Exploring Nairobi

It’s been a full couple of days since I last posted. Yesterday we broke into small groups and were dropped off at a specific location in Nairobi. My group was left at the GVRC—Gender Violence Recovery Center. Our mission was simply to find out as much as we could about the facility and to report back to the large group. We made our way from the busy bus stop to the Kenyatta Women’s Hospital and met up with our contact person, Ken. He gave us an overview on the center and then took us on a tour.

He said early on that we would have to come back to actually visit the wards (we all wanted to see the nursery and children’s ward) but as our tour progressed it, we made it into these places and many other areas of the hospital. I think he was having so much fun leading us around and greeting the kids, nurses, and doctors that he set protocol aside :)

We finished up a little early, and he took us down to the hospital café for coffee and maandazi, a fried semisweet pastry. He really dedicated his whole morning to us; it was fun to get to talk to him about his work at the center and what had brought him to Nairobi.

This morning we met our Swahili teachers and they took us into the city center of Nairobi. We had our first experience riding matatus (small buses that are a major means of transport here) and also ate at our first city restaurant. There are smaller matatus than this one that cram tons of people in, but we aren’t quite ready for those. Yet.

The staff t the restaurant were extremely helpful and accommodating. One in particular taught us a few words and explained the various dishes to us. Many of us ended up ordering njahi matoke (black beans and plantains). Simple but very good—they gave us a ton of food for around $2.50.

Sorry for the lack of pictures! The directors wanted us to be aware of our surroundings today, so our cameras stayed back at the hostel to minimize distraction. 

Up next on the agenda is tea time at the hostel before another lecture. Tonight is our last night here; tomorrow morning we'll pack up and move to a region closer to the city center for a couple days. Then Saturday we'll move in with out homestay families!

Also, I almost forgot--I got my first mosquito bite. Malaria isn't a big risk in Nairobi and I've been good about meds, so I should be fine. But now we'll see if I have hypochondria. 

I kissed a giraffe and I liked it

More on that later.

I made it to Nairobi! I met a bunch of group members in the Amsterdam airport and even sat next to one on the flight to Nairobi. I had a bit of a scare with visa materials and had to track down a copy of my itinerary, but in the end I didn’t need it to get the visa! Walking out of the airport was pretty exciting; there were dozens of people holding signs, but the SIT people spotted us and eased our worries. They escorted us out to a neat little van (with a banner saying “Jazz Central” across the front, posters on the ceiling, and green neon lights on the walls). They lifted our bags onto the roof, strapped them down, and drove us off into the night.

We were all anxious to see where we would end up. After an hour or so, we arrived at our home for the next 3 days: a Catholic monastery/hostel in the Karen region of Nairobi. We each have our own room complete with a closet, desk, bed, mosquito net, and sink—with safe water! They didn’t tell us at first that the water was fine, so the first time I brushed my teeth a felt like I was being a daredevil. Oh, we have wireless internet, too!

Though it was 11 PM, we were welcomed with a hot meal of rice, fried fish, and pasta. After we had eaten, we all crashed for the night.

           

Today has been incredible so far. After breakfast (cereal, toast, eggs, and a mystery porridge that looked like Malt-O-Meal but tasted like citrus?), we were told the plans for the day: first, the Giraffe Center! Which leads me to the title of this post:

Yes, this giraffe ate a pellet from my lips. But it’s okay, everyone was doing it, and giraffe saliva apparently has antiseptic properties. These guys were so adorable and friendly! We fed them, learned a little bit about the center and its inhabitants, and went for a short walk on the grounds. This place was incredible! (Mom, look into the Giraffe Manor as a potential hotel for when you come! It’s on the grounds. )

Next, we went to a shopping mall to purchase local phones. My new little Samsung can call the US for 3 shillings a minute ($0.03). Much better than the $4.99 it would cost from my Droid!

We returned to the hostel for a lunch of seasoned rice, salad, veggie/potato stew, and some delicious yellow sweet potato thing. I’ll have to ask the names of all these mystery items!

Now we have a little free time until afternoon tea. I’m hoping to explore the grounds a little more.

Halfway there

Well, I'm on the way! I arrived in Amsterdam about an hour ago and am now hanging out in the airport. My next flight leaves in 4 hours, and just 8 hours after that I'll land in Nairobi! Ahh! 

It was really tough to leave this morning. I was the last one through security in our little Pierre airport because I didn’t want to say goodbye until I absolutely had to. Even though I’m extremely nervous, I know this semester is going to move quickly and provide me with incredible experiences!

The study abroad program I'm participating in is operated by SIT (School of International Training). Check out this site for a good description:

http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/ssa_ker.cfm

I'll be taking classes on health and community development, and the program will culminate in an independent research project related to these areas. At this point, I don’t have much more information than what is shown on the site! I’ll spend a lot of time in Nairobi but will also go on excursions throughout the country over the course of the semester. I guess it’s more exciting to go in without knowing what to expect. At least that’s what I’m telling myself to calm my nerves :)

There are 26 students participating in the program, from universities all over the US. I’ve met one so far—we were on the same flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam. There are a few other students on our flight from Amsterdam to Nairobi, but we’re super early and haven’t found them yet. Hurricane Irene has been canceling flights right and left, and it sounds like a few people won’t get to Nairobi for a couple days. Thank goodness I flew over Canada and not New York!

Hopefully the next post is more exciting since I’ll actually be in Kenya! I’m losing my battle with jet lag and this plastic bench not too uncomfortable.

Why didn't I pack yesterday?

In just 13 hours I will be setting out on the first flight of my journey to Kenya. It's hard to believe that it's finally here! Throughout the past few months of paperwork and preparation, actually going to Kenya has seemed so far away. Today I've been a wreck-- shooting from extremely excited at one moment to unbearably nervous at the next. I'm anxious to finally get to Nairobi and find out what the next few months will bring!

My bags are packed....well, sort of:

Chaos

I have one gigantic suitcase and a big ol' hiking backpack, as well as a carry-on tote. None are totally ready to go, but I can only do so much packing at a time. They're close though, right? Unfortunately, traveling light has never been my forte. I keep finding things that I need to add but soon will need to go through everything and trim the fat. I will never look back on a trip and say "I wish I had brought more junk to carry around", and I really need to keep that in mind as I finish packing!

My flight from Pierre to Minneapolis is at 6:40 AM. After a 6 hour layover at MSP (thank goodness I have my sister, Steph, to pick me up for the morning!), I will fly to Amsterdam, and then on to Nairobi. I will arrive in Nairobi at 8:05 local time on August 28th. I'm not sure what time that is at home...should probably try to figure that out for my parents' sake :/

Upon arrival in Nairobi, our group of 26 students will embark on a 4-day orientation trip. I'm not sure where this trip will take us, but it should be a nice way to ease into the semester and become familiar with Kenyan culture. 

My younger sister, Sydney, has a volleyball scrimmage tonight at 6:30, so I'm hoping to finish up and be (relatively) stress-free by then. I'm lucky to be able to see her play before I go--something I've really missed by going to school so far away is the opportunity to see my siblings play their various sports. I've got time to kill at airports in the next couple days and will try to find free WiFi to check in. Off to pack again (and hopefully unpack the things I don't actually need).