Weeks 3-5 in Kenya

After six weeks in Kenya, I couldn't feel more at home. Everything, from the forty minute walk to school, to the rapport I've built with the neighborhood guards, to the previously bemoaned about food has become both natural and comforting. I'm simultaneously dreading my departure and struggling to accept its coming as I can't fathom where the weeks have disappeared to.

Afternoon view from the intern house into the neighborhood field

My last blog post left off at Fourteen Falls. The following week and a half marked the transition from the first half of my time here to the second, as the interns I came to know and love during my first three weeks in Kenya reached the conclusion of their own time here. The five interns who were living in the house upon my arrival in May left during this time, making me the most senior intern in the house and also quite possibly the loneliest, as I missed my friends and the constant familiar games, music, and laughter that had surrounded me.

(from left) Jan, Yi, Me, Véro, Scotty, David -- the week of endless departures

Change is, of course, inevitable, and the departure of the original interns meant the arrival of new, eager faces. Many new interns have come through the house in the last few weeks, mainly from China and Taiwan, but also from Switzerland, Lebanon, and Barbados. With the house bustling again (and my Mandarin skills rapidly increasing from absolute zero to, well, slightly better than absolute zero), I began to embrace the second half of my adventure.

Two weekends ago, I stayed in Nairobi and attended a local football (um, soccer) match played by a team of young men from the neighborhood involved in the nonprofit Tofauti on the Move, an organization started by the man who owns the intern house I'm staying in and the umbrella group which facilitates many projects for AIESEC and non-AIESEC interns alike. The game was in Kilimani, one of the most upscale neighborhoods of Nairobi. Before the game started, I visited a nearby mall with two friends and found a thriving ex-pat community of American and European citizens. Though the expansive shopping center was modern and I certainly enjoyed my fresh smoothie and salad at a café inside, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the general lack of diversity and wonder why so many foreign residents were content with luxury apartment buildings and shopping malls that were a world apart from the typical Kenyan experience. Of course, I have no personal contact with any of these people and can't offer judgment on their lifestyle, but I can say I prefer my neighborhood in South C, which, though better off than many in Nairobi, is filled with Kenyans who have become much more than neighbors.

The match was enjoyable, and gave me a glimpse into the importance of this sport for many young boys (and some girls!) in this country. Added bonus: the Tofauti team won! The weekend was less eventful than others but I was happy to relax in Nairobi and experience a new side of the city.

Last weekend was my last full weekend in Nairobi, and I spent it in Naivasha at an AIESEC conference. I got to meet many local AIESECers and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings, including the nearby Hell's Gate National Park.

Hell's Gate National Park

After returning to Nairobi, I visited an Ethiopian restaurant with friends and enjoyed the authentic (and delicious) food from one of my favorite cuisines. Yesterday was 'Saba Saba,' (saba is Swahili for seven, marking the 7th of July) a day hotly anticipated by all in Kenya as a large political opposition rally was planned. All interns were instructed to stay home from work and avoid leaving the neighborhood. Luckily, the rally was peaceful and we're all back to life as usual here. 

This is most likely my last post from Kenya, as I'll be home one week from today.