Home Again

I have been home now for about a month and a half. It has been so weird readjusting to life in the US. I stepped off the plane to New York and nearly died when I had to pay $3.50 for a coffee. The money looked so weird, everything did. The people, the environment, the food, it was all so different. It made me realize how life in Africa had started to feel so normal. Like everything was the way it was supposed to be and not crazy or different anymore. Life had been a hectic adventure there, but I had adjusted, and I had loved it.

            I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that made my time in Kenya what it was. I wouldn’t have had as much fun or learned as much as I did about Kenya or myself without all of those amazing people and personalities. Hopefully I have not seen Nairobi for the last time. For now, here are some of my favorite pictures from Kenya.

First day at the Giraffe Center

This face means nights full of fun, ridiculousness, and love

My little brother in Shirazi, such a sassy little one

Sardines, smelly but I love the colors

Sunset in Tanzania

Sassin' at dinner

Sunrise over Kilimanjaro

Sunrise in Malindi

Scorpio Villas in Malindi=Paradise

Elephant Sanctuary

 Thank you for following my blog while in Kenya. I hope you all enjoyed reading about my adventures as much as I enjoyed having them. Until my next adventure, kwaheri.

-Hannah

Culinary Adventures

I can’t believe that there are less than three weeks left until I return home! I feel like there is so much for me to do here still as there are many things still left on my “Kenya Bucket List”. Regardless, I have had the opportunity to check some things off in the last week.

View from the hostel. Not too shabby.

On Thursday I returned back to Nairobi from Mombasa. I was so happy to visit Mombasa despite it being like living in a sauna.  The culture, people and food there are amazing, I think it is my favorite place in Kenya so far. The reason to visit was research for my independent study project (the last month of the program we are left to do field research), but the goal was fun. The first couple days were dedicated to research and interviews. On Monday we interviewed the two teachers involved in the study, which will be great evidence for the final paper that I need to write.  Tuesday was a visit to a private school that had an amazing dual language program. We ended up staying for the better part of the day (9am-2: 30 pm), interviewed several teachers, ate lunch, and learned about the program. We actually made some friends and the teachers told us we should do a teaching fellowship there after graduation. Somehow, I don’t think I would mind that gig and am definitely keeping it for consideration. We also interviewed the Municipal Education Officer and the Provincial District Education Officer.

Another view from the hostel

To make sure it wasn’t all work and no adventure, I made a list of things we needed to do in Mombasa (this was aided by two SIT alum who we met in the hostel the first day). Most of them were food related. The first thing we crossed off the list was a Faluda. This is a milkshake with chopped up spaghetti, Jell-o and malt in it. It sounds really weird, and that‘s probably because it was really weird. The taste wasn’t really the problem; it was more of a texture thing. I can say though I’m glad I tried it but I don’t think it will be replacing a normal milkshake anytime soon.

The next morning we got up early to go find coconut beans from a mama (you have to get there early so you can get the top of the pot…. That is where most of the coconut milk is the thickest and the tastiest.)  A mama is a lady who cooks big pots of home made food on the side of the road, which is usually dirt-cheap, and coconut beans is one of my favorite dishes so this adventure was a must. We had no idea where to find this mama, except for some vague directions. We were eventually able to find it, unfortunately not in time for the top helping of beans, but they were good nonetheless. We sat down on the benches with all of the other people eating coconut beans and ate them using the Mandazi (puffy, bread-like pastry) and our hands because that’s how they do it on the coast-no silverware allowed.  (I think I’m going to bring the ban on silverware back with me to the states and start eating with my hands- sorry mom and dad.) The entire meal cost somewhere around 65 ksh…. which is less than a dollar, talk about quality.

Camel View

That night we also hit up the Shawarma place. Basically this is amazing roasted meat in spicy sauce and wrapped in a pita- so good. Tailor made pants got knocked off the list. They are pretty sweet- green with giraffes on them. I'm coming home in style. 

