Nairobi, Kenya

Today was our first day in Nairobi, Kenya. We are staying at my friend, Stephen Rigby's, apartment, but unfortunately, Rigby is not here. He was a roommate of mine at Wheaton but is presently on Christmas vacation. It is sad that I will not see him while in Kenya, but we are hanging out with his friends and having a blast.

Today, we visited Kibera, the second largest slum in the world. When you arrive in a new city, what person says take me to see the slums? I do. I know that it is weird, but poverty is one of my passions. Therefore, if I have a chance to gain more knowledge, I am going to take it. Because we were with Kenyans, we visited a family there and had to chance to talk to them about their situation. Today, we were also able to visit different sites in downtown Nairobi included Uhuru Park and the site of the American embassy bombing.

Throughout the day, I have been comparing and contrasting Zambia and Kenya. Nairobi is much more developed than any place in Zambia. I did not expect Nairobi to be this developed. I can find most things I need in Ndola, but in Nairobi, I can find everything I would ever need. I am so thankful also to travel on smooth roads. Even on the paved roads, potholes are your enemy in Zambia. I have not found that to be the case in Nairobi. Maybe I have gone to the wrong places, but we have traveled a lot in Nairobi today. Some of the roads in Kibera are better than the developed areas in Zambia. Anyway, the slums are pretty similar though Kibera is larger and more compact than the slums in Zambia. I also think that the Zambians have higher quality housing in the slums than the Kenyans.

Those are just some brief and scatter contrasts from my first day in Nairobi. By the end of my time in Kenya, I will hopefully be able to provide a more coherent analysis than that. Tomorrow, we leave for our safari. Three days and two nights in the bush. We are very excited. I have included for you pictures of Kibera and Rigby's friends/our hosts, Kennedy and Kinyash. Off to get eaten by a lion...