Internship, Elephants and Giraffes oh my!

Dear Kenya,

Thank you for allowing my first week of classes go so smoothly! Have I mentioned how beautiful you are Kenya?

My first week of class is over. Just seven more weeks of class and I will be a 9-5 intern at HESED! Let me explain....

My classes for AU end on Thursdays. So from Monday to Thursday I have either 3 or 2 classes that are 3 hours long (minus Swahili which is an hour and a half every day except Friday). Then on Friday we are free to intern or attend a culture class. This pattern will continue until October when my classes end, but my internship becomes 9-5 every day.

This past Friday Allie and I went to our internship around 1pm after our culture class. We met with our supervisor who told us more details about our position and roles for our internship. She told us that we would be teaching students at schools in Nairobi. We have the freedom to decide what we will be teaching, as long as it is health related. For example, one day we can talk about dental hygiene and the next Friday we can talk about physical activity and play a soccer. We were told that the next Friday we would be taught how to construct these presentations. The following Friday we would visit the school to get to know the teachers and administration and the third Friday we will begin our first presenation. We will be doing this while Allie and I are still in classes from September to end of October. However, when we are completed with our classes (starting November), we will begin to work on a project that a HESED clinic in the rural fish village Sihay tells us we need to work on. From there, we will be trained on how to implement that project. HESED will then send both of us along with another staff member to Sihay for two week (uncertain yet if it is for this long) to implement the project and help the clinic in however we can. We would leave November 17th and return to Nairobi December 2nd. Yup, missing Thanksgiving :( But the way I am looking at it is that this is an experience of a lifetime. Not many people have the opportunity to work with an Organization, travel with them and truly experience what it would be like to do hands on work. Everything must be approved by our director from the program first. So cross your fingers and hope that everything is cleared!

Friday afternoon Megan and I decided to be a little adventurous. We went around the area where we live to see the veggie and fruit stands. We were able to practice some of our Swahili, meet some very sweet people and an adorable little one year old boy. The vegetables and fruits we bought at these stands were extremely reasonably priced. We agreed that this was going to be our new place to get our produce.

Friday night Megan, Caitlin and I had a little roommie dinner date. We went to The Vineyard Wine Bar located near our apartment. We had a nice dinner with some wine and beer and enjoyed the music playing in the background. I had my first taxi experience. No big deal really. As long as we use the taxis that the program recommends we will be fine.

Saturday:

Today was the best day ever!!!!!!!!

Megan so wonderfully coordinated our first adventure in Nairobi. We went to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: A Haven for Elephants. We paid 500 shillings to see and interact with baby orphan elephants being fed. We were all SO SO SOOOO excited to see the elephants. This trust rescues baby elephants that they find all over the country. They take them in, care for them for three years and then are taken to another facility where they are eased into the wildlife. In a total of 8 years these elephants are then released out in the wild once they are no longer dependant on their mothers milk. There were 15 tiny elephants less than a year old, and 10 that were 2 or 3 years old. They were incredibly adorable! We could also adopt a baby elephant for $50 for one year. I will say, it was extremely tempting. We then went to the Giraffe Centre where we fed, hugged and kissed, yup kissed giraffes. These magnificent animals were so gentle with us. They stuck their long tongues out at us waiting for food. I was able to feed and kiss one! How? That sounds crazy right? Ha well, I put a piece of food in my mouth and he licked it up with a nice sloppy kiss! (I was fortunately it wasn't that sloppy. It was more gentle than anything).

 I was extremely happy that I got a chance to do all of this today. I have noticed that when we drive somewhere I really like to stay a bit quiet and just observe everything I pass. The people, the stands, the trees, the buildings and cars and the matatus. Even though Nairobi is less developed than New York or DC, there is an amazing beauty behind everything. The nature of Nairobi is something I have never seen before. In DC we all love our cherry blossoms. People from all over come to see them bloom. I agree that they are quite beautiful. But something about the bright red, yellow, orange, and purple flowers that I see on the strong green majestic trees as I drive through the city that completely makes me appreciate that I am here in Kenya. This kind of nature is something that I won't find in the states. The more comfortable I am
here, the more I appreciate my surroundings and the opportunity to be here. So thank you Kenya for opening your beautiful doors to me. I am looking forward to more adventures with you.

Love,

Angie