of a "soul mate." A soul mate is a goal mate-two people who ultimately share the priorities, values and goals.

#5. You choose the wrong person because you get involved sexually too quickly. Sexual involvement before the commitment of marriage can be a big problem because it often precludes a fully honest exploration of important issues. Sexual involvement tends to cloud one's mind. And a clouded mind is not inclined to make good decisions. It is not necessary to take a "test drive" in order to find out if a couple is sexually compatible. If you do your homework and make sure you are intellectually and emotionally compatible, you don't have to worry about sexual compatibility. Of all the studies done on divorce, sexual incompatibility is never cited as a main reason why people divorce.

#6. You pick the wrong person because you do not have a deeper emotional connection with this person. To evaluate whether you have a deeper emotional connection or not, ask: "Do I respect and admire this person?" This does not mean, "Am I impressed by this person?" We are impressed by a Mercedes. We do not respect someone because they own a Mercedes. You should be impressed by qualities of creativity, loyalty, determination, etc. Also ask: "Do I trust this person?" This also means, "Is he/she emotionally stable? Do I feel I can rely on him/her?

#7. You pick the wrong person because you choose someone with whom you don't feel emotionally safe. Ask yourself the following questions: Do I feel calm, peaceful and relaxed with this person? Can I fully be myself and express myself with this person? Does this person make me feel good about myself? Do you have a really close friend who does make you feel this way? Make sure the person you marry makes you feel the same way! "... heart wrenching aint it!!!

Happy women's day!!

Happy women's day everyone!!
...by the great Maya Angelou...

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I have had this forward sent to me a thousand and seven times, and I'm sure so has everyone else, but it always puts a smile on my face everytime I read it anew!...I just added some of my thoughts...

Think about them one at a time before going on to the next one...

1. Falling in love.....its a lush feeling
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts...especially about silly things
3. A hot shower...with yummy smelling shower gel like passion fruit from the body shop
4. No lines at the supermarket...doesn't happen too often, but great when it does
5. A special glance...the type that makes you flutter
6 Getting mail...especially a big package...
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road...on a nice day with someone you like to be with
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio...then breaking into dance
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside....with a hot cup of vanilla tea
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer...that still smell of fabric softener...
11. Chocolate milkshake (or vanilla or strawberry!)....in my case, vanilla
12. A bubble bath...with candles and incense
13. Giggling...especially with girlfriends...guys can't giggle!!! why??
14. A good conversation...a deep intense one that leaves you feeling enlightened
15. The beach...the malindi beach to be specific
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter...especially when you're dead broke!!
17. Laughing at yourself...I do this alot!!!
18. Holding a newborn baby...it's the most precious feeling ever!!
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours...or till sunrise!
20. Running through sprinklers...in the summer so you can run through them!
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all...I also do this alot.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful...especially when im in just a tshirt and just woken up
23. Laughing at an inside joke...and nobody else knows what is going on..
24. Friends...the kind that are there always in good and bad.
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you...and not ever mentioning that you heard it
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep...especially on a cold morning
27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner)...when you've got all the butterflies inside
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones...especially ones you haven't seen in ages!
29. Playing with a new puppy...they are cutest silliest things ever!
30. Having someone play with your hair...while you watch a movie...
31. Sweet dreams...the kind that have you smiling the rest of the day
32. Hot chocolate...with whipped cream on the top
33. Road trips with friends...and some alcohol
34. Swinging on swings...with no shoes on so you can feel the wind between your toes.
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger...and "just knowing" there's a connection
36. Making chocolate chip cookies...and the yummy smell while they bake
37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies...when i least expected them
38. Holding hands with someone you care about...thats something really intimate
39. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change...better good
40. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you...and feeling that warm feeling knowing that it's what they really wanted.
41. Watching the sunrise...in the country or on the beach
42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day...and knowing you're healthy
43. Knowing that somebody misses you....and cares alot about you
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply...another intimate for me
45. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think...and sticking to it

I've just had a glass of wine...ok ok...two glasses of wine! So I've got that nice warm feeling, much like the woman in this painting. I just feel like laying down with no clothes on and feel clean cotton sheets all around me. I don't even want anyone in the sheets with me! Yeah, i know...totally weird!! The other day, my housemates and I were up till like 2 a.m talking bout this whole idea of love. Without saying who said what, some people believe in it, some felt that it was just not there. Not there in that its just a concept we want to believe in. It starts with physical attraction or just passion and infatuation and after that, what's left is tolerance. You have to learn to tolerate. One point that was brought up was this...if you can have lots of friends, love them all the same, just in different degrees and for different things, why can that not apply to your "the one"? Nobody is perfect and different people have different qualities about them.. You can't have the whole package no matter how badly you want it. It's a fact...nobody is perfect, everyone has their flaws and their good points. But then is love not that ability to love wholly, completely and without concentrating on these negativities but instead absorbing them and embrasing as part of the person...a rose has its thorns, does it not? Does it make it any less beautiful? You take it in it's whole...as a rose...leaves, petal formation, thorns, everything! So that was the basic trail of thought between us housemates that night.
As for now, today, I still want to do lots of things...I want to travel, I want to see so many things...i was talking to someone and they were like..."oh, kipepeo, you want to go everywhere"....I do. I really do...and not just that, but I will!!! Watch this space...i want to go to nepal, i want to go to karachi, i want to go to cuba, i want to go to argentina, egypt,ivory coast, so many places...so little time...mental...our equator plan is still on right? But I'll do all those. I have to...this is like a really ranting combined with a little too much wine post...I've sort of learnt to just let life be. Whatever happens, was meant to be...ofcourse it helps with my hoping and working towards certain things, but I've come to realise that it doesn't always work out as planned, but everything always ends up ok and you always need a basic plan to work towards. Do fríendships change? What happens if what used to be, just isn't anymore. The carefree laughter isn't there anymore, when you have to think before you say something, when you can't just chillax and catch a flick and have the time of your life. ok, let me stop now...

PRESS FREEDOM : LETTER TO KIBAKI

Press Freedom: Letter to Kibaki

Dear President Kibaki,

On March 2, 2006 armed police raided the headquarters and printing plant of the East African Standard Group. In addition to destroying equipment including the printing presses and burning newspapers, they shut down the Kenyan Television Network television station.
This latest attack follows the jailing of three journalists from the East African Standard newspaper, attacks on the Citizen Weekly, and ongoing harassment of journalists by government-sponsored forces.

I urge you to:

1) Condemn these attacks in the strongest terms possible.
2) Dismiss any member of your government who played a role in the attacks.
3) Live up to your promise to support freedom of the press.

Please copy and paste a copy of this letter on your blog.

You may alter the wording to suit your needs. Campaign started by Keguro.