Next Leg of My Adventure

Hi again. I have just embarked on another leg of my adventure. After a big old giggle-fest last night (something to do with zombies and David Bowie, don't ask) over some delicious birthday cake, I managed to get a few hours of sleep. Though, it wasn't enough considering I had to be on high alert today for the 8 hour bus ride from Nairobi to Eldoret. That's right. Eight. Hours. It wasn't too bad really. I am good at entertaining myself, but I was starting to feel a bit restless once hour 6 rolled around.

I arrived in Eldoret after a hectic phone conversation at Open Arms International. Apparently my email had been a bit unclear (big surprise there) and they weren't expecting me until 3 weeks from now. That was definitely my bad. No worries. The greeted me in the most gracious way. Though they only had about 3 hours notice that I would be dropping in for the night on my way to Amagoro, they made me feel so welcome. I am looking forward to my extended stay here in a few weeks. (I know what I am saying probably makes zero sense, I'll try to clarify later when my head is a bit clearer)

Tomorrow, I will head to Amagoro, which is a few miles west, to start my work with the Elewana project. I can feel my enthusiasm building. I always do this thing where I wait until the last minute to get excited about something. Why? I have no idea. I just know that I am excited now for what the next month and a half holds.

I've had my share of coincidences and freaky connections during my stay. For example: The other Nest volunteer, Blake, and I coming from almost the same part of the country. Meeting up with my high school friend, Chloe, in Nairobi. Getting to use my Norwegian, whilst in Kenya. The day after I leave the Nest, a new German volunteer shows up. Her name is... any guesses...? It's Natalie. But here is one last coincidence to add to the list.

I was greeted today by Tom, a house father here at Open Arms, and he introduced me to my roommate for the night, a woman named Shirley. "She's from America too," he told me. What he didn't realize is that yes, she is from the U.S. but she's also from Oregon. This little fun fact revealed itself when she mentioned that the two long term volunteers are from Tigard. "That's like 20 minutes from where I live in West Linn!" I exclaimed. I didn't expect to see a look of recognition of her face at the mention of West Linn. Most people I've met aren't familiar with Oregon on a map, not to mention West Linn. Turns out she's from Oregon City. This has been an exciting day for me. Meeting another Oregonian was just the cherry on top.

I had dinner with at one of the children's homes tonight. Things are set up a bit differently here than at the nest. The kids live in on of 5 homes with two house parents and a part time house auntie. There are about 18 to a house. With that said, I was invited to eat dinner in the house of Tom and his wife. I sat in on devotionals, then invited the children to ask me an questions. The had been warned by their mother, however, that questions about, how many children I have, or my marital status were off limits.

I can always tell when I've had a good day when I have trouble keeping my heavy eyelids open by the end of it.
Goodnight!