Tales from the Bush Part 4

This will more than likely be my last captivating, awe inspiring post. As I write this I am surrounded by the familiar noises of a city, I have made it to Nairobi. However, I may subject you to occasional posts about the trials and tribulations of life in Nairobi.

My last week at the children's village was great, albeit typical. I loved being able to live in the houses with the kids, although the getting up at 6am was pretty rough but then again, since the sun sets at 7pm, we didn't have much of a reason to stay up late. My roommate was stricken with some mystery ailment that caused her to be out of commission for several days, leaving me in charge of 12 kids. Luckily, she is a trooper and even while feeling awful she still tried to lend a hand. Nothing wild and crazy happened last week, the routine became so familiar that it was easy to see everything as normal.

I left on Wednesday morning. It was probably the worst thing I have ever done. I kind of assumed that the kids were either used to people leaving frequently or wouldn't much care seeing how I had only been there three short weeks. I was wrong on both accounts. Several kids, mainly the ones that I lived with became very upset and I spent over an hour trying to soothe them and get them to stop crying. Five girls ended up following me to the land cruiser and it took another fifteen minutes to convince them to let go of me as I had to get into the car to leave. It was heart breaking. I believe volunteers are an integral part of success of the program but it was so hard to see the affect our departure has on the kids.

I was then driven the three hours down out of the mountains to Arusha where I stayed the night with some friends in town. It was interesting being in Arusha, it is not nearly as developed as Nairobi, still dirt side roads, but like Nairobi, there is a white presence that is apparent due to the gelato/coffee bars and the ability to get a manicure and pedicure (which of course I did!!). I was able to get some great food and enjoy lovely company before flying back up to Nairobi.

I am now making myself at home in Nairobi. The apartment building is a bit old and in the middle of renovations but it is safe and clean, so it will suffice as home for the next two months. We are a mile from the faculty of law and a few feet from the largest shopping center in Kenya, it is like any mall in America. There is a movie theater, restaurants, internet cafe, book store and other little shops I have yet to investigate. I am getting braver by the day and slowly leaving the confines of the Westlands area and exploring more. The rest of the group is out on safari but I decided that it would be nice to spend some down time before starting classes, so I opted to stay home for the weekend and regroup after a month with 41 children. The weather is pleasant, it is the winter here so the temp has been roughly 76-80 during the day and a comfortable 65 at night, I can certainly live with those numbers! The crime and illness are probably the least of my worries when compared to the vehicles and the terror they bring. If I don't die in some fiery crash because drivers refuse to look, yield, slow down or generally use common sense, I will certainly meet my end by not looking the right direction when stepping off the curb. I am so accustomed to looking left when stepping off the curb to cross the street that I am actually having to remind myself to look right before stepping off the curb lest I get hit by some 20 year old land cruiser held together by tape and clever welding.

Well, I need to go get some cash from the ATM at the mall, mail a package for a girl here and check on the cinema times (I am curious how far behind the states the movies are, but considering the stress of law school and my inability to get to the movies, I HIGHLY doubt I will have already seen the movie).