Makenzie/Mugenzi

When I'm not helping with kids or working on a project, I go running as often as the opportunity comes.
I find that it helps me to collect my thoughts, it gives me alone time, it gets my ticker pumping, and the endorphins that come later are soo nice.

Also, with the way that I've been eating here, any sort of exercise is welcome.

(I had many people think that I would come to Africa and starve. I'm sure they imagined I would come back an emaciated person. I can assure you, quite the opposite is happening. My hosts are making sure that I am never in want of food.)

Running also brings out some interesting experiences.
In the neighborhood I run in, every house has a wall and a guard (I've blogged about it on my other blog, here)
The guards are friendly, and sometimes yell things as I pass by. Usually it's just something like, courage, courage!  But once, one was so bold as to ask my name. ...I'm not such a fan of giving my name out to strangers, but I remembered that my name was a convenient one.
"Oh! It's Makenzie!" I said as I ran.
"No, no, your name!"
"Makenzie!"
He shook his head and laughed. I kept running.

My name sounds almost exactly like the Kirundi word for friend (mugenzi).

It's fun to mess with people's minds that way. I keep some anonymity and I'm not being rude by not saying a name.

Another time, I was running at the park (they have a nice 1 km track) and an old guy was running at my pace. As we ran, he told me that he was a marathoner, running in France and America. Now that was pretty cool. He had to be at least 60 (and don't judge my running as that slow...this guy was GOING.)

I enjoy running here, though I do get stared at openly for a few reasons, I'm sure. 1) because I am white 2) because I am a girl (girls don't run much here. They don't get out much either, it seems) and most likely 3) because I am so red faced and out of breath.

Running always makes me think of the passages about running the race of life with endurance. It's a pertinent allegory.