Karibu Kenya!

Arriving in Kenya

Hamjambo! I can’t believe it has already been two weeks since I left home to start my last semester of college in Kenya.  It seems like a lifetime ago I was sobbing (not so attractively I might add) in the Sioux Falls airport as I said goodbye to my wonderful family for three and a half months.  I wasn’t as sad, however, to say goodbye to the bitter cold for at least eight months. :) After about 24 hours of traveling with plenty of airplane food (which I actually really like), I finally arrived in Kenya full of nervous excitement.  I had met quite a few of my fellow classmates during the layover in Amsterdam so it was comforting to know we were all together to get off the plane and start a semester full of new experiences and adventures. 

The Nairobi airport is currently under construction so we got to get off the plane right onto the tarmac.  We all felt like the President or something!  The second I stepped off of the plane, all the tiredness from traveling went away as I breathed in the warm, sweet air.  After waiting for awhile for our bags and going through customs, three of the MSID staff members loaded up all of our bags and took us to the YMCA (more of a hostel than a community fitness center) in Nairobi to sleep before we left for Lake Nakuru in the morning.  Driving from the airport to the YMCA I was amazed by how many cars were still on the road at 10:30pm on a Monday night. The traffic here is crazy!  It’s a lot like the traffic I remember in China!  There are very little traffic rules and signs and everyone kind of does what they want.  Though crazy and seemingly disorganized, drivers are a lot more aware of what is going on around them and often use their horns as a gentle “I’m coming through!” than a “What the heck are you doing?!” like in America.  I am continually surprised at how little space cars can fit through! It’s reminds me of that scene from Harry Potter where the bus can magically fit between the smallest of spaces.

 

First Morning in Nairobi

On Tuesday morning, we all woke up early to go to the immigration office.  It took over three hours for the office to process all of our immigration documents.  (Kind of similar to a DMV experience in the states!)  The office was nothing like I had ever seen before.  It seemed very disorganized, noisy, and chaotic.  At one point we were led back to an individual office where they took our fingerprints.  The small office was filled with piles of paper and the workers taking our fingerprints seemed distracted as they were on their cell phones.  I should probably mention here that I am awful at taking my fingerprints…I’m not sure why, but none of my fingers can produce clear prints!  At the airport, I had to put my fingers on a screen and none of them turned out right, but the attendant just shook her head after a couple of tries and let me go through.  My friends and I were joking that maybe it’s a good thing since I can’t really be tracked! 

After sitting around waiting and getting to know everyone, we finally go to go eat lunch and exchange some money for the week.  Right now, the exchange rate is about 85/86 shillings for every one US dollar.  In my head, I usually just think 100 shillings is a little over a dollar.  Things here are very cheap in comparison to the United States.  An outlet converter, which would’ve been fifteen or so dollars in America was 230 shillings (about $2.50).  Going out to eat is also cheaper ranging from about $3.00-$6.00 and you aren’t required to tip as waiters and waitresses do not depend on tips to make money. 

Orientation at Lake Nakuru

After a short morning in Nairobi, we got on the bus and headed to Lake Nakuru National Park.  Though we had only been in Nairobi a night, it was kind of a relief to escape the business of the city.  Being at Lake Nakuru was a lot like camp.  We were all split up into three different “dormitories” (like cabins) and had not so glamorous bathrooms.  All the girls shared one bathroom or we could go to the outhouses (just holes in the ground as toilets) and the shower water was freezing!  Besides the bathroom situation, which we all got used to pretty quickly, the week was absolutely amazing.  It was the first time in forever that I was completely cut off from technology and social media.  The first night I felt extremely isolated and I questioned why I decided to study abroad for three and a half months!  I decided I was crazy for being so far from home and all the reasons for wanting to study abroad escaped me!  Waking up the next morning, I was still feeling homesick when I walked out of my dorm and saw the beautiful park around me in the early morning mist.  A family of baboons then walked right onto our camp just feet from us.  At that moment I thought to myself, “This is amazing. Why wouldn’t I want to be here.”  From that moment on, the rest of the week was great.

 

The baboons at the park are notorious for coming through our camp and being mischievous. We had to always lock our dorm because in the past the baboons have gotten into the dorms and messed with everyone’s stuff.  We woke up every morning to a breakfast of chai tea, bread with peanut butter and jelly, and sometimes eggs.  We had cooks that made us delicious Kenyan food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I honestly liked everything we had!  (I will add another post just for food as I’m sure everyone is wondering what it is like).  In between breakfast and lunch we sat out in the sun learning everything there is to know about Kenya.  I’m so thankful for the week at Lake Nakuru because it really calmed my nerves about many questions I had about the semester.  The MSID staff is fantastic.  They have had many many years of experience helping students before us and have provided us with all the resources we would ever need to have a fun, safe, and successful semester.  We have all their cell phone numbers to call/text them at any time whether we have questions about where to catch a bus, how much to pay for a mango, or if there is an emergency.  (Mom, I added this section in for you (: ) I also loved getting to know my fellow classmates, adjusting to the time difference, and just relaxing before being thrown into a completely new culture and environment.   

After our afternoon sessions, we got to go out into the National Park on game drives to see the beautiful scenery and all the fascinating animals!  This was one of the best times of the day!  Between our different game drives we saw lions, zebras, water buffalo, flamingos, giraffes, rhinos, baboons, and many other animals!  Often times we didn’t even need to leave camp to see the animals, though, as they were grazing right beyond the fence!  The whole week was surreal, as I had only seen these animals in zoos or on the Discovery Channel!  After our game drives, we came back to camp to hang out before dinner.  Dinner here in Kenya is served pretty late.  Usually we eat at 8:00pm or even later.  In our free time, we did Zumba (my friend Jenni is an amazing Zumba instructor), played soccer, rested, got to know each other, and just enjoyed the beautiful weather.  I was in heaven wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and my Chacos all week!  By Saturday morning, though I was excited to have internet again to talk to my friends and family back home and meet my new host family, we were all very sad to leave.  I would go back in a heartbeat! 

 

Three pages later, I think that’s all for now!  I will try now to post more often as I am getting into a routine here in Nairobi!