The last official thing to be crossed off the list was getting avocado smoothies. This sounded really weird to me too, but stay with me. It was a glass half full of avocado and milk blended together and then filled the rest of the way with fruit. They were amazing! With that, we had crossed everything off the list, but there was still one more thing to be done in Mombasa…. ride a camel.

We took a matatu a half hour away to the beach, which would have been incredible by itself. The water was so blue and the view was incredible, which was made even more magnificent on top of a camel. Riding a camel is like riding a horse…. except way cooler and more ridiculous, sort of like my life here in Kenya. After this excursion it was back to Nairobi.

Me and my friend the camel 

Although everything on my Mombasa list had been checked off there are still a lot of things to do on my Kenya bucket list. One of them was eat at Carnivore-the restaurant is named appropriately as it mostly just serves meat. A group of friends and I decided it was time. We walked into the restaurant and it was like entering another world. We had officially exited Nairobi and entered tourist-ville. We sat down and the waitress explained the menu to us: we would not be choosing anything tonight, but it was a set menu. This was kind of great because if I was going to Carnivore, I was going to do it right.  The first course was strawberry soup with bread and butter (something I have not seen in Africa since I got here…. it’s all “fat spread” which like it sounds, is pretty sub- par.). They then brought out salad and a whole bunch of sauces that are supposed to go with the meat. There was mint for lamb, maasala for beef, wild berry for ostrich, fruit salsa, garlic for chicken, and probably some other ones that I can’t remember.  Then came the meat. They brought it around on skewers Brazilian bbq style. There was honey-glazed ribs, lamb, beef, sausage, turkey, ostrich, crocodile, ox balls, ostrich meatballs, lamb meatballs, chicken-literally everything and it was all so good. The best part was trying all the sauces with the meat and getting so full I swear I should have been rolled out of there. When we finally put our flag down to signal we did not want any more meat (what we called surrendering) the waiter came and took our dessert orders. I literally thought I could not handle any more food…. good thing I held out for dessert. I got cheesecake with passion fruit and strawberry sauce on it. It was probably the best cheesecake I had in my life. Too bad I could only eat a few bites before I surrendered to that too. Needless to say we all went home fat and happy.

Enjoying the waves

The next day I took a trip to Ngong town in Maasailand with my friend Alex. We went to visit some people he had stayed with there. They showed us around, got us chai and then we went to another village 20 mins away to just pick out a few kangas, beads ect. I got more than I bargained for because when I got there a boy, about my age, asked Alex how much he would sell me for…this sounds bad but it is actually more of a marriage proposal. My friend said I was not for sale, but I actually kind of wanted to know how many cows I was worth, you know, just for future reference. It was actually pretty funny. After narrowly escaping becoming sold and married, we went back to Ngong town where we ate some delicious Nyama Choma- this literally translates into roasted meat. It is traditionally prepared meat in Kenya and was so good, maybe even a rival to Carnivore.

Take me back here! 

I can’t believe I have less than three weeks left here; it has gone by so fast! Good thing there is still time for adventures! p.s. sorry I don't have pictures of all the crazy food, I'm already touristy enough, taking pictures of food definitely wouldn't help that image. 

Ostrich Burgers, Goat Hooves, Baboon Heads-Oh My!

Trying to not fall off the ostrich 

As per usual, my life here in Kenya has been less than boring. In fact, this blog post may get a little hefty, so stay with me.

During the last few weeks I have gotten a hold on public transportation and can successfully get myself downtown on busses and matatus without getting too ripped off because I am a mzungu. I have finally figured out the system chaos employed in the public transportation system, which is a major accomplishment seeing as how I am directionally challenged even in the US. 

