Mount Longonot & Hell's Gate: How I Discovered the Muscles I Never Knew I Had….

It's unreal to think I landed on Kenyan soil exactly one month ago today! This means almost one-third of our time here has come and gone… It went by so fast, and as we begin to plan more of our weekend trips, I can only imagine how fast this experience is going to fly by before my eyes.

Saturday morning, some of us rose early to load a bus and head for Mount Longonot about an hour and half from Nairobi.  Mount Longonot is a crater that was formed by the volcano eruption in the 1860s.  Now, Longonot serves as a spot for tourists and residents to visit and enjoy the immaculate view, fresh air, and intense workout!  (Seriously intense. I don't think my butt has ever been so sore). To hike up and down the crater, it's 3.1 km each way and around the crater is another 7.2 km (about 8 miles in all).  We slipped and slid all over as we tried to go up and down the ash and loose rocks… (I think I fell about 936 times, so obviously I'm a natural at volcano hiking).  As we hiked we saw zebras, giraffes, and even fresh lion/leopard foot prints!! EEK!

Exhausted as we were, we came home, fell asleep, and prepared to wake up early for Sunday's adventures.  Sunday morning we headed for Hell's Gate National Park, where we rented bikes and went on another safari.  We were able to ride our bikes down the path with animals all around us.  It was one of the COOLEST things I've ever done: giraffes to our left, zebras crossing the road in front of us, and gorgeous scenery all around.  

After our bike ride down, we stopped to have our sack lunches at a little picnic table.  After Lake Nakuru, we were pretty comfortable with baboons chilling in the area around us, but as we began to take out our food, one of them jumped on our table, grabbed a mango, and ran away!  *Insert girly shrieks here.* Then about 5 minutes later, another one came up to take the scraps of the mango on the table.  I tried to be really intimidating to get them to leave us alone, but I'm sure you can imagine how well that worked out for me… 

After that, we went through Hell's Gate Gorge, which is where the park has had problems with flash flooding during the rainy season and can be extremely dangerous if you're not careful.  (We were careful though… So no need to worry) :) Parts of the gorge are also where The Lion King was based, so naturally we sang The Circle of Life from one point to another, all of us with our own versions of, "NAAAA SAVENYA NANANEE SEEBABA MMMMM NENYA NAY!" After hiking through the gorge, we had to bike back to our bus (this time up hill and against the wind, so I thought I was going to die before I ever saw that stinkin' bus again).  

The rock Simba is held over in The Lion King! 

Casually Chilling with our Zebra Friends.

SO TIRED. MUST GO ON. 

Once we got back to Nairobi, I literally fell out of the bus, and my body was so sore and tired that I think I actually forgot how to walk…. Muscles I never knew I had made it clearly known that they were there when they throbbed in pain every time I moved.  If you've ever seen the commercials for Weeble Wobbles (those toys for toddlers), I'm convinced that is what I looked like.  Despite the pain my body is suffering from our extensive adventures this weekend, I had THE BEST time, and if my butt continues to hurt from that bike seat for the next 4 days, then so be it. TOTALLY WORTH IT. 

Love from Kenya,

Jen

3 Weeks of Life in Kenya!

Well, I can't believe over 3 weeks of my time here in Kenya has already come and gone!  Since my last post, we've been busy students balancing our time between class, homework, and Kenyan adventures.

Last week, we thought the rainy season was in full swing, and we wouldn't get anymore sunny days until April… I know, I know, none of you back home want to hear about how we're complaining about rain when there's mounds and mounds of cold snow in the States.  But on the bright side (literally, "bright"), the heat and sun are BACK (at least for the next few days), so my goal of coming back as a tan goddess is still underway. ;)

Two weeks ago, I got to visit the elephant orphanage, where baby elephants roamed around and we got to pet them as they walked by!  Afterwards, we went to the giraffe center, where we got to pet and feed and even kiss the giraffes!  It was all an adventure to say the least as many students got lost in the process.  My group ended up in what seemed like the middle of nowhere but what our cab driver called a "shopping center" (And I'll tell you this: it was definitely NOT what you think of back home when you hear "shopping center")… BUT the giraffes were right down the street and everybody made it home safe and sound.

On Friday of this past weekend, we splurged on some Americanized food, as many of us were in a deep craving for pasta, steak, and other American staples.  I'm warning everyone at home that when I come back, I expect a huge smorgasbord of all the food I'm missing out on to just be waiting for me at home, so I can gorge myself in it. ;)



This past weekend we also traveled to Ngong Town, which is home to some of the Maasai people and is where one of our program leader's family lives.   At his resort, we met some of his family, and they gave us a tour of the area, where we hiked up and down a giant cliff side for 3 hours through tiny crevices and over giant rocks.  We also had the company of a dog and cat that followed us as we huffed and puffed our way to the top (they were way better at it than us), and our guide was constantly amused at us Americans and our lack of "casual" rock climbing experience.  It was absolutely beautiful and reminded me of the country side of Ireland… (But what do I know? I've never been there and have only seen what it looks like from the movie P.S. I Love You….).  Either way, it was wonderful and well worth the hike!

