I’ve decided to put another entertaining update on here. I’m going to include another entry out of my journal for you to enjoy. It is another matatu experience.

March 1, 2007

“I think that one day I may write a small book on all of my matatu experiences. The again, it may end up being a rather large book.

This time it was a Monday and I didn’t arrive to my matatu line until about 6 p.m. The air temperature had cooled down a lot from Uhuru Park to where I was now and I could tell it was going to rain sometime soon. The first sprinkles started after being in line for about ten minutes; the line held fast. As soon as the drops became a little bigger, bam, the line cut to less than half its original size. People scatter in all directions, running to find cover—while the braver ones (or stupider ones) moved up in the line. I was having a great time—I had moved from near the back of the line to a position where I could get on the fifth or sixth matatu that came, and I was loving the rain since we don’t get to experience it too often in Fullerton. And I continued enjoying it, until thirty minutes had passed, only two matatus had come, and the downpour didn’t seem to be letting up. Then, after an hour had passed by I was standing I a puddle with my soaking clothes clinging to my body, I was thinking, “Hmmmm…I guess it might not have been that bad of an idea to run for shelter as soon as the monsoon began.”

Finally my turn came and the matatu pulled up beside us and the conductor attempted to open the sliding door, but it would only open about six inches. This was unbelievable; we had waited to get out of the rain for an hour and a half and finally when it was our turn our dreams were suddenly shattered by a broken door. But our hopes were revived again when the conductore reached through the window and managed to get the door unstuck. We loaded up and began to back up while the conductor slammed the door shut, Bam! It slid back open, Bam! It slid back open again, Bam! OK! There’s no way that door’s going to shut! So we left in the rain with the conductor holding the door shut. As I glanced to my left I realized, “No wonder the door won’t work, it looks like this little Nissan was t-boned right where the door slides back and it looks like someone just beat the doorpost back out with a sledge hammer and slapped some body-putty on the spot to smooth things out.” Seriously, is body-putty on the inside of vehicles a common practice?”