Karibu Kenya!

Jambo!

So it's 8:00 pm and I'm sitting in my room after an incredible first day in Kenya. I'm so tired right now I can barely think... staying awake for 24 hours will do that I suppose. I didn't sleep at all on the flight from London to Nairobi; instead, I watched "The Wedding Singer" and "We Bought A Zoo" and then proceeded to stare at the flight tracker screen for hours, waiting for the little animated plan to reach Nairobi. Finally, after what seemed like the longest night of my entire life, we were there! KARIBU KENYA!!! At the airport, we were greeted by Njau, our driver and Sean, another student in our group who had been in Kenya for the program prior to ours. They brought us back to the compound and I finally got my first real taste of Nairobi. For starters, we saw a family of giraffes about a mile away from the airport parking lot in the national park. Then came the craziest car ride of my life; I felt like we were on the nightbus in Harry Potter. I thought NYC cab drivers were crazy, but that's nothing compared to this. One way roads turned into 3 lane free-for-alls. Trucks sped by carrying at least 30 people in the back. And we had to have been going at least 90 mph (I never saw a single speed limit sign). Roadside markets sprung up on every corner. Men in three piece suits walked by us in the muddy shoulder of the road. Women carried babies on their backs and pails of water in their hands. Children sold bananas on the side of the road. We drove by one of the largest slums in sub-Saharan Africa and then pulled into one of the most affluent areas in Nairobi, no more than 30 seconds later. And that sun! I don't know if it was because I hadn't been outside in 2 days, or because we were basically on the equator, but I've never seen the sun shine so brilliantly in my whole life. Finally, we arrived (alive, thank God) at our St. Lawrence compound in Karen, Nairobi. It was not at all what was expecting; it was SO much more (I uploaded a video of the entrance, but I'll add some more tomorrow). Our director, Wairimu, is amazing; so effortlessly hilarious, yet so prophetic at the same time (and adorable, too!). We spent the day discussing our plans for the rest of the week and, looking around some little shops to get a sense for prices, eating lunch at "Tomambo's", and then my favorite... playing with the giraffes!! We also learned some Swahili from Wairimu; Jambo -Hello, Asante - Thank You, and Karibu - Welcome. By the time we got back, it was only 2:00, but it felt like 8 at night, we were all so exhausted. The remainder of the day, we spent resting, washing up, and then eating a delicious dinner cooked by Isaiah, our cook. Now, I'm lying here, and it just hit me... I'm in Africa! I've wanted this since I was a little girl inspired by my adventurous aunt and now I'm here. Finally. 

I braided my hair!!!

mosquito netting/bunk buddies<3