We've arrived.

It's 2:45 p.m. here at Watoto Wa Baraka and we're just about a 20 minute walk from the village of Makuyu (population: about 5,000). We landed at Nairobi's airport around 7:15 p.m. on June 25th and went for a stay in the center of town at a nice little hotel. Yet, when we got in, there was no running water and the bathroom was composed of bathroom that was basically a large shower room with a sink and toilet included. We went to sleep (we were both pretty exhausted) around 10:30 but woke up many times to the never-ending sounds of Nairobi. Conveniently, we were housed in a hotel that was neighbors with a bustling bus station.

The next day, around 7:00 a.m., we left the hotel with Geoffrey, our project executive. The streets of Nairobi were very scaring as cars, buses ("matatus" or large van-like buses), bikes, and people drove recklessly and within a foot of each other. Personally, I (John) thought we were going to be in an accident but I definitely trusted our native driver, Geoffrey.

Wow, it's only our 6th hour in the village and I've already got so much to tell. First of all, the internet is slow and there's only one person that can use it at a time. That means, posts may not be very frequent as usage is a luxury. Yet, I'll take advantage of my time and tell a few more things about what we've seen and done:

• We picked up a local tile professional on the way out of town who will be tiling the new school house and kitchen floors. We also had a nice talk with James about his desire to come to America and the "Kenyan mindset."
• We toured the "shamba," or farm, where the orphanage has its own 2.5 acres of bananas, tomatoes, red beans, etc.
• We met the volunteers from Colorado, Germany, England, etc. and are already getting down people's names and making good friends
• We were taken on a walk with our project manager, Anne, to the local village of Makuyu where we purchased fruit, a water basin, and lunch. By the way lunch was a grand total of about 70 Kenyan Shillings and 78 shillings = 1 USD...So, we got a fairly large lunch for under $1 (and, that was for two people).
• The kids will be getting back from school any minute so I'll have to leave soon to meet them all (2o or so are here at the orphanage).
• "Watoto Wa Baraka" means something along the lines of "Children of Blessings."
• We're near the village of Makuyu and the local language is kikuyu.
• It's a pretty slow pace of life here. Work at your own pace but break when you want.
• For this weekend, we'll be oriented with the schedule and told about the different programs such as teaching, HIV/AIDs teaching, and Sustainability and Development, and start working Monday, June 29th.
• Interesting fact: The program developed quickly over the past 2 years due to the hard work and dedication of two volunteers, Caitlin and Aaron. Aaron actually developed a system that takes the cow manure and water and creates a usuable gas for the stoves so wood stoves are not needed! It's one of the most interesting and visible ways that sustainability takes place here at Watoto Wa Baraka.
• But, I've really got to go. I feel like I'm missing a lot and I've been here on the computer for 10 min.
• By the way, pictures to come.

John