The journey from DC to Nairobi is a long one... I left Aug 20, and that day I woke up excited and feeling quite ready to get to Kenya. I finished some last-minute packing and was just kinda hangin' around with my Mom. About a half-hour before we needed to leave, she came in to get my ring from me... it hadn't left my finger since Charles slipped it on in May. We decided it was best for me not to be flashing my diamond in a third-world country, so it had to stay behind. Anyway, I took it off, and I kinda fell to pieces for awhile. I started praying, though, and I kinda felt God saying to me, "you're not leaving Charles in a box in Virginia. It's just the symbol of a truth that it cannot change." So I picked myself up, plopped myself down on my suitcase, zipped it up, and headed to the airport. :)
Dad wasn't happy with me on the ride to the airport. I didn't have a real back-up plan if the people from Mayfield Guest House didn't pick me up from the Nairobi airport. And... don't tell him... but he kinda had a point, there. So we determined that I'd get a cab to the US Embassy if the Mayfield people didn't show. Anyway, Mom n' Dad took me to the airport and told me goodbye. It was tough... but I knew it would all be ok. :) I dunno why, I just kinda know.
The flight to London was not very good. It left DC at about 7pm and arrived in London at about 6:15am or so, I think, their time. I didn't sleep at all during the flight. I think I really annoyed the lady who was sitting next to me, too. I kept taking pictures! hahaha! The airline food was pretty good, though! British Airways is none too shabby in that department. :) You should've seen the difference between the crowded masses in coach class and the elite members of first class and "Club sumthin-er-other" up front. Gracious... first class had these huge recliner seats with about 4 feet of leg room, divider walls -- every other seat was backwards, which made for good conversation position if you wanted to talk. Anyway, the coach class was pretty crowded, even for a lil person like me. The flight staff were very nice, though, and I enjoyed listening to them talk. :)
The London airport is fascinating! It was really easy to point out the Europeans and the Americans. I'm not sure why.... but it was easy. It seems like Europeans are much more comfortable in their skin. For example, the airport bars, at 7am were already packed. No one was ashamed hahaha! But they have a good system over in Terminal 4. They don't post your gate until about an hour before your flight leaves, so you have plenty of time to spend all your money there, and they can send more flights with fewer gates, it seems. But! Because the climate is so cool there, they don't have air conditioning, and in some parts of that crowded airport... they really needed it. :-\ Also, the symbol for the ladies room was funny, I thought. She had real slim shoulders and then, at the waist, BAM! Wow... she's a hippie kinda symbol. But I suppose that doesn't matter....
I got coffee and a muffin at Heathrow airport... it was so sad! I gave the lady $20, I got 5 pounds back. On the receipt it showed me that twenty US dollars is about 9 pounds. Isn't that awful? I also kinda felt like everywhere I went, people were looking at me like, "stupid American." It could've been because I was taking pictures of everything, though.
The flight to Nairobi was great. :) I sat next to a really sweet Kenyan lady who talked to me whenever I was awake. :) I slept a good deal on that flight, thank goodness. She talked about how skewed the Olympics are in the States -- how they only really show events that the US is strong in, so she didn't get to see much Kenyan action. But, having seen the Olympics in Kenya now, it makes me laugh to think of the way she talked. :) They're way more biased here! hahaha! The Kenyan announcers are hilarious! They're so not subtle... and anyway, they really only show events where Africa is well represented. I understand, though. So far, Kenya's leading Africa in medals! :) Yay, Kenya!!!
Anyway, my seatmate, Winnie, gave me her contact info. She lives in Nairobi.
So I got to Nairobi... I could hardly believe it! I got into the airport and got my Visa taken care of. The man at the counter was really nice, and I enjoyed talking with him for a few minutes. The baggage claim was nothing like in the States! Hahahahaha! There was a conveyer belt, but it wasn't really doin' much! There were just piles and piles of luggage, and a few airport workers sort of shifting it here and there, "helping." hahaha! But they had nice carts for free for us to use. I used one, of course, because I had two 40-lb suitcases! Which! By the way (if my parents are reading this) were, according to the locals, just two little pieces. They were expecting me to bring a lot more. :P Overpacking, my foot!
A couple of men from Mayfield Guest House were waiting for me at the airport. One of them was Kenyan, and he works at the guest house. His name is Alexander, but at first I thought he said Nicholas... which gives you an idea of how thick his accent is. Bless his heart, I was trying so hard to understand him! He was very friendly and talkative... it takes a lil while to get used to the accent. It's beautiful, though! Anyway, Alexander went to get the van because he didn't want us walking through the parking lot at night.
The roads here are crazy! Potholes are the least of your worries out here! The road randomly changes like... height, I guess you'd call it, so there are huge bumps for no reason! Crazy, crazy... and there are no lines. Noooooo, no. It doens't seem to bother the locals, though, so I try to look at the scenery so I don't have a heart attack! There's lots to see... lots of 11-passenger taxi vans called Matatus, I think. Maybe it's Mtatus, but Americans just have trouble with the "mt" sound. Anyway, those drivers have no fear. Alexander is a very good driver, though, and we got to the guest house safely.
