Fun Non-spiritual facts :)

Dear Friends and Family,

This blog is going to be my time of sharing different, non-spiritual things that I’ve learned so far in Kenya.

Sometimes when I’m trying to fall asleep at night, I hear this roar of a sound. I sit up straight from my bed, trying to figure out what could cause such a sound at this time in the night. And it dawns on me. A plane. Our home here is right behind the Nairobi airport. So, whether it be day, night, afternoon, morning, or evening, there is always a plane taking off or landing right behind us. Sometimes the sound is so loud, I can feel the room shake. It’s just something funny that we have learned to deal with here.

In America, when someone says “ I’ll pick you up at 10” that usually means they’ll be there around 10. In Kenya, this is different. They might get there at 10, or 11 or even 12. And when they get there, they have to break for tea. Americans move so quickly. We have to get every single thing done in 1 day without even taking a break. I have learned that time is always flexible when you’re with friends here. Sure, make a schedule and plan out a day but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. Shrug your shoulders, have a laugh, and have some chi.

Fridays have become our “Fun American Food Friday!” day. Basically, the women living with us don’t cook for the day and we make “American food”. And we were so excited about that because we could eat food that we knew we loved. The problem arises when we realize that we are all college kids, which means our “American Food” that we know how to make is instant mac and ramen noodles. It also means that we have to figure out what exactly is American Food. Last night, we planed on having Taco Night, however, the grocery store didn’t sell tacos, tortillas, or pinto beans. So we settled for hamburgers. Typical American food.

Kenya has bugs. And I don’t mean normal ants that you just avoid when walking on the grass. I mean, HUGE, GIANT, SCARY-LOOKING BUGS. Here’s just one of many stories of my encounters with them:
I don’t make my bed in the mornings. Judge me, but it’s true. I just don’t have the motivation in the mornings to do it. So, one night me, Rachel and Rebecca were sitting in our room, and I was sorting through the receipts I had. Suddenly, Rachel starts freaking out, and I look to where she’s looking, and out of my bed sheets comes this HUGE, HALF-DOLLAR size spider. Oh, I lost it. I screamed and ran across the room, my heart racing and my hand shaking. I’ve never seen a spider so big and scary in my entire life. Needless to say, it died a terrible death.

I’ve learned that laughter is truely the best way to de-stress after a long day, that ice cream is universally the best dessert in the world, and that kitkat bars are better in Kenya than in the U.S. That’s all I have learned so far. :) It’s been an exciting 2 weeks so far. Take care everyone! Love yall!

Virginia