My New Kenyan Home

Sunday morning (after a couple of days of sitting due to Kenyan organization…or lack thereof) I finally left for my new placement.  There was a group of 14, mostly new arrivals, heading to various towns in that direction.  On the way we stopped at Lake Naivasha to do a boat tour.  Not a lot of animals...mainly just a bunch of cool looking birds and the hippos and giraffes below.  Still a fun a little excursion.

A shot of the gorgeous lake & volcano behind it.

We pulled over at one point and did a little nature walk.  We were about 40 feet from some giraffes which was pretty cool, and the whole area is stunning.  I’m excited to be living near here. 

We got up close and personal with some hippos in the water.  As we were sitting here about 20-30 feet from them, our guide starts rambling on about how they are the most deadly animal in Africa so we shouldn't be too comfortable sitting there bc they are fast & could easily maul us all.  I think he needs a new profession.

Kenyan fisherman.

We pulled over at one point and did a little nature walk.  We were only a short distance from a few giraffes which was pretty cool.  It sort of looks like this guy is munching on my hair...that's what happens when Europeans take your photos ;)

A bald eagle swooping down to catch a fish.  What amazing photography skills.....ok, not really.  The guide threw a fish in the water and we were all waiting with our cameras aimed & ready.

The birds.  Scary, aren't they?  It's a bunch of Cormorants who actually really freaked me out.

Next we were dropped off at our placement.  As we pulled into the area, I got really excited.  The house and the whole area is really nice, and so open compared to where I was in Nairobi.  We are living with Katherine, her husband Chris and her three kids.  They are all very sweet and seem like they will be wonderful to live with.  There are three other volunteers at the house….two teachers from Atlanta who just arrived and another college girl from Canada who has been in Kenya for a month already.  Also, Marcus lives in the apartment behind the house.  He is from New Zealand & originally came to Kenya to volunteer for 3 months.....4 years later he's running the program with Katherine and working toward his citizenship here.  Overall, at first shot it seems like a pretty good mix of people and I’m excited to see how things go. 

Just to give a little comparison of this home to the last, I've included a shot of the bedroom & kitchen as I did of Mary's house.  This is like a resort!

One thing you might note is that there is actually floor space!  Ok, so I never said it was lean, but there is a lot more room, and two less people staying there.  I'm loving it.

I have no words.  It's not only sanitary, it's just tidy all the time.  And, Katherine is a great cook to boot.  I'm in heaven!