Well Africa - we're here!!!

I just can't believe we're here!!!  But the birds, the trees and the curious stares confirm it!!!

We landed safely in Nairobi on Sunday night around 8pm. Such a contrast from the glitz and glam of the Dubai airport. We were picked up by Mom and Dad and the driver they hired to bring us home in a large passenger van and the first thing we did was get to the wrong side of the van... oh yeah! Right hand drive! We'll have to remember that when crossing the street! The moon was nearly full so our drive in was bright. We were brought up to our new home for the next two weeks and had the chance to visit with Mom and Dad for a bit. It was so nice not to arrive dead tired and off by a half day in time change - the decision to make stops along the way was a good one. Nairobi is an hour back from Dubai and considering we probably weren't quite changed to Dubai it worked out well and the flight was only 4.5 hours in the afternoon. Easy peasy.

Mattea was anxious to spend the night at Grampa and Gramma's so we said good night to her there. We slept pretty well in our three bedroom, two bathroom apartment (lucky much?!) and awoke to roosters!!! We dragged our butts out of bed around 9.

Because the boys were already planning their trip to Kili, they spend some of the morning making their travel piles and going over what they needed. I wandered the campus taking some pics and getting lost. I received many curious stares...

Mom's neighbour has a nephew, Dennis, who is visiting on a break from Grade 12 and he joined us for lunch. He loves football (we're talking real football now, not american football!) so the boys were ready to go play. We were unable to find a ball so while Dad and Barton ran to the store we pulled out one of the frisbees we brought. The kids and Dennis hit the field to play for a bit and while I was watching I noticed three adorable little kids watching from a yard across the way. Every few minutes they inched forward a bit but just lay on their stomachs watching. One of them disappeared for a few minutes and came back with an old scratched CD and started trying to throw it like a frisbee. I gestured her to come over and she ran over with a big smile and I tried to show her how to throw it.  She is 2 year old Angel. The two boys stayed back though, they weren't quite as interested. When the guys showed up with the football and basketball Mattea came over and started playing with the real frisbee and then the boys ran over to join in. Soon there were 5 of them playing with her.

While the guys practised football and tried to learn some fancy moves, a man named Samuel came over to see what was going on. He's a first year student here and was on his way to chapel. After chatting with me for awhile, voicing his concern about the hardness of the frisbee and teaching me some swahili he couldn't resist the fun going on in front of him. He joined in on the football and was probably late for chapel. By the time we were called in for lunch (which is eaten later here, around 1:30) there were numerous kids out in the field having lots of fun together - the ice was broken and Mattea had friends for good. They now come looking for her and all she wants when we come in is to go find them. It reminds me of Riley at UBC.