Farah in Africa

It's been more than a month  now since my arrival in the country, and wow, Kenya gid! A nice, chilly weather greeted us, contrary to what I was expecting. The flight was a long one. From Manila, it took about five hours to Dubai, where we had a five-hour lay-over. Waiting  for our next flight seemed like forever, and not even the sparkle of the boutiques at the airport boutiques could banish our anticipation. From Dubai, we then boarded another plane for another five-hour flight to Nairobi. Once we were up in the air, my fellow Filipino volunteers became quiet and kept to themselves. Each one was probably was thinking about what lies ahead, their respective families and the friends left behind.

I was told that Nairobi is the safari capital of Africa and I wasn't disappointed! Right after stepping out of the plane and on a VSO vehicle on the way to the hotel that we're supposed to stay for the following days, we saw a herd of giraffes by the roadside. Oh, what a treat. From where we came from, it's not everyday we see giraffes roaming freely like that.


The day after arriving, we immediately had our in-country training and language-lessons together with 18 other volunteers from Uganda, Canada, USA, and England (age range between 28-50) who arrived earlier or on the same day as we did. The best part of it all was -- Inglisanay naman ini! Tapos gid... Namag-uhan naman ako. hihihihi. I like listening to people with difference accents. The Kenyans speak good English but the way they speak is something new to my ears that I need extra attention to be able to understand them. I guess I will get used to the Kenyan accent in due time. While in Nairobi, we stayed at Graciahouse resort near Yaya Center. We were given a room each and the room was big, there's a nice comfy bed and toilet and bath. One volunteer joked that after our stay here, we won't be having the same comforts for a long time. Okay, tell me something I don't know. *lol*. I have already bought a local sim card and I will email to you my number. Better to communicate through sms, cheap and relatively fast. Right now, I'm looking at purchasing a laptop but with the current price, I think it will take me months till I am able to get one.Later in the week, we were joined by our "employers" for a briefing session before taking us to our placement areas.


Pardon the fragmented post... Up to now I am still... overwhelmed - I could not think of a better word. Finally, my dream came true. I am now in Kenya, standing on African soil. I have already begun my work in a community cooperative in far, far Lukore in Mombasa district. Mombasa is popular for its beautiful beaches. What will the people be like to work with, I wonder? Will I be able to cope with the demands of my work despite the many pre-departure preparations that I underwent? So many questions swirling in my head... more stories in my next post.

Miss you all. Prayers... prayers.
Asanti sana (thank you) and kwaheri (goodbye) for now.


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