~As you may already know, Mercy, from Kisumu Kenya, is my pen pal, friend, and muse.  Here’s a girl that lived in a little hut with brothers, sisters, a dad, and his 3 of his wives; a girl without electricity, running water, or the basic things we’re all drowning in.  But Mercy had something more powerful and mighty than those small, insignificant conveniences:

 ``Hope,dreams, drive, and BOOKS.  Mercy told me that books transformed her world, her isolated world of farming and village life.

  She read Angelou, Freud, and Morrison.  She revealed, “Kim, I even picked up slips of paper blowing on the streets to read.  I read everything I could get my hands on.”

Mercy knows four languages.  She told me she used to study and read on top of the buildings of the rich Asian communities to catch light in order to see the words.  We met through a writing site: The Glass Woman…Mercy Adhiambo …

Somebody asked me not long ago, “Kim, what have you learned the most from knowing Mercy.  I knew immediately, without hesitation what this awakening was….  That we are all  part of humanity… that what happens thousands of miles away makes a difference to all of us here… that a young girl living in a small hut in Kisumu. Kenya, can show us that no matter where we come from, we are all connected to the universe, all interwoven with one another.

Read the letters below and you will understand more about what I’m trying to express.  You will see that these letters could have been written by any girl, anywhere; perhaps even an American girl living directly next door to you.

~ Below are letters between Mercy Adhiambo and myself and on Saturday, January 16, 2009

We are paying for Mercy’s college in Nairobi.  She is writing these letters from her dorm…Bu the way, she desires to be in Parliament by 2012)

   (Notice the teasing and wonderful sense of humor she has!)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

   Kim writes 

Mercy, I should hope you will invite me as a friend!!!!  I have photos on my face book now, so goooo looook! 

How do you know so much about men for only being 21!!!!  You crack me up, girl friend

Anyhow, I want to know EVERYTHING about your classes. lectures, etc.........  Do you have Ireaki or whatever his name is for the creative writing teacher?

Are you taking a writing class?  Did you read Beate's interview?

Keep in touch.  And BE NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xxxxxx  Kisses.  K

   Mercy writes:

Hi,

Imagine i wanted to take a creative writing class but i was told it has a prerequisite. And don’t even think about telling me that you don’t know what a prerequisite is my dear! So, I am taking four courses this semester. I had taken Development Journalism as an elective, but i was forced to drop it cuz the lecturer was weird. He kept on whispering at the front, and since i was at the back, I wasnt getting anything.

So, my friend and I decided to converse, in class. Okey, we were whispering...so she goes like: "What did you do this holiday? And I whisper:" I fought with an antelope, I visited Obama's grandma and got to pinch her, I rolled my eyes at Obama's cousin...."

And she squeals so loudly that the lecturer is forced to stop, and I straighten my skirt and put onan innocent face...then when the lecturer resumes whispering about the Marshall plan and why it failed, my friend and I resume talking about boys, jewelery,  Obama, and girl stuff, and we giggle at the back, and people give us this"Puhleez" look. So later when we leave the class, we decide to drop the course and pick another one. It was an upper elective course.

I know so much about men  cuz they are so predictable, plus knowing a man like Simon gives you all there is to know about men. And, he is always walking with his twin Cyril, so I get to know men in double doses.

I will go to facebook tomorrow. Yes, I read the interview. I thought I sent you my comments on it. Dint you read it? It is raining in Nairobi, so heavily, from morning till evening, what! It is cold!

Have a super day. say hi to Deb and Joan. I love reading your blogs, but today, I cant access the skirt website, I dont know why. I will try later.

Mercy

   Kim writes:

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2009, 7:35 AM

Mercy, you never fail to make me smile....Fighting with the antelope, pinching Obama's grandma and rolling your eyes at Obama's cousin!  That cracked me up, too...and I would have hooted and howled!  You are a very naughty girl.

Prerequisite.  DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  Never underestimate Kim Robinson!  Yes, I had to take English Comp before creative writing...this makes sense.  You know, Mercy, when you write freely and without censorship or judgment...you writing is soooooooooo awesome....for example talking about pinching Obama’s grandma and fighting with the antelope.  This is classic, beautiful stuff!  NEVER lose this wonderful part of you. This is what makes an excellent writer.

Move up to the front of the class and stop talking about antelope and pinching! HA HA… you bad, bad, girl!!!