My friend Joseph the Shepherd in Kitengela

With my new found confidence in public transportation and my ability to navigate, some friends and I traveled an hour and a half to a town called Kitengela where the Maasai Ostrich Farm was located. This required taking a bus to downtown, walking to the railway, getting a matatu to Kitengela, and bartering for another matatu to take us to the ostrich farm. It was a complicated process, but definitely worthwhile. After the hour and a half of bartering, smog, and bumpy roads, we found ourselves enjoying an ostrich burger  (that weirdly enough does not taste like chicken) in a quiet field, and later took a spin on the ostrich (which I nicknamed Fancy). Riding an ostrich was probably one of the most ridiculous feelings I have experienced. As the bird is sprinting around the fenced in area, two men are attempting to hold you on. They said it was impossible to fall off. I can guarantee that it is not impossible to fall off. Secondly, you are on an ostrich. As you are trying not to fall off, the mere thought of being on an ostrich makes you laugh really hard, which probably the caused me to almost fall off the ostrich in the first place. The situation does not become any less funny when watching your friends ride an ostrich. It was a day full of laughter and chaos, of course. It turns out there is no better vacation from the chaos of Nairobi than the chaos of visiting an ostrich farm.

That brings me to Tanzania, which provided plenty of adventure, bizarre experiences, and interesting foods to try for my blog and then some.

Charlotte playing the Ubokana

We headed out for our eight-day excursion in Tanzania early in the morning on Saturday. Our six hour drive through dusty terrain sprinkled with mountains in the distance and eventually lead us to Arusha, Tanzania to the UAACC- United African Alliance Community Center where we stayed for the first couple of days. There we met Pete and Charlotte O’Neal- two exiled members of the Black Panther Party. It was interesting to hear their stories and listen to their views on why they joined the Black Panther Party and how it changed their lives. I had never really learned that much about the matter, but it was definitely a new side of the issue that maybe I had not considered. They were the ultimate hippies. Charlotte read us some of her poetry and played the Ubokana (a Tanzanian percussive instrument made from a stump and strung with animal tendons.) I’m not quite sure it was my instrument but I’m sure she played it beautifully.

We spent the next day visiting the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda where we learned about the trials and how the UN runs them and then the Shanga House- a bead making company that employs deaf, blind, or physically impaired people to work in the shop. This was amazing because they recycled everything. Walls, beads, decorations, almost everything was made out of bottles. It was incredible.

Maasai Warrior helping us
get ready for the bonfire

The next day we traveled another five hours to the Maasai village where we camped- or we liked to call it glamping (glam camping) because we had a personal chef and better food than most of us had had in months aka there were eggs, chicken and cheese involved and minimal rice and bread-for the next two days. I don’t even know if I can accurately describe this experience. The Maasai are a unique tribe that adorns themselves in symbolic beadwork and have a completely different language. To greet anyone over 40, we had to bow our heads so they could touch our heads and greet us in Maa (Maasai Language). It was hard to communicate because few people spoke Swahili so our interactions involved multiple translators (one to translate English into Swahili then another to translate Swahili to Maa) This was an interesting but lengthy process, especially during our talk around the bonfire with the elders that night. One question could take somewhere around a half hour to

Casual Goat Milking

translate, explain, and translate back. Nonetheless it was an interesting experience to see how little was known about science and development. One of the questions was “ We have heard someone went to the moon. Is that true? And how does this happen?” This took me aback because it seems so routine and common knowledge that people have been going to the moon for decades. After this we went to bed, some decided to stay in tents the first night, but we had the option of staying in the Boma- a traditional Maasai house made of sticks, mud, and rocks. It consists of two sleeping areas constructed of sticks and a cooking area inside. So naturally I stayed the night in the boma. It was definitely like no hotel I had stayed in before. All night you could hear the bugs chewing away at the roof and animals outside. Luckily, I survived to tell the tale

Just playing with some goat eyeballs 

We started the next day with a sunrise hike, followed by a goat milking….and goat slaughter/roast.  We had to first prepare everything ceremonially by collecting a bed of herbs for the goat to be laid on and wood for the fire. I thought I was not going to be that affected by the goat slaughter. I was wrong. It actually shook me a little bit because it took so long and was slightly graphic. The actual slaughter was a little better though because the Maasai were so efficient, and also because they made it into sort of a game by giving us new things to eat and playing with the eyeballs. We tried the liver (with gal bladder seasoning), pancreas, ribs and heart of the goat. We also drank a “stew” of the organs and blood. It didn’t taste too bad- just a little organic that’s all.

