Day Six and it's Lookin Good!

So it is now day 6 of my Kenya experience, and I can honestly say at this point that I am looking forward to the many more to come!

While the flight here was a long and drawn out process, since I have left the airport things have been on the up and up. I was met by a woman named Theresa, who I was put in touch with through Lynn and Andrew Ironside back in Toronto. She has been like a God-send to me, teaching me the ins and outs of the Kenyan way of life, how to mount (and dismount) a matatu without incident, how to haggle bus fare, get to the store and back without being robbed and even what days I can go to the movie and get the ticket, pop, popcorn and a hotdog for a mere 400Ksh (about 6 bucks!). Yesterday we saw Body of Lies. I can't tell if it's because I'm in a different country watching a North American movie, but I loved it!

The place I am staying, Rosa Mystica, is pretty nice. It's guarded, which is an absolute must here in Nairobi (sometimes nicknamed Nairobbery, and pretty fairly so from what I hear). My room has a nice bathroom with hot water (most places don't!) and the place is very clean. Breakfast leaves a bit to be yearned for, consisting of bread, sausages (deep fried mini hot dogs) and mangos, which I'm not a fan of, but am grateful for in the morning! The instant coffee, a far cry from my usual Starbucks Americano, is the shining star of my mornings.

Each day, I visit the shopping centre across the street called Nakumat, which is an Indian run version of Wal-Mart. Surprisingly, it's about equal price to Wal-Mart at home, with Western items being far more expensive than local ones. Since I have no fridge, the food I eat at night consists of things like crackers (which taste like cookies), tuna, avocados, bananas, cucumbers, tomatoes, nutella (for the cookies) and german pretzels! You would think it was healthy, but this kind of diet calls for late night snacking! There is also a café at the mall called Java House that offers free wireless internet (slow) and really good western type food. I like their hamburgers, and chips seasoned with Indian spices. Yummy.

I have been out and about only in a limited sense, so that I can get used to my surroundings and how to get around safely. Since I have to be in before dark every night, I am generally home by 6pm which makes exploring a little difficult! Sunday, I met Theresa at her church where she was teaching Sunday school to small kids. Her church happens to be on the same road as Sud Academy, so we hopped on a matatu and had the ride of our lives down the fantastically bumpy road to "Sudan", as we told the conductor onboard. I have a video of it that I hope to upload, but so far all the internet connections I have managed to find are too slow to support videos. Pictures will have to do for now!

Since the kids are out of school for the month of December, there isn't much happening at Sud Academy these days. Some classrooms and furniture are in desperate need of repair, and we are waiting on the potential incoming principal to arrive from southern Sudan soon. Linet and Linet (secretary and deputy) have contacted some students who are still in Kawangware for the break and they are coming to the school Wednesday to meet me. Exciting! Depending on their age groups, we might have some lessons, but I think that more likely is that we will just chat and get to know each other, and hopefully they will indicate to me what they would like to work on for the next few weeks. I have made contact with some individuals in Nairobi, including James from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and Lenard at the Sudan Mirror, a newspaper I hope to coordinate with in some respect.

So all in all, it seems that things are off to a pretty good start. I have to say that I miss my friends, family and boyfriend a lot, especially at night when I am in my room with no music, movies, TV or anything else to distract my mind. I am sure that will lessen as I get used to being here and when school gets underway for the 2009 year! Let's hope that I last as long as my return ticket is good for! Nairobi is far more expensive than expected... Eeeek.

Keep up all your contacts with me because I appreciate any news from home! I'll check in soon with another update... and more pictures of my adventures around town.

'Til then... Kellee in Kenya!