I am at the end of my first day in Kenya, and I am not sure what to think. My head is spinning with all I've already seen & I have a million different emotions.
When we landed in Kisumu it was pouring rain. It was an interesting cultural difference because rather than have us walk in the rain, they instead had us all wait on the plane for it to die down. They gave us all ponchos and we braved it down the stairs from the plane and across the tarmac.
The plane we took from Nairobi to Kisumu. |
Waiting on the tarmac in Kisumu for the rain. |
Inside we gathered our bags then walked into the customs area. Noah met us here, greeting us each with a warm hug, and the sweetest greeting, "Welcome home." It was so amazing and really did make me feel welcomed. At this point I was extremely excited for this trip.
We walked outside to the van. I saw a big bus with little girls all in green uniforms piling in. It was for a local all girls school apparently. I was so happy I was able to sit in the front of the van with Jan & Noah- giving me a great view and an opportunity to talk to Noah & ask questions.
We had to pay taxes as we exited the parking lot... Then the real fun began!!! Jan was driving. The van is manual & the steering column is on the right side of the car. The first part of the drive was pure madness. There were lots of cars driving both directions, the roads are relatively narrow with no lines. I also asked Noah if there is a speed limit. He said max is 100 km/hr usually and 80 km/hr in areas w/shops. Inexperienced drivers operate taxis in which they cram as many people as possible - matatu (pronounced: muh-tot-two). So we continued along, dodging potholes, matatus, people on bikes, etc.
Then it got to some ways I would have pictured it.