July 10th, 2014 Part 4

9:30 PM (Kenya)

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.

July 10th, 2014 Part 3

10:20 AM (Kenya) 12:20 AM (PHX)

I am now sitting in the Nairobi airport, awaiting the flight to Kisumu.  Thankfully I was able to have 15 minutes of wi-fi, so I texted/chatted my mom, Dave, & Connor and Facetimed Connor, & by effect, Andy, Zach, & Jenna! :)  I miss everyone so much, but time is flying by (no pun intended.)  I just wish they could be here with me instead of me being home.  Soon I will travel with them to cool places like this.

The landing here went pretty smoothly.  Flying in was somewhat surprising.  The city has more infrastructure & is more developed than I expected.  It pretty much looked like a normal city- from that far up at least.  There was A TON of traffic going into the city at 6:45 when we flew over.

The airport has been a neat experience!  We exited the plane via the stairs on the tarmac, which was pretty fun.  Then we took a bus that looks like a bug, which was wider than any bus I've seen, to the airport building.  We walked in and had to go through customs.  This was like nothing I've seen.  It was't terrible conditions, but just definitely not what we're used to.  The whole inside was cement with thick columns and low ceilings.  It was extremely crowded with people speaking so many different languages and sitting anywhere they could find room.  We found the counter that had the form we had to complete and sat down to fill it out.  Once we were done we had to go to a counter where they took the form, checked our passports, and took scans of our fingerprints.

Then we picked up the checked bags from the carousel and exited the building.  We got cash converted to Kenyan Shillings.  $360 --> 30,600 shillings (1:85) Outside was-

Sidenote I forgot to mention! It was very striking & quite intimidating to see a military man armed with a machine gun when we got our bags!

Outside was interesting also.  There were lines of taxis, but then also many men, dressed in suits, looking to do many different things: push your cart of bags, lead you to where you needed to go, take you on tours, etc.  Some were hustlers too- haha!  One wriggled his way into pushing Daniel's cart, then expecting a tip at the end.  We walked to another building, where we were screened by security.  We then got our boarding passes & checked our bags.  Then went through another security checkpoint to get to the gates, where we now wait!  My first purchase w/Kenyan Shillings was a bottle of water, fruit danish, & mandazi- a pastry that tastes exactly like sopaipillas, but is just more dense (550 ksh total.)

The airport announcement system.

Now the group is going to play Uno to kill time until we leave!

July 10th, 2014 Part 2

4:45 AM (Kenya)

We are 2 hours outside of Nairobi. Breakfast is currently being served.  Last night I ate fish, green beans, & potatoes for dinner.  I also tried the Kenyan lager Jan suggested- Tuskers.  Not too bad actually!  But still beer ;)

"George"- real name is Nyakako- asked to exchange email addresses, so we did.  He is very pleased we are doing work in Kenya, and Bondo in particular.  I think he wants to get involved, which would be awesome!

I did get some sleep.  Not a lot, but with the excitement I'm pretty wide awake.  I watched the movie "Labor Day" last night before I slept & balled my eyes out!  I really liked it (the movie, haha.)

Next time I write I will be in Kenya!

July 10th, 2014 Part 1

12:00 AM (Kenya) 11:00 PM (Amsterdam) 2:00 PM (Phoenix)

After I last wrote we waiting and waited and waited..  Just before going through security I paid for 15 minutes of wi-fi so I could let everyone know I was leaving & give them the flight info so they could track it.  One woman at security gave me grief about the number of liquids I had in my toiletry bag, but thankfully they let me through with it.  The plane is nice & bigger than expected!  It has a full list of movies to watch too.

I just finished watching "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."  The plane was very late in leaving the gate, apparently because many places were leaving at once, so I was halfway through the movie before we even took off!  I just spoke with one of the flight attendants, "George" is his American name.  He asked about where I was from & where we are going.  He is from Bondo, so was very excited to hear we are going there.

A scene from the movie!

We should be to Nairobi at about 6:45AM, which is 6hrs & 38 min from now.  I'm gunna eat & then get to sleep!

July 9th, 2014 Part 2

4:00 PM (Amsterdam) 7:00 AM (Phoenix)

This is a lot of traveling! It's a good thing I've pretty much been writing as things happen, because with so many airports and so little sleep, I'm not likely to remember everything!

