Our hostel is also multi-ethnic. We’ve talked to people from Tanzania, Italy, Spain, Scotland, and Germany.
We knew we wouldn’t get much rest over the weekend because we were going to have in country orientation. Russ, the regional coordinator, and Coralis (in Mombasa) were flying in to meet with us along with Vikki (who is in Nairobi. It was quite a weekend.
We first met Russ Friday evening. John and I were in our room giving our brains a rest from the Kiswahali lessons when there was a knock on the door. Since the usual person who knocks is Mary whose room is right next door, we hollered, “Come on in.” There was a hesitation, so we guessed it wasn’t Mary. Instead a questioning voice asked, “John and Cindy?” It was Russ. He had arrived in town was staying here at Flora and came to meet us. We had a delightful evening sharing supper and talking about Kenya.
Saturday morning Coralis came to pick us up to go over to Vikki’s house for our meeting. It was business during the meeting, but as you can tell from the photo, we had a nice lunch at Java House. It is a popular place for expats to gather for a cup of coffee or meal. There are several in Nairobi.
Sunday was a fun day. We meet and went to a Kiswahili Mass. We were able to catch a word here and there. Since it was a rainy day, plans were revised and we went to an upscale shopping center for the afternoon. It was nice to get a chance to visit and learn more about Kenya, the people we will be working with, possible ministries and placements.
Here are some things that we have learned during our first week in Kenya:
• If you can hear a mosquito buzzing you don’t have to worry. Only the females bite and they don’t buzz. (That sure helps get you back to sleep in the middle of the night when you hear buzzing.)
• How to tie mosquito netting up during the day so you can still sit on your bed and work.
• Dates are written with the day first, then the month, and finally the year. For example today is 12/01/2010.
• How to text message. Due to the expense, we had never used text messaging. Katrina is thrilled that we can text her.
• How to use an USB stick for internet connections. It is wonderful that we can get internet here in our room. All we have to do is insert a Safaricom stick into a USB port and voile, we’re connected. OK, it’s not always that easy, but it works.
Some of the things we remember about Kenya now that we are here are:
• Chai is a real treat. Chai is made by putting a tea bag and a spoonful of sugar into a cup of hot milk. It tastes really good. We usually have a cup of chai at the end of breakfast and at lunch.
• Fresh fruit, yum! Bananas, oranges, papaya, mango, plums, avocado . . . they all taste so much better when they ripen on the trees.
• Appearances are so important to Kenyans. We dress too casually for them. In Nairobi you see everyone in tailored suits, leather shoes, heels for the ladies! We are wearing our tevas for comfort!
Our Kiswahali is limited, but we have learned to say a few phrases without looking at our notes: Habari ya mchana (What’s the news of the day?)
Waenda salama (go with peace) and mungu akubariki (God bless you.
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