Jambo Jambo!! I've heard it takes a small amount of pretention or ego to blog about oneself. I guess I will have to live with that. After a week since setting off from Seattle, I am astonished how much, and how little, my life has changed. I never could have imagined the connection I would have felt with the children and the CURA community could be so strong. They have welcomed me with open arms and I can see how much this project means to everyone here every time I meet a new face. The excitement is palpable. Let me bring you up to speed on my journey to here.
After a 10-hour journey from Seattle I landed in Heathrow and stepped foot in the UK for the first time at 1 pm. Heathrow was impressive and but I wanted to get into central London as soon as possible. On the way in, I met a Colombian girl that was just returning from 5 weeks in Thailand and boy did I enjoy swapping stories and hearing about all the places I needed to check out when I make it back. After Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, the Eye and Big Ben and Parliament, I found a true English pub just across a cobblestone lane from Lamborghini London, It was just the place I was looking for. I experienced a true English dinner: a couple pints of local London English Ale, a minced Beef Pie, mash green beans and peas, before my lack of sleep caught up to me and I had to will myself back to the station to figure out how to get back to my hotel. Don’t worry, Ministry of Sound, I’ll be back in no time.
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| Zetland Arms |
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| Cliché London Pic 1 |
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| Cliché London Pic 2 |
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| Nairobi at Sunrise |
I arrived late in Nairobi and enjoyed the last hot shower I would be having for a long time. The next day my driver Gilbert took me around to see Nairobi and get hooked up with a Kenyan Cell and Wireless setup for the next 6 months. Walking around downtown Nairobi, jaywalking in between cars and getting weird looks from the locals, I felt like I was back in Bangkok, only no mopeds and I was the only fair skinned person on the sidewalk. After a quick stop at the Reptile Park we grabbed a few Tuskers, the local Nairobi beer, and watched the Arsenal vs Liverpool match. I found out that in Nairobi you are a fan of one of two teams, Arsenal or Manchester United. Everyone here watches the English Premier League.
Sunday morning, I woke up early and went for a jog down the street from my hostel, towards the Peace Park in hopes of catching Nairobi at sunrise. I made it a little late but I picked up some Kenyan friends along the way. After I snapped a few pics, I joined this trio of runners in a couple miles around the park, hill sprints, pressups, situps, and stretches. They even showed off some acrobatics and got me into it a bit as well. After we parted ways I struggled to find my way back to my hostel but I wasn’t in a rush so I grabbed a banana and a mango for breakfast as I wandered back and forth down the streets outside central Nairobi. Gilbert picked me up and brought me out here, to CURA that afternoon and I’ve been here ever since. 
There is so much to say about the people from CURA, I don’t know where to start. Everything about being here is truly unique and there hasn’t been a moment since I have got here that I have wanted to be anywhere else, and I already feel so at home. Maybe I can tell you some stories next time. But I will leave you with some pictures of some of my new friends and my new home.
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