Picking up where I left off, though, I met my friend on the flight to Amsterdam shortly after my last entry.  Her name is Elisa and her daughter's name is Regina.  They are from Italy!  They had been traveling to Michigan where they were going to spend the summer in Troy.  When they arrived in the U.S. though, they were interrogated and the immigration officials determined she needed a work visa to enter.  Even though she was there for travel.  She said she had come to the U.S. many times for work with no trouble, but of course the one time she was there for pleasure, she runs into trouble.  Poor thing.  They had flown Italy --> Amsterdam --> Detroit then in the Detroit airport they were questioned, and sent back on a flight- the one we were on. They hadn't been outside in over 26 hours and all their travel plans were cancelled.  She was devastated (hence the crying.)  She was even going to go to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.  They weren't supposed to leave until September!  I felt so bad.  I hope they find a way to salvage the trip.  She was saying they may be able to expedite her visa and them come back.  I said we need to do a house swap!

Finally, though, we landed in Amsterdam.  We put our big bags in lockers, got tickets for the subway-like system that runs from the airport into the city, and exchanged some money from dollars to Euros.  Each person converted $60, for a total of $300 to approximately €45 each.  It took us a very long time, but finally we made it out of the airport.

We made it to the Central Station in Amsterdam, then went on a covered boat tour (1 hr.) of the canal system.  It was super cold & drizzled the whole time.

After the boat tour (which was pretty cool! We saw a lot of bridges, got a sense of the architecture of the area, saw how significant bikes are here, saw the Anne Frank house, and learned a lot of random information I hadn't previously known) we went to lunch @ this chic little place called Flame across the street.  I had a yummy sandwich that had salmon & eggs.  By the way- the STOP signals on the street crosswalks here have countdowns.  Learned that by thinking we had 30 seconds to cross a street & that actually being when cars were coming! :0

After lunch we went to a crêpe place across the street for some dessert! I had a vanilla latte & Jamie & I split a Nutella crêpe! It was quite delicious.

At that point there was not much more we could do without either walking or paying for transportation, so we headed back to the airport.

We walked around the airport some, to keep everyone from awake as much as possible.  Now we are sitting in a lounge area, most of the students sleeping, waiting for our flight.  About 4 hours or so until we leave.

Apparently the airport only gives you free wi-fi for two 30-minute segments.  A fact I did not know until I used them both :/ So now I have to figure out how to tell people when the flight leaves!

July 9th, 2014 Part 1

12:00 AM (Detroit) 6:00 AM (Amsterdam)

Well, that was, what I'm guessing may be, the first of many inaccurate first impressions I'll have this trip.  The crying little girl was laid down in the seat, set up with a pillow and blanket, and has not woken up once.  We are 1 hour out of Amsterdam.  The mom, rushed to sit down before the plane took off, got her daughter situated, got some luggage rearranged, then finally settled in herself.  Not long after she relaxed (looking tense and upset the whole time) she began crying :( She cried on and off throughout the flight.  Quietly and to herself, but still so upset. I am a terrible person!  I was all selfish about not wanting them to sit by me and they proved me wrong by being silent and having more to worry about than a dumb seat.  I was never able to ask the mom what was wrong.  The time never felt right.  But I prayed for her and her situation, and hope she will be comforted and it will work out.

The sun is rising outside, although I can't see it because most people have their windows closed.  Breakfast was just served.  It will be interesting to go into one of the most basic living environments I've experienced in my life right after being in one of the most plush situations.  I think it is raining in Amsterdam, but I'll put my rain jacket on and be ready to go!

I watched the movie “About Time” on the flight earlier and it was SO GOOD!! I really want to watch it with Connor <3 it reminds me of him in some ways.

I'll try to get a picture with my flight neighbor.  Talk after Amsterdam!

July 8th, 2014 Part 3

6:00 PM (Detroit)

Just boarded the plane in Detroit headed for Amsterdam. Biggest plane I've ever seen! Four seats in the center, two on each side.

XX | XXXX | XX

         ^me! (24D)

The airport in Michigan has an indoor tram!

Also, I just saw Katie Holmes and Suri in the airport! Don't usually care about celebrities, but that was cool!

Aah... two empty seats to my right, then a teenage girl sits down- she was separate from her family though, so wanted to move.  So I hope she leaves and I'd have a ton of room.  A spot opens up by her family so she moves... yes!  Then, just as the fasten seatbelt light comes on, a woman with a crying baby sits down! :(  The little girl is already asleep though, so maybe it will be ok!

About to sit through the longest flight of my life though! Let's go!!

P.S. They give eye masks and ear plugs on this flight! And a blanket and pillow too!