the good and the bad...

Here is the gist of what's going on. One: I love the sisters of Notre Dame. They are hilarious. Two: My computer broke!

So firstly, I have never met such an insane, lively, funny group of women. There is a stereotype of course, that nuns are old, mean, conservative, and scary. I am sure this is based some what in truth, but the nuns that I have met over the last few days have completely changed my mind about this! Specifically I am talking about Kathleen (two of them), Sissy, Peg, Evelyn and Rosalee. These ladies are hilarious. Tonight I went over to a house where three of them live, and I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I actually want to hang out with them in my free time, and I am sure I will (Sebastian, don't worry- I have no intentions of becoming a nun...). It is just nice to have a different image in my head, and get to know these nuns.

When Sister Kathleen (number 1) opened the door, she said, 'There's no room in the inn.' We all laughed, but then she actually closed the door on us! Then she just giggled to herself.

At one point during dinner, Sister Kathleen (number 2), turned to us and said: 'Do you know what "up-talk" is?' All of us burst out laughing, thinking she said upchuck or something worse (use your imagination...). At this point, we were all totally gone, from laughing so hard. She turned to Sister Rosalee and said, 'Really, you must have heard me talk about this!' Rosalee is hard of hearing, by her own admittance. So she turns to me and says, 'She probably told me and I just didn't hear her.' I know it is one of those things that you had to be there, but seriously folks. These are some funny ladies.

But on a slightly sadder note, I was unfortunate enough to find out that my computer has up and died. It flashes the dreaded 'questions mark' as I try and start it up. I have been doing some research on that problem, and most people and websites say that everything I have will have been lost. I am so bummed. Sooo bummed! I am just thankful that I am going to have time to figure this out while I am still in the states. This would really suck in Kenya...

I have a couple options though. I could replace the hard drive. This would cost a couple of hundred dollars. But then I am still bringing my Mac to rural Kenya, risking it being stolen or broken. And despite the horror of death of my computer, I still love it and want to salvage it if possible. The other thing I could do is buy a cheap, crappy dell laptop and use it for what I need it. I need it for microsoft word and picture storage. It would be nice if it had DVD capabilities as well. This would be about the same price, but less risky I think. I am leaning toward that option, if I can find a cheap cheap computer.

Does anyone have one????? I am hoping to find a cheap (or even free) laptop if anyone knows anything, or is feeling generous...

Soo. Here we are. I am still here. Things in Kenya look better every day. So keep praying...

Peace.