Sunrise over Mt. Kili

That night they shared more of their culture.  We attended a traditional ceremony where the men and women divide in a circle. The men chant and make a low guttural sounds and jump towards the women. Two men sing a chorus and after the men jump bob their heads and walk towards the men. This would have been scary if it weren’t so amazing. They even forced the students to participate. We must have looked really ridiculous, I can only imagine.

Child in the Hunter-gather group

We rose early the next day and headed out to find one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in Africa. As we drove past Mt. Kilimanjaro, the sun was rising over the top of it. It was incredible. There are literally no other words, just my memories and a few pictures. We then drove another five hours to go on what I like to call a people safari because they migrate we had to try and find them. We met with the men who were completely dressed in baboon skin and they treated us to some roasted baboon head, which I reluctantly tried- not my favorite, I would prefer some goat ribs to baboon head any day. I feel like my list of weird foods keeps expanding by the day. After we met the women who showed us how to gather roots, the men taught us how to shoot a bow and arrow.

Ndovu-Elephant
in Ngoro Ngoro

That night we got to another hotel/ campground area that had showers. At this point we had not showered for three days and had been brushing our teeth with toothbrushes made of sticks. Personal hygiene, definitely not functioning at peak. I swear I have never been dirtier in my life. Before I hopped into the shower I wiped my face with a wet wipe and it was completely black. Needless to say I think that was probably the best shower I have taken in my life.

Hippos 

The next day was safari day in Ngoro Ngoro Crater. It was so incredible. To get down into the crater you have to drive down the side of the mountain, and the view is unreal. The top popped off of the land rover and so we just stood on the seats the whole time and marveled at the view and all the animals. We saw 4 of the big 5: Elephants, Rhinos, Lions, and Water Buffalo-We did not see the Leopard. Among the animals we saw were also zebras- of course, giraffes, hyenas, warthogs, the “horny bastard”, and hippos. It was crazy to look out over the plains and see all of these animals co existing in the same space. And there were so many of them! Literally the entire crater was filled with animals.

Warthog in the mud

We stopped for lunch later and our administrative director told us to get out lunch and move quickly back into the land rover. We didn’t understand why and thought he may just be over reacting, but we were definitely wrong. While my friend Ali was taking her lunch into the land rover, an eagle swooped out of nowhere and grabbed her chicken, making the rest of her food fly everywhere. I swear it was like a scene from The Birds. They were circling our land rover by what seemed like the thousands. As the other land rover drove up with the rest of the students in it, we watched as two more of them got dive-bombed. It was definitely funnier watching it from inside the land rover, safe and sound with your lunch already in hand.

Another one of my favorites! 

To add to my already incredible experience in Tanzania, the next day we climbed the first stage of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We had a couple of guides who had climbed to the summit 94 times. They were crazy- and moved at a really fast pace. The climb was hard, and definitely was more than I should have been doing, considering I was sick that morning too. But regardless of my health, I was definitely not going to go to Tanzania and miss out on hiking

Mandara Camp, Mt. Kilimanjaro! 

Kilimanjaro!  We hiked to the Mandara camp at 2,600 m. It took Three hours to get to the top and was about ten miles round trip! It was crazy to stand there and see Tanzania on one side and Kenya on the other. I was just really glad I made it. At the camp there was another crater with the softest and grass I have ever seen. I literally could have slept there forever because it was so comfortable. Maybe it was comfortable because I was so tired from the climb, but either way I didn’t want to move! The way down was much more enjoyable and it was cool to sign my name out of the book in the front. I am now officially in the books! Kilimanjaro ended our trip with a bang and the next morning we were  crossing the border and on our way home to Nairobi.

