The trip from NYC to Nairobi took a total of 30 hours. Words cannot describe how happy I am to be on the compound and not standing in line any more with customs, security, etc. We had a 12 hours lay-over in London and previously I was pumped and ready to go exploring. However when I got there I was zoned out and so tired from the time change but I forced myself to go out--surprisingly the majority of our group chose to stay in the airport and not go out. It took us SUCH a long time to go through customs, security, and round up the troops and decide where to go, eventually it ended up being me, Caroline, Landen, Tyler, and Libby. We took the tube to the center of London where we saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Bridge, St. James Park, and some other parks. We spent the day walking around and enjoying the scenery. The double decker bus didn't end up working out- we were all soo tired that we spend most of the day in a pub relaxing, drinking beer and having a traditional English breakfast: bread pudding, toast, poached egg, sausage, beans, thin sliced ham, and a fried tomato. The beer and breakfast was delicious but everything there was so expensive! All in all it was a great experience and I am really glad I got out of the airport and explored. The city is beautiful and the architecture is just amazing. It was a nice atmosphere- no high buildings, history, and everyone seemed very proper. The plane ride to Kenya was an easy one, I slept most of the way because my TV wasn't working....I was more than okay with sleeping. When we were descending the landscape of Africa looked awesome- unlike looking above from the USA, Kenya was so green and mountainous, I even saw a huge crater!! My first impressions of Kenya was there are not extensive road networks. However the roads that DO look as though they are plopped right in the middle of the set of Lion King. There are low trees and dirt paths on either side of it, and plenty of tropical looking flowers. It seems that Karen, like most Kenyan cities is bipolar. There are rich people who own cars and drive to work, and there are men in suits and loafers running or walking to work.
The ride to Karen from the airport took 45 mins and during that time I was looking out the window trying to spot a giraffe- its pretty common! They drive on the opposite side of the road and the steering wheel is on the other side. The rules of traffic don't apply here, its whoever drives fastest has the right of way- it was pretty scary. We took a huge safari bus to get to the compound. When we arrived we were shown around the compound and had a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, cereal, and yogurt. The fruit is to die for, it is so fresh! The internet here isn't the greatest, it can be pretty slow but at least it works! We also have fresh running water, something that most neighbors don't have the consistent luxury of, the water comes and goes some days. I am living with Caroline, Kari, and Francis, and everyone else has rooms scattered around the house. We all live in one big house with a common area, kitchen, and each room has their own shower and bathroom. The teachers live on the compound and we have a guard that guards the door and barbed wire around the whole perimeter of the compound. There are many tall trees and shrubbery- it really is a nice oasis! There are places to play volleyball and soccer and also to lounge around. Tomorrow the group of 21 of us will explore Nairobi and the runners and I will additionally explore the running routes.
So far I have had no bad encounters with bugs of freaky animals, but I am sure it is inevitable. I recently found out that there are many iguanas and chameleons that live on the compound with us. I will be looking out for them!
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