Dear Friends, Time is flying by and I have only 53 more days before I leave East Africa, my home for the last 5 years, with lots and lots to do before saying "goodbye" to some terrific people and a wonderfully rich chapter in my life. I have been trying to find the best way for shipping back my books, papers, clothes, and wall and desk items without being charged a horrible price. (I trust you know I will be locating in Toledo, Ohio, at least for one year. I am told it will be next winter, after January 2019, before I know whether my stay there will be longer or not.) I looked at DHL, a highly advertised company, and saw they are very expensive. After further searching I found a company (Bollore') that will wrap and pack and take to the airport my belongings and put them on the airlines I am taking out of here (Alitalia) and have them shipped in cargo under the category called "unaccompanied baggage." The price I was quoted was a fraction of what DHL wants to charge. Besides, I would have to do all the wrapping and packing if I went by DHL. So that is a worry off my mind..........................................................................................................Just before Easter our community of Jesuits was affected by a voltage surge of 340 volts coming from a short when weather prompted two power lines of our next-door neighbors to cross. The surge ruined my printer and knocked out all four of the sockets in my computer such that I cannot use a key board for typing (yes, I am now typing this by 'hunt & peck," very laborious ) nor a mouse to direct the cursor nor the "back-up". I am told that the cost of the labor involved in repairing this would be better spent on a new computer. So that is what I expect to do once I arrive back in the States: replace this Dell computer, Windows 7, with a 17" screen. It has served me well. I am sorry to lose it. .................................................................................................................................................................... I have been working hard on my next book. Today I finished the first draft of chapter 11. I am hoping the next chapter will be the concluding one and then an epilogue. Once I get back to the States and settle in, I will look for some friends to proofread and make suggestions for improvements. Writing and publishing a book of this kind is a long, long process. Some 2-3 weeks ago I learned that my first book has been printed in India and is being marketed in many Asian countries and will be sold also here in Africa. How very gratifying! I have the book translated into Spanish but have not yet been able to find a company willing to market it............................................................................................................................................................................................................ I have not taken time yet to ponder well what these last 5 years here in Nairobi have given me. I know one thing is to feel something of how depressing is the life of the really poor, who are so poor they cannot pay school tuition for their children and skimp on food money while living in huts that right now are cold at night and surrounded by mud and dirt thanks to the enormous amount of rain we have gotten here in the last 2 months. I have never been that vulnerable before. It makes me respect greatly the vast majority of these people wanting employment and many leaving here to go to England or other countries to find work. ................................................................................................................That's all for now. Bernie Owens