My First Week Living in Kenya

As of today, I have been living in Kenya for one week and school starts one week from today. I wanted to wait to write until I had pictures to share. But, it is quite the affair to upload photos. So, I'm in the process of figuring out how to do that more easily and then I will put them up. I figured I'd go ahead and write so as not to keep putting it off until forever just because of pictures. I know you all want to see photos, but you will have to be patient with me until I figure it out. Thanks! :)

The first couple of days of orientation were a bit overwhelming with learning about life in Kenya. Of course they are going to tell us of all the dangers to watch out for so that we're not going into life here completely blind. The list was longer than I had thought and so I became quite fearful. I kept thinking to myself, “What am I doing here? I don't know if I can do this. But, I know without a shadow of a doubt that God wants me here for SOME reason. So, I better suck it up and learn how to live.” I've pretty much thought that at least once a day so far. :)

I have gotten to see a lot of cool things and as time progresses, life here does get better and little by little it becomes more normal. The best way I can think to describe what the area looks like that I live in is this: large city with lots of people; many Africans walking on both sides of the road; all roads are only 2-lanes busy with lots of vehicles driving crazy; there are holes all over the roads so the ride is continuously bumpy; lots of pollution and dirt in the air; as opposed to us having concrete everywhere they have red/orange dirt instead (so no matter how hard you try, you're most likely going to be dirty); if you take our plants and give them steroids you could envision how gorgeous their plants look; vendors selling household items on the sides of the main roads; other vendors selling smaller items on smaller roads; you see apartment building after apartment building; every living area has a tall fence and a gate with a guard; even restaurants have fences, gates, and guards.
Here are a few things that I've noticed about life here so far (but I still have much more to learn): roses grow easily here so they are sold very cheap; water trucks carry clean water every so often because people run out (but I'm pretty sure you have to pay for it); the city will turn off the electricity in certain areas without warning; people do say hello and smile when you initiate it; you have to be an aggressive driver to survive here; you always have to filter your drinking water; their version of Walmart is called 'Nakumat'; their westernized mall is called 'Yaya'; a hair dryer costs 2,800 shillings which comes out to a little over $37 (YIKES); windows have bars on them; the part of the house where the bedrooms are has an extra metal door to lock in case intruders come in and you can still be safe. The most common form of transportation for people here is the 'matatu', which looks like a 15-passenger van loaded with over 20 people and they have the craziest drivers. Kenyans have very strong accents so it is difficult to understand their English. They seem very willing to help you with anything (not sure yet if that's because they want something in return). Every Monday night the local cinema has 'Mzuri (pronounced like Missouri) Monday Madness' where you pay $6.67 for popcorn, hot dog, soda, and movie. Good deal! Their version of 'Starbucks' is called 'Nairobi Java House' where they have the BEST coffee I think I've ever had (and I don't really even like coffee, but just use it for caffeine instead). You can also order food there and it's REALLY good. I already tried their beef burger and 'chips' (which are french fries). I think their 'chips' are better than our 'fries' because they actually taste more like potatoes/ homemade fries. You can also get free wireless there during non-peak hours. Kenyans don't use much sugar for anything. So, their desserts aren't very sweet. They do have a lot of the same things we have in the US, but you have to pay a lot more for them. The 'Masai Market' is every Sunday and you can barter pretty cheap for beautiful, hand crafted things. It's a great place to buy souvenirs. White people are called 'mzungus' (pronounced mizoongooz). If they don't know you, they will call you 'sister' or 'brother'. Since the buildings are made of concrete, you can hear EVERYTHING. Dogs bark randomly throughout every night!

Some activities I've participated in during my first week here: eaten Ethiopian (which you eat with your hands and did not feel so good in my stomach); went to the 'Giraffe Center' and fed the giraffes with MY BARE HANDS!; also saw warthogs (Pumba) at the center; eaten wonderful Chinese food; 'Mzuri Monday Madness'; went to the 'Masai Market' and bartered for a few things and was also able to say no to them too (that's a big improvement for me!); went to church where it took them about an hour to sing 5-6 songs since they kept repeating the chorus over and over again (but I hear that's a cultural thing that I've got to get used to); already eaten at Java 3 times (Yummy!); moved into my home and been at school a lot.

I will write more about my school next time because I think this one has gotten long enough. And I hope to also send pictures soon.