Random Update: Orientation

I’ve been in orientation for the past couple weeks. I’m feeling slightly more oriented- still getting used to the idea of being on the other side of the globe. Jet lag was hard to overcome, but was helped by the excitement of my host family who kept me awake, showed me around, and immersed me into the culture rather quickly. They were very warm and welcoming, calling me their daughter all weekend. My two younger sisters really made me feel at home with plenty of Kiswahili lessons, Beyonce singing, and Tusker Project 3 watching (their version of American Idol). They were a joy, but more on them later…

For the most part, we’ve been taking some Kiswahili in the morning, and then we attend lectures in the afternoon on Kenyan history, politics, religion, economics, ethnicity, etc. All the lectures have been given by very distinguished officials here, and have been pretty mind-blowing. I wish I knew more economics. The systematic oppression of the World Bank/IMF stuff is dizzying. And depressing.

Highlights apart from the schedule have included visiting A New Life, an orphanage for 0-3 year olds who are diagnosed with HIV. It was a very moving experience to be able to play with them and to see the new opportunities they are given from being there. It’s definitely good to be literally “in touch” with this issue while we’re here. I won’t forget them, and hence won’t be able to forget easily the HIV epidemic and how it affects, devastatingly, the “least of these.”

As a group, we’ve been growing together and are having a blast interacting with each other and all the Kenyans we meet. All in all, we’ve been really spoiled so far, living in a doctor’s “guest house,” being dinner guests at important people’s houses, eating delicious food cooked by my coordinator, and getting taken around in our own van everywhere we go. Not a lot of “on the ground” stuff yet, but at least we can hit it running after we get our heads filled with all this good stuff.

I was in Meru this past weekend with the group, which is where I’ll be living and working for the year. I LOVED it and am very excited to move. More on that later as I’m running out of space and time.

Tutaonana! Kwa heri!