First Day in the City

Today I had my very first experience in an African city. After a very much needed sleep (in a horizontal position for once after all of my traveling) we woke for a short meeting with our professors before heading out to the big city. In a group of 5 we took the 30 minute bus ride into the city. It was a very interesting ride in; everything was exciting to see. The sides of the roads were lined with various items for sale ranging from furniture to pottery to fabric. Our professors had given each group some different destinations in the city to visit before all gathering at a meeting point at the end of the day. It was exciting to navigate the city on our own and to figure out the public transportation. After meeting up with the rest of the group, Njau (pronounced Jow), our bus driver, picked us up and brought us to the Nairobi National Museum. Unfortunately I had forgotten my camera so I couldn't take any pictures today. The museum was filled with the many different animals of East Africa and an extensive collection of birds. (Dad, you would have loved this!) There was even an outdoor exhibit with live fish, snakes, turtles and other animals. We returned to the compound after the museum for a traditional Kenyan dinner of Chapati, a thick tortilla-like food with rice, lentils and other vegetables that you dip the Chapati in. After dinner we went to the grocery store with Njau to buy a case of Kenyan beer, Tusker, that we brought back to the compound to drink with the rest of the gang. (Nothing like a case of beer for some group bonding!) Tomorrow begins our first day of classes, where we will be traveling into the city where our classes are held at the United Kenya Club, where SLU rents out classroom space.