My First Taste of Kenya

In starting this journey I was thinking to myself how I've done quite a bit of traveling, and even more so, a lot of traveling by myself - so you'd think I'd be used to it. I realized two nights ago in getting on the bus to head to Kenya, that I'm really not, and I really don't do very well by myself, and allow myself to get wayyy to caught up in my nerves. I guess this really isn't that unusual and nobody is going to find it that surprising, but let me give you a sequence of event that led to me getting to Kenya - and you can compare it to the pretty perfect, easy description of my trip that I gave you earlier in the week. 

Side note, Thursday was Emily's birthday, as well as the last full day that I would get to spend with Mary Grace, one of the other volunteers (she leaves the thursday I get back to Jinja). For lunch, Mary Grace and I went out to lunch at this little place we just discovered that has an incredible view of the Nile! The whole wall was open and it was almost like in the Hunger Games where the wall changes to whatever view you'd want. It was beautiful. Then for Em's birthday that night we invited people over, moved our couches to the front lawn, and had a movie projector playing A White Christmas. It was pretty fun, even though I had to leave early to get to the bus station.

My bus was supposed to leave at 10, like I had mentioned, and check in time was at 9:30. So me, being my pretty time conscious self, gets there right at 9:30, expecting other people to be checking in too, but I am waiting by myself in this little office. Around 9:50, the guy who was working there, ran inside grabbed my bag and told me to hurry and follow him. So I throw my book in my purse and run outside after him through a pitch black parking lot to the side of the road to the bus, only to be told the bus was full. Uhh, I was almost panicked, and probably would have been  more so if our house wasn't 5 minutes away and I could have easily called someone to come get me. But in walking back to the office, the guy assures me that "another one is coming". Ok, good. He also told me that its about two hours to the border and I will get there in the morning around 10 - meaning its more of a 12 hour drive instead of the 10 1/2 that I was originally told. Then around 10:30, a bus actually pulls up to the office, I get on, and take the only empty seat on the bus - and I happen to be the only muzungu (white person for those of you who forget). 

We make it to the border and as soon as the bus stops everyone immediately stands up and files out the door to the immigration office. I just followed suit since I didn't know what else to do, had to fill out a form to leave the country - terrified I wouldn't do it right and not get a stamp, but made friends with the people behind me and they were so sweet and made sure I was where I needed to be and walked back to the bus with me after I got my passport stamped. Then we get back on the bus, to then be rushed off to another bus that we took across the border. I was so confused and nervous that I might not see my bag again.. We get to the Kenyan immigration office and I had to fill out a Visa form and told I needed to pay a $50 bill. Well this was great because the lady at the bus office told me it would be $35 and I could pay in Ugandan shillings. So I have Ugandan and Kenyan shillings, and no dollars, and then get a bit ripped off in paying with Kenyan shillings. At this point I didn't even care because I was the last person on the bus to get on and they were already waiting on me and I didn't want to get left. This whole border stuff took about an hour and a half, so at this point we are pushing two in the morning.

The rest of the trip was pretty smooth sailing, I took an Advil PM and slept most of the rest of the way. Then we arrive in Nairobi around 11, and because I spent most of my Kenyan shillings at the border I have to first exchange more money in order to buy my bus ticket home. I then get my ticket and have to ask directions to the city bus station where I am getting a bus to go meet Caroline's mom. I walked around Nairobi for at least half an hour to get to the bus stop, found the right bus and was praying I'm headed the right direction. I was, found my right stop, pointed in the direction of the coffee shop, ordered coffee, and then Caroline's mom walked up maybe 10 minutes after I got there. I haven't felt such relief in  a long time. (Funny observation - it wasn't until I got to the coffee shop that I saw a single white person in all my travels that morning haha)

We drove back to their house, which is adorable and has such a pretty garden with flowers blooming everywhere - a funny contrast to imagining home right now with leaves turning colors and all - and I showered, in a hot water, high pressure shower. Wonderful. We then went to this organization called Heshima (a lady who goes to Mrs. Black's church works there), which is a school for children with disabilities. It was incredible and the closest thing I've seen to anything back in the States since I've been here. Their equipment, facilities, resources, really everything, was absolutely beautiful! Along with their outreach to children with disabilities, they also reach out the their parents and have a side area where the moms (or sometimes aunts) work making jewelry, scarves, and other fun things. It was really great to see and I feel a good resource for Ekisa to be in contact with to act a model to where we are a hopefully going. We then went to this other bead shop, where we got a tour of how these ceramic beads are made and how this organization provides jobs for so many people there. From there we went and got tea at Karen Blixen's old estate, which was beautiful. It was a very full day and we then went home, rested then made dinner. We made homemade focaccia bread, cannelloni bean stew, and salad, and enjoyed it with a glass of wine. We then watched Sweet Home Alabama and went to bed. It was so fun being back in a real home setting, something I've definitely missed the past couple of months. 

This morning we got up and got breakfast and went and saw baby elephants! It was adorable and I even got to touch one!! There were 25 total and they all were orphaned and are now being taken care of and will be set into the wild later in life. They gave us a lot more information about them, but I says wayyyy to caught up in watching the and taking pictures! Absolutely adorable and so much fun! We just finished lunch and in a little bit are headed to see giraffes! I feel like I'm doing such "African" things that I haven't had the opportunity to do yet! Really blessed to have this opportunity!