First Impressions

Greetings from Nairobi. Or ‘Jambo’ as they say in Swahili.

I arrived Saturday afternoon and after a nice dinner meal with my hosts, I fell into a much-awaited deep slumber that ended up lasting almost 15 hours! I awoke late-morning on Sunday to a cacophony of tropical bird songs that were interspersed with the occasional rooster announcing his presence to the world.

The place where I am staying is amazing. I have my own little guesthouse cottage located next to the main house. Lush tropical gardens adorned with hibiscus and bird-of-paradise flowers surround the house -- this place feels like a true oasis amidst the bustling chaos of Nairobi!

Here are some photos of my little guesthouse:

The family I am staying with have been wonderful hosts. In addition to the mother who lives here, there are 4 children who are all in their early twenties. The eldest daughter is the same age as I and it turns out she did her undergrad studies in Canada. Another girl (who is also our age and who is staying here for the summer) is from Guinea and just finished her Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies. In addition to the family, Charles the cook, Henri the driver, and Jamu the gateman, all live here too.

Here are some photos of the family home and gardens:

A flock of beautiful peacocks live here as well and have quickly become my new best friends. The main peacock dude follows me everywhere around the property much like a devoted puppy dog would. As much as I’d like to think it’s my pure charm that has attracted him, it’s more likely the more practical fact that I have been sneaking him pieces of bread whenever I can. The baby peacocks, less colorful (yet still super cute!), seem to spend most of their day bathing in the sun on the patio of my guesthouse. They are almost always there waiting to greet me when I come back to my room and on the rare occasion that they are not around, they have been sure to leave some droppings behind as a reminder of their previous visit!

Here are some shots of Mr. Peacock himself:

Anyway, night has now fallen and with it, sleep is calling. I think another dozen or so hours of sleep are in order tonight before I will feel completely back to my normal, energetic self and adjusted to the new time zone.

My first day of work with the World Food Programme is tomorrow - wish me luck! Love to you all from across the great ocean blue.

Goodbye and goodnight (kwa heri and lala salama).