 Since coming back I have moved into an apartment with some of the other students. Some exciting features include: a shower, a running toilet and a kitchen where I can eat all the cheese I want! 

Shirazi-Nyumbani Yangu

Mama teaching me how to make Mandazi

You can just call me Ummi. That is the name I got when I arrived at my village homestay in Shirazi. It is a coastal rural village where there is no electricity, no silverware and no plumbing. Basically this means I sat by lamplight, used my hands to eat everything and went to the bathroom outside for ten days. This may sound like torture, but it was actually so nice to get away from the pollution, noise, and chaos of Nairobi. There was no electricity to pollute the sky and at night the nyote na bingu (Stars and sky) were the brightest I’ve ever seen them. It was also really nice not having to worry about being messy because messiness is a way of life when the table is the same thing as the floor and the floor is made of dirt. Needless to say, I fit right in. In a way Shirazi reminded me of a tropical Maine because life seemed so simple there and moved at a slower pace. We were free to explore, run, get dirty and live how we wanted. I felt so at home.

Shirazi Barbie Stylin'

Part of feeling at home may have been my amazing family in Shirazi: Mama Birodi, my sister, brother and my uncle all made me feel like part of the family. I learned how to cook over the fire with my mom, which was so, much fun (something else I can check off my Kenya bucket list). The food was so good there which was good because we were all literally force fed until everything that had been cooked was gone! Everything was made with coconut and coconut milk, something I will definitely be bringing back with me to the US. I made chapatti, mandazi and so many other things that I am excited to share with you all. Here is one of the thirteen recipes that mama shared with me:

Coconut Maharague (Coconut Beans):

Ingredients- Beans, onion, coconut milk, tomato, beef seasoning, salt.

First boil the beans until they are soft.

Add onions, tomato and garlic to beans

Boil coconut milk and put into beans.

Henna! Mine is the hand on the right

I don’t know if there is anything I don’t like about that place- the heat may be the only exception. The heat paired with the humidity and long, modest clothing (it is a mainly Islamic village) made a killer combination. We took three “showers” a day, which was futile because immediately after you were covered in sweat. We didn’t let the sweat stop us from doing Shirazi in style. Everyday we were dressed by our moms in the craziest of clothing-which I thoroughly enjoyed because I felt like Shirazi Barbie. The costumes definitely made daily life more fun and adventures more interesting because it was always interesting to figure out how to maneuver in the outfits!

Casual Yoga by the Ramisi River

 During my  ten days there I explored so many places I don’t know if it would be possible to explain them all in this post. I saw the Shimoni slave caves, visited the clinic at Bodo (and got there on piki-piki, something to check off on my Kenya bucket list!), witnessed a traditional wedding (we danced until one thirty under the stars until we collapsed on the bamboo mats set outside under the stars), got henna on my hands and feet (it took 2 hrs!), explored the nearby town of Barabarani, Saw the island of Funzi, ate green mangos with masala while watching a football (soccer) game, and a hour walked to the Ramisi river (there were supposed to be crocodiles, but it was even too hot for them). The walk was nice and much needed to work off what my group has started to call the “chapatti body (ch-ah-pah-tee, bah-dee). 

Paradise Lost, so much better in person

One of the highlights of my tens days was going to Paradise lost. This is basically a sand bar off of Funzi that disappears with the tide. It. Was. Beautiful. We spent three hours there and got completely sunburned- but it was definitely worth it. It looked like we had been transported into a computer background or a postcard. It is so beautiful that I don’t know if I can actually describe it, so I will just post a picture and hope that it makes my point.                                                                                                                  

Passion Fruit from my friend 

Another of my favorite memories is when my mama took me to visit an expansive farm by the ocean. We collected cashew nuts to roast later and ate the cashew nut fruit. I didn’t know cashews had fruit, but it tasted good and vaguely like a cashew, imagine that! The old man that owns the farm showed us around and gave me a passion fruit to try. If I wasn’t already in love with Shirazi, that would have done it. I was officially in the land of fruit and love and I never wanted to leave.

