12/14

As an aviation aficionado, I can't help but comment on Turkish Airlines' fleet. The flight from O'Hare to Ataturk (Istanbul) used an A340-300. The four engines were significantly quieter inside the cabin than the B747 counterpart.

Istanbul has a very European approach to security, as my carry-on was searched at the gate right before boarding my flight to Kenya, which was a B737-800. Both of these planes are a testament to the advanced TK fleet. I fortunately received the exit row on this flight and was able to spread out my legs, but was still unable to sleep. The flight itself was very choppy, even though the skies were clear and there were not any cold fronts moving in. I'm unsure if this is due to the equipment or pilot skill (not using autopilot).

Clearing customs at Jomo Kenyatta took less than five minutes. They took a picture, scanned my passport, and fingerprinted all ten fingers. I had to wait about an hour for my baggage to get through turnstile. It is not able to handle a high load of bags, so people had to move their bags onto the floor before others could be unloaded.

After converting 40 USD into Kenyan Shillings, I was met by a man named Jonathan.Since it was approximately 3 AM, the roads were deserted and we had a 30 minute drive in a matatu to my temporary (2 day) accommodation. Jonathan informed me that he has visited neighboring countries like Somalia and Tanzania, but has never left West Africa.

The house itself was in a poor part of town. At 4 AM it was particularly deserted, and I genuinely feared my safety. I had to stand outside for approximately 45 mins because my host family was asleep and not answering the phone. We were able to wake up neighbors who had the key and let me into their house. At this point, Jon left and it was likely the last time I'd ever see him. I was taken to a small room with a bed smaller than I and asked to sleep until sunrise (Kenyans are a very sun-based society: the city comes to life and dies with the position of the sun). I could not sleep, so I walked around the area (within the fence).

Around 6 AM I met the host family. Bea is a student at Nairobi University studying to become an auditor with a bachelors in commerce. Her sister, Bridgette, has a 14-month old child named Gasper. She sells cloth at a streetside market. Their father, George, is in real estate and likely owns the surrounding land. People who have built their homes probably pay him rent (I am uncertain because he never confirmed this, and I found it rude to ask, but it seemed that way from the way he described the area). George's wife is in Ohio with their child, who is going to University of Ohio.

My roommate was a 14 year old boy named Anthony. He spoke great English, and enjoys playing GTA San Andreas in his spare time on the PS2.

I met other volunteers. Carla is from Australia and will be working at an orphanage in the rural town of Nyeri. Georgina, from London, as well as Shannon, from Canada are working together in a 200-person orphanage close to Nairobi. Mother-daughter pair Bonnie and Madison are also working at an orphanage. Working with me at Ushirika Medical Clicnic is Liesel, who is from Washington state.

I went to the city to purchase a SIM card for my cell phone, which ran 100 shillings (1 USD is 80 shillings). I bought "top off," or calling and texting credit, of 300 shillings.

I was able to play with the neighbors' kids, who love the expression "How are you?" when they see a foreigner. I thought I would not stand out due to my dark complexion, but people picked me out quite easily. It was interesting to note the difference in raising children between America and here. While kids in America often whine or throw toys for attention, the kids here have a very high sense of independence. When they want to be picked up, which is very rare, they simply look up and raise their eyebrows.  There is very little parental care, as parents have many other worries. People only do what is absolutely necessary. There is a very carefree sense of time that is based around the sun. "Kenyan time" is a phenomenon one must be here to experience. 

It was also interesting to note that most people who live in desolate conditions here have no desire to leave the area/country. They are perfectly content with their way of life. The Kenyan gov't, for example, started a program to relocate a handful of people form the slums of Kibera (where I will be working) to gov't housing. After a few months, these people went back to slums. They did not want to pay electric and water bills, as before they would just join wires together and have what they needed. They also left behind the close-knit group of friends and markets. Simply stated, the impoverished class is very happy with their status quo--something that continues to astonish me.

There is a chicken coup within the premises. As Americans flock to Whole Foods to buy cagefree eggs advertised as containing high amounts of Omega fatty acids, I had the option of eating cagefree "farm" eggs every morning (though I did not because I don't like boiled eggs).

I also learned about an internal conflict in Cambodia. A group of rebels killed almost every professional in the area, to a point where the country had 14 doctors left. A doctor from MSF started a series of clinics to train locals and provide medical care to the population. I do not know the veracity of this nor the "real story," but I definitely plan to research it in detail upon my return and see if there's anything I can do. 

I start orientation tomorrow