Karibu Kenya!

That means Welcome, which I have most certainly gotten the best of in my first days in Kenya. I arrived woozy as ever from the 16 hours of flying and 11 hours of layovers in Nairobi at 6am yesterday morning where I was greeted by Peter, a friend which I met last time in Kenya (he runs home stay programs and was our consultant among other amazing things which you will hear much about). It was so great to see him, the sheer smile on his face was the perfect start to the trip and let me know I was in good hands. From there Peter and I went to his house, before which I was given my first task. Yes, yes, since Peter left his lights on at the airport I had to give him a running start by pushing the car. ha ha :) Once we got to Peter's which is in Kitigatela (sp?) I got to meet his new 37 day old baby Natalia, who is an Angel! He also has two boys Algore and Powell and a lovely wife Victoria. We had tea and visited for a while as I got to ask about life, their new house, the new baby and such. After that we drove to town, stopping to meet a few of Peters friends along the way. Finally we got to Sandra's house. Oh, if you are going to be frequent readers, you are going to hear a lot about Sandra. Sandra is the woman I am staying with for the first few weeks, and she is a spitfire of a rockstar. Interesting explanation you say? Well, to be a bit more frank, she is a journalist who works for Internews which is funded by organizations such as USAID, the Ford Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, etc., she focuses on health care issues and works a lot with the the local community. However, Internews is a worldwide organization, which I suggest you learn a lot about, as I plan to in the future. Their real goal is to empower local communities to use and fight for their freedom of speech, which is something I think we often take for granted in the US. Anyway, you will hear lots about Sandra, who she is, how amazing she is and what she does. :) After we chatted for a while, she realized that I was about to tip over and let me rest. She is so sweet she has a whole room for me set up, computer, closets, everything. She just has such a great outlook on life. You know how sometimes first impressions are really good, and you know they are really good because the person is genuinely amazing? Yup, that's her! :) Anyway, after my nap, Sandra woke me up to a dinner that she had cooked, even though she doesn't cook. How sweet is she? :) Her friends Tony and Jeff were over and I got to meet and visit with them. They were just so nice, friendly and welcoming. We had dinner, talked about life, culture and politics and then ventured off for a drink at the Klub House, a local bar where they play R&B-ish music on Thursday nights. It was soooo nice and the perfect end to my long day. Tony, Jeff, Sandra and I laughed, chatted, talked about life and really just relaxed on a nice evening. It was so great. I was a bit quiet, as I tend to be when I first meet people; but I will warm up. This morning I got up around 8am... I know, me? Yah, right. ha ha. I showered, which was soooo needed after 3 days of flying and now I am relaxing, reading up on the literature Peter and Sandra gave me and journal as I look out on the morning traffic traveling into Nairobi. :) I am safe and sound, and in the best of hands. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful day. What if I do a tip of the day sort of thing, kind of like, what I have learned?!?! Tip of the day: Read the local news, be active, take advantage of local media. It isn't everywhere that they have freedom of speech. :) peace and love