Mama Yangu and the hat she gave me the last day

My heart broke when I had to say goodbye to my family and Shirazi. My mama said, “I have no happiness  because my daughter Ummi is leaving.”  The feeling could not have been more mutual. I miss them so much already and I am planning on returning for a visit during my Independent Study month.  I cannot wait because Shirazi nyumbani yangu katika Kenya- Shirazi is my home in Kenya. 

             

Into the Chaos

A lot has happened in my short time here in Kenya. Since it would be impossible to tell every anecdote, here is a basic play by play of my adventures so far: 

Triumph of Love: It has been a week since I moved into my host family’s house. At first everything was really hectic with three little sisters and a cousin. I have been nicknamed Mazungu Hannah and so I have nicknamed them thus: The Oldest (10 years old), The Sass-master (4 years old), and Little one (1 year old). My life there is filled with pillow fights, playing hair salon, Spanish soap operas dubbed over in English and lots of chaos. Like I said, I’m learning to just go with it. Every night we watch Spanish soap operas that have been dubbed over in English (Triumph of Love is Oldest’s favorite) I’m really getting into them, so dramatic. It is a house packed full with eight people, and I share a room with two others.  I have a feeling this will lead to many stories of crazy adventures throughout the semester, so stay tuned. 

                                                           Sass-master and Youngest

Superbowl: During our orientation week at SIT the US embassy came and talked to us. During the talk they invited us to watch the Superbowl at the embassy with the Marines stationed there. At 2:30 am we all piled into our favorite taxi driver’s car and made our way to the compound. We went through security and entered paradise. They had running water/plumbing, snacks and a TV. I could not have been more excited. Even after a week of semi dysfunctional toilets, a running one seems like paradise. Even though the Pats couldn’t hold it together it was a worthwhile experience-there is nothing like watching your team lose in the US embassy.

NGOs: So far we have visited WOFAK to speak with a woman infected with HIV aids. This was incredible because her husband had died a year earlier and her thirteen year-old daughter still does not know that either of her parents were infected. This organization helps women and children who are infected maintain their health for as long as possible by providing food assistance, shelter and in some cases a job.

            Carolina for Kibera was another of our visits last week. I think by far this is the one that has made the most impact on me. This is an organization that provides health care to the largest and most dangerous slum in Africa. It usually takes around 30 mins for someone living in Kibera to get to the hospital, and even then they may not be able to afford the treatment. Carolina for a Kibera built clinics inside the slum. We walked through the small openings between houses- there are no roads, and little sanitation. There are rivers of human feces and roads made of plastic bags. I don’t think I could even take it in because I’m sure if I had I would have responded more strongly.

            MYSA and AMREF were also on the list. MYSA is basically a boys and girls club for children of Mathare, another slum in Kenya. They provide a library, soccer programs, and arts for children. They provide a safe place for kids to hang out after school. AMREF is a health research foundation. Both were interesting to visit and will help a lot of us with our independent research projects.

                                                          A little taste of slum life

Rift Valley Fail: This weekend a group of my friends and I attempted to journey out on our own. We set our sights on Nakuru in the Rift Valley. We hired a driver, Paul, who drove us two hours to the Chester hotel. After fighting with the staff on how much we should pay (we get ripped off a lot because we are mazungu) we finally got a fair price. On Sunday we decided to go on a Safari and after more bargaining we ended up at Hells Gate where we saw lots of Zebras and Warthogs…and that’s it. Paul also got the van stuck in the dirt (including the exhaust pipe) Eventually we were able to push it out and make our way back to Nairobi. It was definitely a learning experience, and memories I wouldn’t trade. But next time maybe we will plan before we try to voyage out of Nairobi. 

                                            Surprise! A picture of Zebras... Welcome to Nakuru.

