Fulton Finds a Friend I was up early this morning and ready to go. I slipped down for a quick breakfast and made my way to the school by 7am. Heather and Jennifer took some time to sleep in this morning, partly as a hangover from the previous day’s long trek in the hot equatorial sun, and partly as a chance to just decompress a bit on their own. The experiences here are constant and impactful. The first visit to Africa is best done in stages, and the moment-to-moment engagement with the reality principle here leaves one panting for psychological breath, [View Full Entry]

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All In A Day's Work We ordered breakfast the night before, to be ready at 6:00 am. It was a great breakfast and Raphael got it (almost) all right. We were out the door and at the school by 7:00am. Our taxi driver, scheduled for 7:00 am, arrived at 7:30 am and we were on our way to Kisumu at 8:00 am. Right on schedule (by African-time)! It was a wonderful drive. The highway was a little more “pot-holey” than I remembered. Apparently, this is due to the post-election violence wherein protestors lit tires on fire on the highway, causing [View Full Entry]

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A Hard Day Shopping We were up ready to go to Kisumu today. We were all feeling a little bit of the fatigue from yesterday’s arduous journey to visit the grandmothers. Breakfast is served and we get through it quickly (don’t ask me how!). We arrive at the school by about 7:00am and even beat some of the students this morning. Charles arrives at about 7:20 am and we find out that he had slept in due to exhaustion from the previous day’s trek as well. Our 7:00 am taxi ride to Kisumu arrives at 7:30 am and we set out [View Full Entry]

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Hey all! I am still safe and happy here in Kenya. There are two things that I have been feeling like I should write about -- driving in Kenya and mob justice. Driving in Kenya Drivers here are insane. I don't think there is another way to describe it. Not only are the jams crazy at most times of the day, but crossing the street is a nightmare, and basically involves you risking your life by running out in front of fast moving cars and hoping they'll stop. People also generally do not follow the rules of where to be on [View Full Entry]

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You Gotta' Have Heart.... I’m up before the girls are and head down to breakfast to get an early start on the day. I tried to get through breakfast quickly, but to no avail. I asked for just the eggs this morning. “Yes”, he replied, and off he went to bring my cereal. The cereal arrived in due time and I insisted that only eggs and toast would do this morning. With a quick nod of the head, he headed off to prepare a morning coffee for me as well as a fruit dish, while I ate the cereal. “No [View Full Entry]

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Jennifer and Heather Overwhelmed by the Official Welcome to the School We’re up early, and head down for breakfast. Rapheal is our server and he is a noble soul, indeed. He takes the time to learn all of our names, and discusses with us all of the previous volunteers that he has met in the last 2 months through One Child’s Village. Breakfast is a big affair. First, cereal is served. Each item is laid out on the table fastidiously. A napkin, a knife, a fork, a spoon….then again for the next person, and the next. Then he disappears for five [View Full Entry]

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What's That On Your Shoes, Heather? It’s 6:00am, and we are scrambling to get out of bed and into the shower. Everyone has their own version of early morning grogginess, but no excuses are accepted as we trudge our way down to the breakfast buffet. Time was short so all we could do was grab a handfull of bun and cheese sandwiches. Our driver Joseph is waiting and we pile into the van with dulled eyes, hungry bellies and 300 pounds of overweight luggage. The bus depot was an interesting mix of women, children, business people, students, grandmothers,….all looking to [View Full Entry]

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You want to pet a Cheetah? First full day in Nairobi, we hit the ground running. Heather and Jennifer were picked up by their driver Simon for the day, while I met with Rahul for the morning to sort out some business stuff. Foir me, it was all lawyers, bankers, and agents. For Jennifer and Heather, it was a morning full adventure as they first visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage, and then the Animal Orphanage in side Nairboi National Park. The Elephant Orphanage was an opportunity for them to learn about the challenges that the elephants are [View Full Entry]

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The Eagle has landed Well, it was more like a wet pigeon, really..... Heather and I landed in London at 11:00am, a little tired from the Air Canada Economy class flight. Food, service, babies crying and everything was pretty average for Air Canada, so can't say much there. At Heathrow, we decided to start the adventures early by taking a quick trip into London. We grabbed the Heathrow Express and got into Paddington station in 15 minutes. A few Underground tube station changes and we were on our way out to Brick Lane on the east end of London. Very good [View Full Entry]

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Sorry it has taken me so long to post, and sorry this post is so looooong. I can’t believe I’ve been in Kenya only a week! It seems like forever already. So much has happened since I’ve been here, and I don’t want to bore people too much, so here are a few things to sum up my stay here, in bullet format!: -I have black snot all the time in Nairobi. The pollution sucks, and there is clearly no cash for clunkers here. -one of the first nights I was here, I was still jetlagged and went to sleep [View Full Entry]

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