Here At Last!

In the Greensboro airport:
A kind driver...
a kinder airline agent...
smiles abound in a near-empty
     airport...
and a smiling female pilot with
     red hair adds a touch of whimsey
     to our flight...
              Pippi Longstocking in the driver's seat-
              Ready to go...ready to fly!

After two lo----n----g days of travel, leaving home at 6:15a.m. on Sunday, July 3rd, we finally arrived here at the Wildebeest Tent Camp in Nairobi at 9:30p.m. last evening, July 4th (2:30EDT). In spite of its lengthiness, with 3 legs of flight from Greensboro to Atlanta, Atlanta to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Nairobi (about 18 air hours in all), the travel went surprisingly smoothly...though I must comfess that the double-decker KLM jet to Nairobi was more than a little intimidating. I mean, how does that thing get off the ground? But fly it did...and it was awesome to see the Mediterreanea Sea and the Sahara Desert from the air. Incredible, indeed.

Seeing Julius at the airport was a bit like coming home. His broad, welcoming smile and enfolding hug let me know that I was indeed back in Kenya. And upon arriving at the Wildebeest, I received another warm hug from Urbanus, a young man I had met here last summer. What a way to be received! Much to my amazement, he remembered my name and was truly delighted to see me again. (You must understand- hundreds of people pass through this place each month...it astounded me that he remembered one small, white-haired woman from the US for an entire year.)

Now it is morning...after a wonderful, full night's sleep in our lovely tent, our home-away-from-home for the next 2 weeks and a delicious breakfast (had not eaten since about 3p.m. yesterday). A slow day ahead...practical errands like changing some money to Kenyan shillings, purchasing bottled water at the Nakumat (a large supermarket), buying a Kenyan cell phone and some minutes, and- best of all- making a first visit to the Nyanya Project preschool to see the children- watoto, in Swahili. Yes, I AM in Kenya and ninafurahi (I am happy)! Tutaonana, rafiki yango. (See you later, my friends.)