What are you doing today?

xxx kisses, even though you don't deserve them!   

How do you like a little taste of Mercy Adhiambo's teasing???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ha ha h

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

   Mercy writes:
Madam,

So you know what a prerequisite is...that is good. I had my doubts. After that UNESCO saga, I always get very careful when telling you college terms...but now that you have clarified that you understand prerequisite, we may precede form there.

I wanted to take a creative writing course this semester but i was told that it has three prerequisite courses! Damn, so i am stuck with Math’s, Introduction to print media, Natural science elective (And now Miss Knowledgeable, can you tell me what a Natural Science elective is???!)  and I am also taking News writing and editing. I have decided to take a double concentration, which is Broadcast and Print media.

As a rule, I never sit at the front of the lass. It limits my understanding. My friend and i always sit at the back...and we talk about weird issues...I have something against her boyfriend, and he also hates Simon, but we are friends, and we pretend when those boys are around...i pretend that her boyfriend Chris is cool when he is around.

So, when we were in class, I whispered: "How is your big eyed boy?" She narrows her eyes and tells me: "I have so many big eyed boyfriends, who exactly are you talking about?" And I pretend to be deep in thought then I whisper: "Chris!"

And you know what she tells me? "On Christmas day, we were robbed outside a club and Chris wept like a baby!!!" Goodness me! I look at her and we both burst out laughing, in Class!!!!!

I mean, which man cries on Christmas day,,,,infront of his gal!!!?

Anyway, Chris is just weird...so my friend, her name is Tana, ask me about Simon. For her own reasons, she calls Simon the confused man. So she asks me: "And how is Mr. Confused?"

We laugh so hard at this, and people stare at us so angrily, and we pretend that we are laughing about the Marshal plan, Brazil, China in Civilization and whatever else the lecturer is whispering about! And the guy seated next to us asks:" What is funny? And we respond: "The Marshal plan!!!!!" And Tana adds: "I am finding the Chinese story so funny! Oh, China! And we laugh harder!

Deep down, we know that we are laughing about our own stuff. Tana is wild! We gossip a lot. Sometimes, she calls me in the middle of the night to tell me about weird stupid things.

She likes asking me, what do you want to be when you grow up? And I tell her that I am grown up already. And she tells me that when she grows up, she will become Obama's wife...and I boast to her that Obama's grandma is my neighbour, and we meet when fetching firewood, and that kind of stuff! She says that when she comes to visit me, she will go to Obama's grandma and tell her that she wants to get married to Obama!

I will check you out on facebook soon. I hope you used your real name...and not these weird names people use on facebook.

Have a good day!

Mercy

Kim Writes:

Mercy Writes:

Hi,  Natural Science elective is not what you descibed, but I will forgive you. and I am not telling you what it is. Just know that i am taking it, and i have classes every Tuesday and Thursday evening...it ends at 7.00 pm!   Poor Chris? That man is a sick one...I swear if I ever saw Simon crying, I would hit him so that he cries more. I laughed so hard. And I asked her: "When he was crying, what happened to his big eyes?" And Tana whispers, "They got bigger and redder, and he was sniffing like a two year old girl!" Then I vow to give him a call, and tell him "Hey Chris, I heard that you were robbed on Christmasday...." So that I hear him cry more.   Tana says that she hates mitchelle, that she just looks bossy...I dont know. By the way, on a very serious note, when Obama and Mitchelle came in 2004, I got a chance to talk to them...to hold those little girl's hands, to hold Mitchelle's hand, and Obama held my shoulder. Of course I was too young, so my body was confused,,,i mean, I didnt get any shivers, I didnt even know that a woman is supposed to get shivers...when a man like Obama hold her shoulder. Infact, I didnt even know how important that event was, I wish i had a camera then, I would have had my photo taken, then maybe hanged it on the wall of my house.   I tell Tana this story over and over, and she asks me why i didnt slap Mitchelle on her behalf, and I roll my eyes and tell her that liked Mitchelle. I might not be able to wqtch the Obama's inauguration cuz I wont be able to access a TV, but I wil try. Is it on 20th? Maybe the school TV room will be open for us to watch.   My grandma was invited to go to the  USAand watch Obama, but she refused!That old woman, she doesnt understand the opportunity she haslost. i wil catch you later Darling.     Mercy