I'm finding that Kenyans never let you carry anything. :) Two men came out to carry my luggage when we got to the guest house. It was so nice. ;) The guest house was nice, too. Very, very clean. In the morning, we had a short devotion on Psalm 131 and then pancakes. I sat with what, to me, was the closest thing to the "young, single crowd." I met some girls who were short-term missionaries in Kenya. Their moms and sybllings were visiting, and we had a nice time hanging out. :) After breakfast, we had to clear out our rooms, and then were just kinda hangin' around, swapping stories, reading, etc. I met a Kenyan man named Shadrack. Just when I was being invited to play Texas Hold 'Em, Bonnie and Carolyn walked in looking for me. :) They're two teachers at RVA, and they took me shopping at Takumatt, which is kind of like the Kenyan WalMart. Neat place. I love the smells of Nairobi! Smells like fresh vegetables, animals, and dirt. There's kind of a thin layer of dust over everything here. I think it's because it's so windy.
Anyway, we went to Nakumatt, then to Java House for lunch. I had a bagel with cream cheese n' salmon on it. So... no African food yet. :\ Then we went to Zuccini's for fresh produce. RVA "people" get a discount there. :) They have some crazy-lookin' fruits n' veggies in Kenya! The bananas are wonderful, though, and the mangoes. mmm-MM!
We finally left Nairobi to head to Kijabe. It's about an hour or so drive. The roads were terrible, of course. We drove down THE highway in Kenya. I found out men pee on the side of the highway, in front of God n' everyone, in Kenya. Also, at different points along the road, the Kenyan police have checks set up where they check random cars. They put two HUGE rows of spikes in the road so that people have to slow way down and zig between them. We didn't get checked, but I thought for sure we'd hit one and blow a tire.
We passed a lot of livestock along the roads. Sheep, cows, chickens... And alongside the matatus, Toyotas, and Mercedes were donkey carts and people walking, carrying loads on their backs. We passed some of the slums outside Nairobi. Not good places to be after dark... it was hard to see, though.
Anyway, we finally got to RVA, but I'm not totally unpacked yet. :) I have a very nice place to live for the next three months, and the house came with a very obnoxious cat... but anyway... more of that later. :) Sorry this blog became so long!
Dad wasn't happy with me on the ride to the airport. I didn't have a real back-up plan if the people from Mayfield Guest House didn't pick me up from the Nairobi airport. And... don't tell him... but he kinda had a point, there. So we determined that I'd get a cab to the US Embassy if the Mayfield people didn't show. Anyway, Mom n' Dad took me to the airport and told me goodbye. It was tough... but I knew it would all be ok. :) I dunno why, I just kinda know.
The flight to London was not very good. It left DC at about 7pm and arrived in London at about 6:15am or so, I think, their time. I didn't sleep at all during the flight. I think I really annoyed the lady who was sitting next to me, too. I kept taking pictures! hahaha! The airline food was pretty good, though! British Airways is none too shabby in that department. :) You should've seen the difference between the crowded masses in coach class and the elite members of first class and "Club sumthin-er-other" up front. Gracious... first class had these huge recliner seats with about 4 feet of leg room, divider walls -- every other seat was backwards, which made for good conversation position if you wanted to talk. Anyway, the coach class was pretty crowded, even for a lil person like me. The flight staff were very nice, though, and I enjoyed listening to them talk. :)
The London airport is fascinating! It was really easy to point out the Europeans and the Americans. I'm not sure why.... but it was easy. It seems like Europeans are much more comfortable in their skin. For example, the airport bars, at 7am were already packed. No one was ashamed hahaha! But they have a good system over in Terminal 4. They don't post your gate until about an hour before your flight leaves, so you have plenty of time to spend all your money there, and they can send more flights with fewer gates, it seems. But! Because the climate is so cool there, they don't have air conditioning, and in some parts of that crowded airport... they really needed it. :-\ Also, the symbol for the ladies room was funny, I thought. She had real slim shoulders and then, at the waist, BAM! Wow... she's a hippie kinda symbol. But I suppose that doesn't matter....
I got coffee and a muffin at Heathrow airport... it was so sad! I gave the lady $20, I got 5 pounds back. On the receipt it showed me that twenty US dollars is about 9 pounds. Isn't that awful? I also kinda felt like everywhere I went, people were looking at me like, "stupid American." It could've been because I was taking pictures of everything, though.
The flight to Nairobi was great. :) I sat next to a really sweet Kenyan lady who talked to me whenever I was awake. :) I slept a good deal on that flight, thank goodness. She talked about how skewed the Olympics are in the States -- how they only really show events that the US is strong in, so she didn't get to see much Kenyan action. But, having seen the Olympics in Kenya now, it makes me laugh to think of the way she talked. :) They're way more biased here! hahaha! The Kenyan announcers are hilarious! They're so not subtle... and anyway, they really only show events where Africa is well represented. I understand, though. So far, Kenya's leading Africa in medals! :) Yay, Kenya!!!
