Arrived in Nairobi, Kenya!

Well, this is my first blog. I am in Kenya from February 15 to 23. It’s a short stay, but there is much to accomplish!

The flight from Ottawa to Nairobi (through Heathrow) went quite smoothly. The nine hour lay over in Heathrow, London allowed for a couple of naps and I had time to put together a photo album for Mercy Chirlden Centre of our collaborative work to date. I included some photos from Canada to show them that we think of them often! Also included pics of the animals Todd and I saw during our safari at the Masai Mara two years ago. I think the children at the school will have fun identifying the different animals!

(I should mention that my mother is accompanying me on this trip. She had been to Kenya nearly 20 years ago, so it is a real treat for her to be here again and see how it has changed.) We got through customs without a hitch. Nairobi is a busy place to be this week as it is hosting the annual United Nations Environmental Programme conference. Must be why we had a difficult time finding a hotel!

We were picked up by a driver through a travel agent we have come to know who is supportive of the work that One Child’s Village (OCV) does in Kenya. Consequently, he has worked very hard to prepare a solid yet inexpensive travel package for me in appreciation of trying to save OCV some costs.

Our driver, Wilson, was very sincere. He seemed eager to get us up to speed on the state of Kenya since the Dec 2007 post-election violence. He explained to us that although there was much violence and many people died (over 1,200 people), “good things come from bad periods”. I found his perspective very hopeful, if not affirming. He continued by pointing out that the new coalition government has established many good things in a short time. Namely, many of the major roads in Nairobi and connecting to all other major areas of Kenya have been widened and repaved. So no more insanely bumpy roads with crater-sized potholes! There has been much construction in terms of business in the outskirts of Nairobi as well. This is mainly due to significant expansion arising from a recent exodus of Kenyans from rural areas to Nairobi centre.

Wilson also shared that he was in Rwanda last week and saw the memorial there from the genocide. He seemed quite struck by it and expressed gratitude that Kenya “averted” this same possibility after their election. He emphasized that although “only 1,000 or so people died in Kenya”, Rwanda lost 1 million people - “so they had it much worse.” I still can’t wrap my mind around these types of juxtapositions…

After more napping to minimize my jet lag, our travel agent picked us up at the hotel and brought us to his home for a lovely Pakistani dinner. It was a great opportunity to get to know him better as well as have a taste of Kenyan home life. I am touched by his kindness and thoughtfulness in ensuring our safety and comfort during this trip. So a special thanks to Rahul!

Tomorrow, Charles (director of Mercy Children Centre) will be taking me and my mother to the school in the Kawangware slum. We will bring some supplies kindly donated by friends and family: geometry sets, pens, children’s clothing, toothpaste, tooth brushes, calendars, educational games, etc. Then we will rest for an early road trip departure to Bumala where we will spend 4 days.

Lastly, I’ll just mention that I am feeling Barak Obama’s presence here! A half day into the trip and he was already mentioned on a couple of occasions. It has been suggested to me that I swing by Kogelo - the town his father grew up in - since it is about 30km away from Bumala. We shall see…!

Bye for now,

Cristelle

PS: As I wrote this blog, the woman at the hotel reception was listening to a Bryan Adams album. Now I really feel at home!

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