Days 1 and 2 at A Rocha Kenya

My flights to Kenya went fairly smooth, there were a couple of delays, but I had sufficient layovers that it didn't make a difference in me arriving in Malindi on time. On my long flight to Istanbul I was lucky enough to be in a row with 3 seats but only one other person. Some others on the flight were even luckier in that it was just them! Maybe on my way home I'll get to lay down for part of the 10 hour flight. To Nairobi it was the same situation, and I sat next to a nice young woman who was also coming to Africa for the first time, she was on a mission trip. My flight to Malindi was half empty, and only about half got off at Malindi. I was hoping to see some cool stuff from the window (read: elephant herds) but unfortunately we were too high up. But, my first real view of Africa was quite nice. We passed over a number of dry river beds, and I wonder if that is normal this time of year or if it was due to the drought.

When I landed in Malindi I had expected to take a cab to Mwamba, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find Henry and Belinda, and their two children, Amy and Ivy, waiting for me. I think I would have been a little scared on the drive over had I been with a cab driver, because the road is quite dangerous, with walkers, bikers, motorbikes, matatus, cars, and buses going at high speeds. But Henry navigated the chaos with ease, even answering my questions about what kinds of trees we were driving by (Baobab trees!!), and we made it safely to Mwamba shortly before lunch time.

Upon arrival, I met Mathias, the cook, who was the only one here, for everyone else was out doing field work. I had a bit of time to unpack, and then had a delicious lunch. I am really looking forward to the food here, so far it has all been wonderful. It is not unlike what I was eating in Hawaii on the farm in fact, lots of rice and vegetables, with some sort of sauce. I'm a bit of a food addict, so I will hopefully post some photos of the food soon. I would prefer to send a taste to readers, but that technology has not yet been invented.

After lunch I had a full four hours for napping, and was awoken by Sykes Monkeys jumping from the trees onto the tin roof. It caused quite a racket, but it was a good reason to climb out of bed. At this point I met a couple more volunteers and staff members, and had a swim in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean! The water was aqua blue and very warm, even warmer than the water in Hawaii, and was quite clear.

 This photo does not do the beach justice, so I will do my best to get some much better photos in the near future.

 My bedroom, quite comfortable and very peaceful at night time.

My humble abode--although I am sure I will learn it is less humble than a lot of Kenyan's.

On Monday, my first day as a real volunteer, there was the meeting in the morning where the week was planned out. I didn't witness a whole lot of planning, per se, but it was a chance for everyone to get together and talk about anything necessary, as well as pray together. As most people reading this will probably know, I am not a practicing Christian, and often question the beliefs that stem from the Bible. However, I have a deep respect for the Christians here, in that they welcome people of all faiths (or lack of faith), and because they seem to constantly challenge their own faith in order to make it stronger. On Monday afternoon we had a Bible study session, in which we talked about John 16:16-24, and what prayer means to Christians. It was really a spirited discussion and people seemed comfortable voicing their own opinions. I think this is a place I will learn a lot about Christianity and perhaps will come to an understanding of it that works for me.