From Canada to Kenya

Written Saturday, August 30, 2008

Seven days ago I arrived in Kenya after many weeks of preparations. It was a busy summer for me as I worked, took two courses and prepared for my research project. In addition to all this, Edmonton is a wonderful city in the summer and there is no end to the activities that one can enjoy. Despite all the busyness, I managed to get myself organized and ready to go. In the second week of September my brother Karl arrived in Edmonton and the two of us packed up my car and began the 3,600 kilometre road trip back to Ontario. Once we arrived in Ontario, I had 10 great days to spend with my family and friends before I boarded the plane for Kenya.

I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday, August 24 after flying from Toronto to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to Nairobi. The flight into Amsterdam was the most beautiful flight that I’ve been on. As we began our descent, we sailed through a layer of cotton ball clouds into a sky awash in shades of pink created by the rising sun. I even heard a gasp as people on the plane noticed the fiery orange sun glowing on the horizon. Flavours of Holland could be found all throughout the airport. The gift shop was brimming with windmills, clogs and cows. I saw a poster for KLM that described it as “The Reliable Airline”. I thought this was a good description. KLM is not too flashy, the food is terrible, but it’s reasonably priced and they get the job done well.

I’m planning on spending altogether two weeks in Kenya. My classmate Janis is with me. She arrived in Nairobi 12 hours after me. We’re staying with another classmate, Anna, who has been here for the past four months. The three of us are in similar programs at the University of Alberta and it is wonderful having this opportunity to travel with them!

More stories to come soon!