Jambo!Last night Steph and I did a lot of reflecting and absorbing all of the information we took in during the day. It's so nice to have someone to talk with...I cannot imagine doing this alone like a lot of the other volunteers. After we ate dinner, we both felt a little ill, and when we woke up this morning Steph had a cold. I'm determined not to catch it. I feel ok at the moment. Today at the orphanage we learned that Alison is also sick, so we only spen...

Last night Steph and I did our laundry by hand for the first time. As we sat side by side outside our house, scrubbing our clothes in our individual basins, Steph looked up at me after we were half way through and said, "I'm bored." I laughed so hard! Thank goodness for our washing machines and dryers at home. This morning we walked to the orphanage and I soon took out my digital camera and began taking pictures of the kids. They absolutely love th...

I've finally met the children of Sidai! This morning Steph and I walked the 15 minutes to the orphanage and were greeted by Antony, who is the son of Lucy, who founded the orphanage 8 years ago. Antony took us inside the tin structure and showed us the kitchen (pots over a fire), the classroom, the office, and his bedroom. He then took us on a 15-minute walk to another building which is where the children sleep at night. There is a small kitchen, bathroom, an...

Jambo! Since I last wrote, much has happened. On Friday we spent the day in orientation learning about the Swahili language, the Kenyan culture, transportation, etc. We ate lunch at a wonderful restaurant where we sat outside at tables with umbrellas. The pepper steak was very spicy! I enjoyed getting to know the other 15 volunteers. Chloe, from Melbourne, Australia, is actually attending Macquarie University in Sydney, which is where Steph and I spent a s...

Jambo! I have arrived safe and sound in Kenya! After writing research papers about Kenya in my 10th grade Africa class and my Economic Development class during my senior year in college, it's hard to believe I'm finally in the country I've researched and dreamed so much about. We landed in Nairobi at 6:30 this morning and then were transferred to a temporary host family's house for the next couple of days. There are 4 other volunteers staying at the house, 3...