As I read through my Kenya journal, I want to let you all know what I was up to each day because it is difficult to recall everything when I talk to all of you. So, here it is – day to day. It will take a while to get through all of the 7 weeks, so bear with me. Don’t feel like you have to read it either. This is for my benefit and for those of you who agreed with the idea. :)
The Traveling Days (June 3rd to 6th) – New York City to Nairobi, Kenya
Four of us girls from UNC stepped off the red-eye flight into JFK airport…bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6 AM. Well, not really. Our director’s instructions were whizzing through my head incomprehensibly as my brain tried to find its way around the airport. Thankfully, two of the GP (global project) staff was there to meet us and direct us to the hotel along with some teammates from Montana and Idaho. Our rooms were not open, so we took an invitation to walk around NYC all day with some of the team. The Brooklyn Bridge, subway, Times Square, Central park, and diversely packed streets were what my eyes beheld that day as our feet carried us around for 6 hours. We made our way back in time to the hotel to meet the directors of the Kenya GP and the rest of our team for dinner and engaged in pre-orientation discussions.
As soon as I meet all of my teammates, I knew it was going to be a good trip. They were all friendly and willing to talk to anyone about anything. My excitement grew about 90% and the plethora of other emotions I was feeling was slowly being pushed to the side. I couldn’t wait to get on that international flight and get to know my team better! However, an 11-13 hour flight plus an active person did not seem to mix well, and I was wary of my guitar that was probably under many pounds of luggage in the belly of the plane. Thank goodness I was between two of my team members and that sleep took a big chunk of the time away. There were many times on that flight when the unknown that was Kenya entered my thoughts and stirred up nerves. In that moment, I was reminded of a conversation with an InterVarsity staff worker the year before when I doubted the future of my faith. She looked at me with confident, doubtless eyes and said, “You will say ‘yes’ to Jesus. You will.” The confidence in her voice and her eyes really shook my doubt away. I could do this with His strength. Bring it on.
As soon as I meet all of my teammates, I knew it was going to be a good trip. They were all friendly and willing to talk to anyone about anything. My excitement grew about 90% and the plethora of other emotions I was feeling was slowly being pushed to the side. I couldn’t wait to get on that international flight and get to know my team better! However, an 11-13 hour flight plus an active person did not seem to mix well, and I was wary of my guitar that was probably under many pounds of luggage in the belly of the plane. Thank goodness I was between two of my team members and that sleep took a big chunk of the time away. There were many times on that flight when the unknown that was Kenya entered my thoughts and stirred up nerves. In that moment, I was reminded of a conversation with an InterVarsity staff worker the year before when I doubted the future of my faith. She looked at me with confident, doubtless eyes and said, “You will say ‘yes’ to Jesus. You will.” The confidence in her voice and her eyes really shook my doubt away. I could do this with His strength. Bring it on.
I kept my chin up as we landed (finally!) in Doha, Qatar. The Middle East! Woo! As I descended the stairs toward the shuttle, the air hit me like a train. It was around 11pm and I felt like I had walked into an oven. Not living there anytime soon – hot and heavy air that you could cut with a knife is not my cup of tea. Anyway, we got to see the city in the dark and in the early morn after a couple hours of horizontal sleep. Being in a very rich country, our hotel was the fanciest I have ever beheld (from the inside) before and it was exciting…then. The architecture was also nothing like I have seen in my life – it was very cool. And I got a stamp in my passport. Huzzah! By the time we boarded a smaller plane, I was feeling a bit more prepared to land in Nairobi within 5 hours’ time with the rest of my excited teammates.