As a side note: My style has also evolved. The only way to describe it is by picture. So here it is:   

Advice from a Mazungu

After my first few days in Kenya I have gotten a lot of different advice from a lot of different people that I will now share with you all.

1. Do not get involved with the locals. Many have given this advice: my travel doctor, friends, and family. However, I will admit that I broke this rule the first day. We went to the giraffe park in Karen and I met a beautiful giraffe named Helen who came over and gave the group “kisses”. Seeing giraffes in person was an amazing experience and I couldn’t help but fall in love with the awkward yet graceful animal.

 

Sorry Mom, I couldn't help it- Just look at that face! 

2. Lie about everything. In our information packet that we got during orientation week we were told that in the city, people will lie about their name, age, money situation, phone number, basically anything you ask about them. We were also told to make up these things when asked, as it is unnatural for someone to ask this of you and will probably cause you trouble in the future. However, we were also told that Kenyans are very friendly and the next day we had “the drop off”. This is an activity where they dropped us off in the middle of the city and told us to ask questions of strangers. This will be a very necessary skill to acquire when it is time to conduct our independent study projects. My drop off was at Nyumbani orphanage for children with HIV/Aids. All 112 children there were sick and had no one to take care of them due to the stigma against the HIV/AIDs in Kenya. It was an incredible experience. We sat with the Kindergarteners while they practiced their letters and they showed us around the school and playground. I even got to see what Westerners or “Wazungu” look like from the outside. A bunch of Canadians stopped by and it was so bizarre to see them with huge cameras in the kid’s faces and treating them as if they were a novelty. I really hope that I come to understand the culture in a deeper sense and connect with the culture on a deeper level that helps me learn and truly understand what is happening in politics and health here in the country. I would like to add that Kenyans are truly nice and willing to help out, you just have to be aware, like in any city, that some do not have the best intentions. 

                                                                       Nairobi!

3.     Stay inside because the real world is dangerous. We have gotten countless hours of safety lectures already and have heard the worst of the worst in terms of horror stories. Kenya is the only country that has both a critical rating for both crime and terrorism that the United States allows diplomats to travel with their families. The streets feel very safe and you just have to be aware of your surroundings and follow common sense. I think my favorite piece of advice was “don’t eat cookies that are offered to you on the bus”. This is because they likely contain drugs that will make you sleep and you will get mugged. OK, this makes sense, but why would you eat cookies that a stranger gave you on a bus? You just have to stay on your toes and use common sense.

                                                      Traffic downtown

This leads me to my last piece of advice:

4.     Embrace the chaos. Nairobi is a wonderful and chaotic city. Nothing goes as expects and you have to learn to go with it. We had a day in the city and experienced a matatu- this is a 10 passenger van that miraculously “fits” 15 people inside it. Since we are wazungu we have to pay extra and after struggling to find one that would give us a good enough price (Kenyans are all about haggling) it ran out of gas right outside the city. This began our tour of downtown Nairobi where we visited the University, saw the Bomb Blast site, and ate at a restaurant (also a fairly chaotic experience). The cars drive like mad men- I even asked if you needed a license to drive here apparently you do- Basically the mentality is do what you need to. It doesn’t matter if you are driving on the wrong side if there is a pothole and passing is more of a sport than a necessity. The city is filled with people, noise, smog, culture, and life. I am learning to love the chaos and adventures that this experience will bring me.

Packed and Ready for Action

     After several months of Kenya seeming like just a phrase or an idea that was never going to happen: here it is! Even now, hours away from boarding the plane it doesn’t seem real. In the morning I will be on a 32 hour trek to Nairobi, Kenya where I will be living for the next four months. I will be doing everything I love: meeting new people, researching a topic that I am invested in, trying weird and amazing food, and having incredible adventures in a breathtaking country-and all for college credit! I don’t know when this became my life, but I’m loving it!  My backpacks are packed and I’m ready to start the experience of a lifetime. That’s all for now, I’ll leave you with this delightful picture of me carrying everything I’m bringing with me for the next 4 months!