Well, I just watched my last episode of WWE Monday Night Raw with my family in Kenya (and perhaps the last in my life – and I know it’s Tuesday night, but I guess there’s a delay, so don’t tell me what happens!). We had ugali (the staple food here – a maize meal porridge, like thick grits clumped together) and a goat stew with cabbage for dinner. I’m going up to The General’s tomorrow morning at 7am to have my last breakfast with him and Jojo Jessica (The General bought corn flakes last week in order to get me used to American food again – we eat it with boiling milk, fresh from their cow, but it still feels more familiar than sweet potatoes). We head to Nairobi in the afternoon, and then flight is on Thursday! Just a hop, skip, and a really long freakin’ flight, and I’ll be home!
I can’t believe that my time here is up. I will miss this place, these people, and my life here. I’m extremely happy with the material that I’ve collected, and I look forward to sharing what The General has taught me. I know that I haven’t written much about the “nitty-gritty” (quoting a recent email) of my time here, but I’ve been so busy, working hard – meeting with The General or related figures nearly every day, all-day, preparing questions, and reviewing our sessions – that I haven’t posted many specific updates regarding the progress.
I think that I can use my experience here as a model on which to base future stories and historical preservation throughout the developing world. I’m excited to get back to the States and make a business plan for The General History Project, Inc. (now an official 501(c)(3) organization!) and organize the material I’ve collected – perhaps in book-form. At a minimum, I plan to begin the tedious task of transcribing the sessions with The General, so I might disappear for a bit to get the work done. As always, I welcome any ideas for how to best move this project forward and present the material that I’ve collected along the way.
So, I will catch everyone up and continue to post information about the project and The General and my Kenyan life after I get back. But in the meantime, Laura Lee’s coming home…
Kwaheri – LL/Nkirote 
“Nkirote, too much of anything is poisonous.” – The General
Good luck with your project LL, and have a safe flight back home. Maybe one day we meet again in Meru cooking pasta
All the best,
D (Kagendo)
Comment by Dorota — May 5, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
Laura Lee, I had mixed feelings seeing you off on Thursday 7th. Some sadness that you would be so far from us, and not as easy to call afterwards. Some pride and delight that you had pulled it off per plan and you were armed with the material you set out to collect for the project. And a lot of admiration for your courage and steadfast determination at it – disclosures to follow
. And I will certainly miss the humour and hearty laughter. I am sure that we, The General’s family will be glad that you happened upon our lives, and that the world is a little richer in some preserved knowledge and “tribal wisdom”, because you walked our village paths. We wish you the best in the next phase and pledge our support.
With much love and admiration,
Murithi.
Comment by Murithi Thambu — May 10, 2009 @ 3:35 pm