Friday, January 14, 2011

Blog Post 1

I made it!! :-D

Surprisingly, there were NO delays for my flight…and there weren’t eve that many at the airport. So I got to London on time to nap for a while in the airport and make my connecting flight.

I really don’t like flying….it’s probably the most uncomfortable position I could possibly sit in, being on an airplane. The seats were designed for taller people and so it just pushes my head forward in a weird way and ruins the whole experience. I also can’t sleep sitting up, so that’s out of the question. But OH WELL, it’s a necessary evil to get to wonderful places like Kenya!

I was given, for breakfast, a cranberry muffin in a little box that had a word search on the side…in the ingredient list a few words were circled and you were supposed to find them in the word search. I thought that was funny.

At the gate in Heathrow, waiting to get on the plane to Nairobi, I met two other groups who were coming here to do missions trips. One was a pastor taking a team of about 20 high school students to Kenya to do a church planting/orphanage visiting missions trip, and the other was a girl and a doctor who were meeting up with some medical people to go into the bush for a couple weeks and do medical things there, so that was cool to see and get to talk to them. The pastor has been on 20 trips to Kenya in his life. 20. That is insane. And a good goal for me, I think! :-D

Somehow on the LondonàNairobi flight, I ended up in Business class, which was AWESOME because the seats have foot rests and they’re wider, so I was able to curl up in a ball on my side in the seat and sleep. Then I’d wake up an hour later because my bottom leg was completely numb. So I turned over, and just kept doing that every time my leg went numb.

So I FINALLYYYYYYYY got to Nairobi and met up with my “host missionaries”, if you will, and they took me to the AG Missions compound

There are 3 gated, walled-in areas called Compounds 1, 2, and 3. Three is a warehouse, and the other two have houses and apartments. I’m living in an apartment that has a kitchen area with a sink and a mini-fridge, a bathroom with a fully functional toilet and a shower head (you could sit on the toilet and take a shower at the same time if you wanted to) and then a bigger room with 2 bunk beds, a coffee table, dresser, small couch, and 2 arm chairs. It’s pretty nice!

This morning I woke up to the sound of roosters at 5:00….someone needs to redo the whole “cock-a-doodle-dooo” thing, because that is NOT What a rooster sounds like. They sound like dying, mournful coyotes to me. Or Hyenas. So I forced myself back to sleep and had a dream I was running around the African countryside trying to find my way back to the building I’d come from, at night, using a cell phone as a light, trying to avoid various rodents that were sitting around. :-P

Then I woke up again to the sound of the german shepherd guard dogs wrestling with each other literally RIGHT outside my window. So I said hi to them so they would recognize my voice and not eat me when I went outside later. I haven’t been outside yet this morning so that’s yet to be seen if it worked. :-p

The air smells so FRESH her e I LOVE it and I LOVED taking a shower with basically no hair and everything has just been fantastic. :-D

There is a team here from Colorado this week, and they’re leaving tomorrow or the day after, so we’re going to go shopping with them today at the Masai market. I’m pretty sure I’ve been there before, and probably won’t buy anything since I’ll have to hold on to it for so long, but it’ll be nice to get out and explore.

I’m a bit fuzzy on the schedule for the rest of the week but this post is getting long so I’ll write again soon, tonight or tomorrow, to talk about what’s coming up!

Thanks for reading, and for your prayers for my safety and the on-time-ness of my plane, it worked! God is good and Kenya is beautiful, even at night and the tiny bits I can see from my window. J

Check back soon for updates, and hopefully there will be pictures soon! :-D

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

We're so glad you made it alright! We were praying for on time planes for you! :) Your apartment sounds very nice, and the African style bathroom of using the shower and the toilet simultaneously has always amused me. I guess it could cut down on the time your morning routine takes. :)

~Sharon Ciraulo

Unknown said...

thank you for posting. Praise God that all went well with your flights, and your "litte house" God iS good. We are so proud of you, and will be praying for you daily, as the Lord brings you to mind. God bless you. and do keep on bloging. I love it! You look beautful with the short hair,and it is very convenient. :)

Anonymous said...

glad to hear your travels went well! having a toilet in the shower could be very convenient!

~Tracy

Anonymous said...

This is great Danielle! It is amazing that we can read all about what you are doing on the other side of the world. I have to admit that I wish I was with you. You are in our prayers.
Love, Jenny Pandolfo

Michele said...

Thank you for sharing Yellie, I feel like I can see and feel the beauty you are speaking about! (I love the guard dogs too!) God is so faithful to continue what He has begun!!!!!~ I love you and I am so proud of you! ~Can't wait to see pictures and hear more!
Love and prayers always,

Michele

Heidi said...

Nielly. One objection. I have to disagree about the roosters... I think it sounds EXACTLY like a cock-a-doodle-doo! Maybe the kenyan roosters are different from the ugandan ones but im not so sure. Maybe a dying cock-a-doodle-doo but a cock-a-doodle-doo none the less!

Otherwise... YAY for KENYA!!! /EAST AFRICA

The shower/toilet thing could be especially helpful if you don't reach the cipro in time one day

I'm SO glad we're in the same continent It feels good!

Pastor Nik & Susan Adwalpalker said...

Wow!! I still can't believe you're there already!! We are so excited to hear what's going on. I love the way you write! You're very descriptive so it helps me to be able to actually visualize the sights and sounds! Have a blessed weekend! Where will you be going to church?? Love you! Praying for you!

We Shall See... said...

Thank you everyone!

Heidi, we MUST be hearing different roosters because all I hear is "ga-oooooooooo-blaaaaaaaaaa-waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah":-P

No cipro for me please! I mean...I have it...but hopefully I wont ever need the toilet while I'm showering. this setup isn't going to last too much longer anyways.

Susan, I don't remember what it's called....but I will tell you on Sunday when we go there again. :-D

Anonymous said...

I guess it will take a few days for you to get a full nights sleep without interruptions. You will get used to all the sounds and stuff that are not familiar. You sound so happy and excited and we feel the same for you. God is good!
Love you and send me your address.
Aunt Angelica

Anonymous said...

Armenia - TSOO-GHOO-ROO-GHOO
Nepal - FROOTTI TOOTTI TU!
United States - COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO.

None of them make any sense considering what it actually sounds like, who comes up with these???

well, they all have 4 syllables so maybe that was the point. :)

Glad you're having a fantastic time.

-Ibk

Anonymous said...

Dear Danielle,
Love your hair, it really does look good on you. Thanks for taking the time to write, like Jenny, I wish I was there with you. So happy you had a smooth trip, hope you transition into a routine quickly. Look forward to hearing more. Love ya, Laura