What was written 3 weeks ago: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7092398.stm

What was written tonight: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7164890.stm

Nakumat (the equivalent of Walmart smack dab in the middle of Kisumu):

Maasai in Nakumat (an interesting juxtaposition):

I've finally moved into the place where I will be staying for the rest of my time here. Each day after our arrival in Migori, there was some reason that we couldn't move in. First there was no gas, then there were not enough beds, then it was too dirty to move in. I began to worry that they were just trying to avoid having to show it to me until the last possible moment. Turns out the place is pretty nice and very close to where I've been staying the past several days. Still it was nice to be able to finally unpack. I'd been repacking my stuff every morning, so that I would be prepared to move whenever it became necessary.

Migori town:

The recent nuclear test performed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has drawn the attention of the international community back to the ongoing struggles and affairs that have remained unresolved on the Korean peninsula. As a single event, the test was a critical catalyst to attract international attention to the DPRK, but more importantly, the incident represents a nadir to deteriorating diplomatic efforts with North Korea. For over a decade, the DPRK has negotiated with international parties over critical issues, including nuclear arms proliferation. The failure of these efforts in halting the development of nuclear weapons indicates an essential failure of diplomacy. As a result of these deteriorating diplomatic efforts, the DPRK has become increasingly isolated, antagonized, and neglected.

On my last day here in Korea, I met with Dr. John Linton at Severance Hospital of Yonsei University. Dr. Linton is a physician who was raised in South Korea and was the first Caucasian to be licensed as a physician in South Korea. Dr. Linton has made numerous trips into North Korea as a part of humanitarian efforts organized by the Eugene Bell Foundation in the United States. Although the support work of this physician and the organization has covered a broad range hitherto, of note recently have been efforts to address the escalating TB epidemic in North Korea.

As a veteran in the field of North Korean humanitarian aid, I met with him to discuss my hopes and aspirations in the field. The more I discussed with him, the more I realized how I wasn’t clear about my vision for working in this field. When asked the simple question, "What do you want to do?", I had no answer.

7.09.06

On my last day working with the NGO, I was invited to visit the apartment of North Korean family. The unit I visited was home for an older couple that had immigrated several years ago and had gotten married here in South Korea. The small apartment was on the 10th floor of a large apartment complex that houses a large number of North Koreans. The government owns units in these large apartment complexes and rents them out to North Korean migrants as they resettle in South Korea. These complexes provide a much-needed community for the North Koreans as they resettle in a foreign country.

I caught a glimpse of that community at work as I walked into the apartment today. As I came into the unit, I was invited by three older North Korean women who were huddled in a tight circle. They were old enough to be my grandmother, but had such energy and vibrancy as they chatted away with each other about just about anything and everything.

When I walk down an empty street or an empty hallway and I pass someone, I can't help but greet them now. Likewise, if I bump into someone that I know, I feel like if I don't have at least a 10 minute conversation with them, I have been extremely rude. I find myself asking people over and over how they are, how their family is, how their summer's been, how's this and that and the other thing all are? I can imagine that it must sound repetitive and perhaps even nosy. This behavior may not sound that unusual to you, but this friendliness goes completely against my nature as an East Coaster.