And so it begins......

Normally I despise blogs but since I have gotten countless Facebook messages and emails asking how Kenya is, I figured this would be easier. I’m already one week in and I’ve been so busy the days all collide in my mind. I’ll try my best to describe my experiences so far.

I am living in Njema Apartments in the Westlands of Nairobi. It’s one of the nicer areas in the city. It’s a gated apartment complex complete with guards, a housekeeper, gym, pool, sauna, and I believe there is a hot tub somewhere. My apartment fits four comfortably. I have double bed in a room by myself with a nice little storage unit.  There is a smaller room with a single bed, and a bigger room with two single beds. We have two complete bathrooms, a kitchen, living/dining room, laundry room and a balcony.  It’s nicer than any apartment I could afford in DC. Having a housekeep is a bit strange. My bed is made for me every day and she organizes my belongings which leaves me confused when I enter my room and can’t find my slippers. We only have hot water for showers if we turn the hot water heater on at least 45 minutes before we take a shower. Even then it’s only mildly warm so I’m not sure if it’s worth it yet.  Also, I got unlimited internet through a company called Zain. It’s convenient to have but it’s nothing like home. It’s much slower and can’t connect sometimes. And sometimes our power just doesn’t work. The power was out my first night here. I was welcomed to Kenya by a very dark apartment and a blind, freezing cold shower. It’s an adjustment.

We woke up early on Tuesday to go to Naivassa which is a town about an hour and a half outside of Nairobi. We passed the Great Rift Valley on the way there but sadly I do not have pictures. My camera broke on the plane.  I was on super high alert walking around there. I was expecting to get mugged the whole time. I was overly fearful. One girl had her bag stolen the first day there but most people were extremely welcoming and wanted to talk to us. The second day there we went to Fisherman’s Camp. We took our first matatu ride there. Matatu’s are difficult to explain. Basically- they’re misery on wheels. They are little buses that can fit about 14 people (legally) but sometimes fit much more. Ours was packed. People were sitting on top of each other. It was very uncomfortable. However, a ride on a matatu coats about 20 to 30Kshs (which is a little more than 20 to 30 cents). Once we got to the camp we saw monkeys in the trees and did some “team building exercises.” On the way back to the hotel we saw giraffes and zebras just chillin’ on the side of the road. On our last day in Naivassa, we did a “drop-off.” Basically each one of us was dropped off in a random part of the town alone and without a phone or any money. When I stepped off the bus I cried for about 5 minutes and felt like I was going to be sick until I meet a group of kids and calmed down. I asked them where to find the place I was trying to find. They were surprisingly good at directions and followed me for a while. It was very strange. They all yelled and waved me goodbye when I found the road. I felt like Dorothy being urged on by the Munchkins. Along the way I asked several people for directions. All were surprisingly helpful. A lot of children asked me for money after they asked “how are you?” Those are the first three words Kenya children learn in English. You hear it like a song everywhere you go. “How are you? How are you? How are you?”  When I was almost at my destination I still had an hour to spare. I was so excited because I thought I’d be late. Then I ran into Mama Rose who invited me to her house to meet her children. I did the one thing I said I would never do by following her home. She cut up some watermelon for us and we talked about the differences between our countries while we watched Hell’s Kitchen and Spanish soap operas translated into English. We talked about Avril Lavine (or however you spell it) and Angelina Jolie. Then her daughter and her friend walked me back to my destination. After it was over I was so glad that I was not too afraid to get off the bus. I learned that most Kenyans are genuinely friendly and welcoming.

Fun Fact: In Kenya, after a woman has a baby you do not call her by her first name. You call her Mama (insert name of first child). For example my mother would be Mama Courtney.

Although my skin color makes me stick out and causes many people to stare it has its advantages. People want to talk to me. They want to help me. They want to ask me questions. And I’ve been told that most Kenyans would help me if someone tried to harm me. In short- Kenyans are awesome. They welcome everyone like family and are so very happy. And they love their music. This is all for now because typing is becoming very boring.