Getting Started in Mombasa

We're staying at a hotel in town for the first week. Essentially it has been swahili lessons in the morning and activities in the afternoon. The night is ours but we're usually pretty tired and crash after a Tusker or two (Tusker is Kenya's most popular beer). I'm feelin really good about the swahili. I think that being here and hearing it before has made it much easier for me to start off. But, there is a long ways to go since noun classes are the bain of my existence.

I got to meet my host brother a few days ago. It was awkward but soccer will be abundant as he loves to play and (so I believe) do so often! He seems like a smart, nice, aware guy. He looks 20 but is 35.

Yesterday I was picked up by my host orginization and was taken to the center I'll be working at. It's really really cool and has many well defined projects that circle around Community Empowerment. Their job is to enable people inside the communities to then support each other in succeeding economically as well as politically (getting access to public utilities, security, and all their basic rights). The website is www.ujamaakenya.org if you want to check it out. I'm still trying to grasp the wide variety of things that it works on. Yesterday I did not get to meet the center's director, but today I did as he came to give us a talk about sustainable development. The man is brilliant. I am SO lucky to be able to work with him. I feel bad for all the other interns!

Ok, that's all I'm going to say for now! I'm a little hurried at the moment, so ask questions that I can answer! Last words: I'm really enjoying myself, I'm a little worried as to what my host family situtation will be, and I'm SUPER excited about getting to know what the hell sustainable development is all about.