Anyway, my seatmate, Winnie, gave me her contact info. She lives in Nairobi.
So I got to Nairobi... I could hardly believe it! I got into the airport and got my Visa taken care of. The man at the counter was really nice, and I enjoyed talking with him for a few minutes. The baggage claim was nothing like in the States! Hahahahaha! There was a conveyer belt, but it wasn't really doin' much! There were just piles and piles of luggage, and a few airport workers sort of shifting it here and there, "helping." hahaha! But they had nice carts for free for us to use. I used one, of course, because I had two 40-lb suitcases! Which! By the way (if my parents are reading this) were, according to the locals, just two little pieces. They were expecting me to bring a lot more. :P Overpacking, my foot!
A couple of men from Mayfield Guest House were waiting for me at the airport. One of them was Kenyan, and he works at the guest house. His name is Alexander, but at first I thought he said Nicholas... which gives you an idea of how thick his accent is. Bless his heart, I was trying so hard to understand him! He was very friendly and talkative... it takes a lil while to get used to the accent. It's beautiful, though! Anyway, Alexander went to get the van because he didn't want us walking through the parking lot at night.
The roads here are crazy! Potholes are the least of your worries out here! The road randomly changes like... height, I guess you'd call it, so there are huge bumps for no reason! Crazy, crazy... and there are no lines. Noooooo, no. It doens't seem to bother the locals, though, so I try to look at the scenery so I don't have a heart attack! There's lots to see... lots of 11-passenger taxi vans called Matatus, I think. Maybe it's Mtatus, but Americans just have trouble with the "mt" sound. Anyway, those drivers have no fear. Alexander is a very good driver, though, and we got to the guest house safely.
I'm finding that Kenyans never let you carry anything. :) Two men came out to carry my luggage when we got to the guest house. It was so nice. ;) The guest house was nice, too. Very, very clean. In the morning, we had a short devotion on Psalm 131 and then pancakes. I sat with what, to me, was the closest thing to the "young, single crowd." I met some girls who were short-term missionaries in Kenya. Their moms and sybllings were visiting, and we had a nice time hanging out. :) After breakfast, we had to clear out our rooms, and then were just kinda hangin' around, swapping stories, reading, etc. I met a Kenyan man named Shadrack. Just when I was being invited to play Texas Hold 'Em, Bonnie and Carolyn walked in looking for me. :) They're two teachers at RVA, and they took me shopping at Takumatt, which is kind of like the Kenyan WalMart. Neat place. I love the smells of Nairobi! Smells like fresh vegetables, animals, and dirt. There's kind of a thin layer of dust over everything here. I think it's because it's so windy.
Anyway, we went to Nakumatt, then to Java House for lunch. I had a bagel with cream cheese n' salmon on it. So... no African food yet. :\ Then we went to Zuccini's for fresh produce. RVA "people" get a discount there. :) They have some crazy-lookin' fruits n' veggies in Kenya! The bananas are wonderful, though, and the mangoes. mmm-MM!
We finally left Nairobi to head to Kijabe. It's about an hour or so drive. The roads were terrible, of course. We drove down THE highway in Kenya. I found out men pee on the side of the highway, in front of God n' everyone, in Kenya. Also, at different points along the road, the Kenyan police have checks set up where they check random cars. They put two HUGE rows of spikes in the road so that people have to slow way down and zig between them. We didn't get checked, but I thought for sure we'd hit one and blow a tire.
We passed a lot of livestock along the roads. Sheep, cows, chickens... And alongside the matatus, Toyotas, and Mercedes were donkey carts and people walking, carrying loads on their backs. We passed some of the slums outside Nairobi. Not good places to be after dark... it was hard to see, though.
Anyway, we finally got to RVA, but I'm not totally unpacked yet. :) I have a very nice place to live for the next three months, and the house came with a very obnoxious cat... but anyway... more of that later. :) Sorry this blog became so long!
3 comments:
I enjoyed reading about your AFrican experiences! I am jealous...as you should've guessed!!!
Sounds similar to the Philippines in some ways: men peeing on the side of the highway and road in fron tof everyone...saw that countless times! All the dirt roads and livestock seem similar. But, I know they must have vast differences!!!
Sounds like you are loving it! I hope you keep loving it!!!
IT was good to read what is up to you! I only wish I could actually feel it! You know...see it, smell it, all of that good stuff!!!
Enjoy those pancakes!!!
Great read! I loved the length, other cultures are worth taking time to learn about!
I'll be praying for you and Charles, I know it's going to be hard for both of you.
I love it that you have a blog! You're going to have an amazing time there. I can't wait for you to post pictures!
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