Our time in Nairobi is almost halfway done, and while I feel like I've been pushed outside my comfort zone and had numerous experiences of culture shock, reality checks of what life is here, and moments of fear, I know there's so much more for me to experience.  Living in fear anywhere can be detrimental to having a fulfilling experience.  There's a difference between making smart choices and being aware and then just being too scared to do anything.  While being here, most of us have experienced a little bit of "I just want to lock myself in my room", but that's not the point of going on such an opportunity-filled experience like this one.  If you don't allow yourself to have opportunities of immersing yourself in the culture, what are you going to gain?

I've learned that things here are a lot different, and by getting upset by the system or wanting to change everything about it, I'm looking down on the culture, as in mine back home is better, and that's not the case at all.  I don't want to come home and all I have to say is: "It was so fun!" Yes, I definitely want "fun" to be one of my words to describe this journey, but I also want to be able to say I GREW as person and have a better understanding and appreciation of cultures other than my own.  I'm not by any means trying to scare anyone at home by saying I've had experiences of fear, and everyone on my trip is a-okay, but it's just a different lifestyle here.  I am, however, excited to see what other ups and downs and side to sides God has in store for me as I continue to learn, grow, experience, and enjoy all that Kenya has to offer! :)

WITH SO MUCH LOVE,

JEN <3 

First Week in Nairobi!

JAMBO! (If you caught this Mean Girls reference, then you're definitely on the right track)

I cannot believe that I moved to Nairobi and in with my host family one week ago today, and tomorrow, it will have been 2 weeks since I left the States! Part of me feels like I just got here, but there's another part that makes me feel like I've lived here forever...

This week we started classes and got better acquainted with the city, learning how to take matatus, buses, and cabs to get around from place to place. I'm still feeling totally overwhelmed about public transportation and definitely fear I'll get lost, but that's no different than me in Minneapolis… (I'm directionally challenged.) Our group also experienced some sickness at the beginning of the week (from what we're not sure), but that put a damper on the beginning of our host stays… Hopefully that's the end of that and now we can just experience all that Kenya has to offer!

This is what class in Africa looks like. (The left picture is just tea break, but the breaks with bursts of sunshine make class so enjoyable!)

So far our classes have been super interesting on the development of Kenya, and I can't wait to see where they take us. I'm loving learning about the colonization of Kenya and how it became the country it is today. I'm also basically an expert at speaking Kiswahili after only 3 classes, so LOOK OUT! "Jambo! Jina langu Jenni. Mimi ni mwanafunzi. Ninapenda maembe!" (Hello! My name is Jenni. I am a student. I like mangos.) That's all I've got so far, but trust me, I'm ALMOST an expert…..

This morning some of the other students and I went downtown to do yoga through a program called "Africa Yoga Project" where more than 100 people came together to exercise the mind, body, and soul together. It's free on Saturdays, so as long as you can afford transportation, you are welcome! People of all different backgrounds were there: rich, poor, white, black. And let me tell you, I'VE NEVER SWEAT SO MUCH IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. Seriously, I looked like I had just jumped into a pool.  I'll definitely be feeling that one in the morning! We even got to do dancer's pose, which if you were a Mary-Kate and Ashley fan, you'd know that was from one of their movies, so I got super excited when I got to release my inner Olson twin during that yoga pose.

I'm starting to feel more and more at home, especially since my host brother and I watched The Mighty Ducks this week on TV in Kenya, so it definitely brought a little MN love into my life.  I know as this experience continues, Kenya is only going become more and more like my home. I've already been here for 2 out of my 15 weeks, and my time is flying by already!! I hope everyone at home is trying to stay warm- I keep sending some heat waves your way, but I don't think it's working ;)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Jenni <3

Lions and Zebras and Giraffes. OH MY!

GREETINGS FROM KENYA!

I've only been here for 5 days, and I'm already in love with Kenya! The terrain is beautiful, the animals are unbelievable, and the people I've met have been fabulous!  The group I'm studying with as well as the staff are so wonderful… I couldn't have asked for a better group of people! (Not to mention this 80 degree weather that isn't so bad either)! ;)

I arrived in Nairobi on Monday evening, where we stayed at the YMCA.  Then, on Tuesday we were taken to receive residency, exchange our money, and have our first try at Kenyan food!  (IT'S SUPER DELICIOUS)! Later on Tuesday afternoon, we drove to Lake Nakuru National Park where we stayed until Saturday soaking up the sun, having orientation, getting to know each other, and going on safaris.  You would turn around and see a baboon right behind you or look off in the distance and see zebras or water buffalo roaming the grounds… IT WAS AWESOME!  

Today we got to meet our host families we'll be staying with for the first 7 weeks, so my host brothers spent the afternoon showing me around Nairobi and trying to get me acclimated to Kenyan life! I have to face so many more fears, go farther outside my comfort zone, experience more of the culture, and see many more things I may or may not be ready for….. But this adventure has just begun and I can't wait to see where it takes me!

We also visited the equator!

GOD BLESS,

Jen