The First 3 Days

Jambo! The time now is currently 5 am in the morning, and if you are wondering why I am blogging so early it is because this is the only time that the internet works at a decent speed, and also the jetlag has screwed up my sleeping pattern! But aside from adjustments, Nairobi is everything that I had imagined! The air is sweet and there is always a breeze, the sun is always shining and the temperature is around 26 degrees Celcius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). This week we have orientation, so we have been living at a Christian Missionary Compound in the richest part of Nairobi. It is very beautiful and rural here, the pictures that I am putting up are of the building and gardens, and of the Giraffe retreat we visited yesterday. Our Adminstrative Directors (ADs) Odoch and Jamal are extremely welcoming and helpful, and Mama Mary is also a comfort to us. They have been keeping us very busy, we have already had a Kiswahili class and various orientation seminars. They have been feeding us very well too! There is always fresh mango, banana and pineapple at every meal, and at 10 am and 4 pm we have tea and Nyana, which are sort of like those fried dough balls you get at Chinese restuarants, just not as much sugar. Today we have a very exciting task. They are splitting us up into groups of 3 or 4 and dropping us off in random locations in Nairobi. Our goal is to find out as much as we can about the place, and give a presentation later tonight, but we will be completely on our own in the city. SIT's program is all about independent learning, as well as gaining as much experience as possible directly from the city and the people. Yesterday we exchanged money and bought cell phones, it is very expensive for me to call out but you all are welcome to call me!! If you are looking for good rates, check out www.mobilecaller.com for United States to Kenya calling at about 5 cents per minute. My number is 001 254 734 259 770. Remember though that I am 8 hours ahead of everyone back home in the States! I miss everyone very much, but I am so happy and excited and busy here there hasn't been much time to be homesick, so please don't worry at all. Will post back soon...enjoy the photos!