Nairobi - the adventure begins...

When in Belgium, one MUST have Belgium beer, and when I asked at the airport hotel what would be best, the waiter recommended this Westmalle Triple at 9.5% alcohol, a good choice considering that I have been told that I must not drink at all during our mission with the children because so many of them have alcohol abuse in their families.  I will say that this beer was the PERFECT farewell to my beloved bubbles while I am away; it was sweet, creamy, malty and oh, so rich.  I slept like a babe!  I wish I had time to have another one on my way back home, but I only have a short layover at the airport.  We have a full day to poke around Brussels where we ate lunch at a Moroccan restaurant.

 And now onto to Kenya!  We spent a full 8 hour day on the plane from Brussels to Kigali and then onto to Nairobi.  The photo seems absurd, but I was so fully happy, surrounded by sky and sunshine, books and magazines, that I had to take this picture; I even watched two movies, including Argo, which I'd never before seen.  It was really a dreamy, idyllic day.

The young man next to me was SO tired that he was draping himself all over his seat, oozing onto mine (personal space is such an American concept), so I scoped out the rest of the plane and found him an entire middle row where he could sleep peacefully, leaving me to sprawl comfortably in our two seats.  He turned out to be a divinity student in the U.S., such a lovely man who was going home for the first time in two years to see his family - all as brilliantly smiling as he - and a two year old son he had never met.  He said he planned to "sleep with him, eat with him, play with him..."  I laughed at the first priority of sleeping first with his son.

The was as the sun set above the clouds and we dipped down into our descent into Kigali - pretty celestial.

My seat neighbor, feeling refreshed after a straight 7 hours of sleep and eager to greet his family in Nairobi.

Michelle got those 62 bags safely through customs with only a bribe instead of having to pay the 69% tax!  Ah, the inner workings of the political machine.  This is Julius who helped get the luggage into the bus.  As I waited for Michelle to get through customs, I made friends with the people waiting for other passengers, including a police man but NOT the two army men who stood with large rifles or machine guns, not the friendliest of blokes...

We drove for about an hour and arrived at the Biblical Hotel (yes, this is indeed a Christian mission) at about 1:00 A.M., when I fell into bed and slept luxuriously until 7:30 because I knew breakfast was at 8.  I seem to be the only one up, but here I sit in the little, tidy dining room, having polished off two Nestle's cups of coffee, an omelet and some veggies and sweet potato, perfectly happy and ready for the day.  When I came out of my single room (the other three women shared a room, the two youngest sharing a bed), these LOUD birds were atop the neighboring rooftop.  It might be time to explore at least this small environment...  I may be waiting a long time for the others.

This is the Biblical Hotel, outside Nairobi, where we stayed last night.  Today we drive to "the office," a mysterious place where we will sort and stack the clothing and supplies for the children.  I surmise MIchelle's operation is grander than I thought it was.  She seems to have an endless array of people who are working for this adventure, including young people from the U.S., driver Michael, Julius who slept in the room next to mine and STILL isn't awake.  

The sun seems to struggle with the thick layer of clouds this morning, but it does look as though we might see it later today.  I'm so ready to get going that it is discouraging to wait, but then, that is the way life goes, and thankfully I have my kindle on which I am reading Doerr's new book which I love.  Life is good, and I feel lucky to be able to experience this adventure.  Over and out until goodness knows when...

On the way... Brussels

We began our day by stumbling on St. Michel's (above), which was splendid, and we branched out into the rest of the city throughout the day...

This is in the Grande Place at the center of Brussels where we spent the day walking around and exploring as we wait to get to bed in preparation for our flight to Nairobi the next morning.  It as a pitch-perfect day of puffy clouds on a blue sky, 75 degree temperatured environment.  We slept at the Sheraton at the airport because Brussels Air said we had to stay with the bags we are taking to Kenya.  Bizarre, but the airlines put us up at the hotel, and we took the train into the city,a hilly conglomeration of very old and very new architecture.  Ate lunch at a Moroccan restaurant run by a Muslim family, all of whom sat around a large round table inside for a meal as we finished our salads and my coffee at an outside table.

Michelle tells me that I will have little access to the Internet while we are visiting the schools and staying in the dorms (!), but I shall play it as it rolls and see...  This may be my one and only post.

This is Grace.

I will be going back to Kenya on a mission with Matanya's Hope, a foundation that finds sponsors for young students in Kenya, and we will be bringing over supplies for the children.  My interest extends beyond mere mission work because I will get to see GRACE, my sponsoree, who is a Maasai girl who yearns to become a heart surgeon.  She has gotten herself into a top high school in Kenya, and I am hopeful that she will be able to fulfill her doctor dreams.  She certainly has the work ethic, the determination and the brains to do it!

Stay tuned, and I will post photos and updates as I travel with Michelle Stark and two other people I don't yet know; it is certain to be an adventure in the style to which I have grown accustomed!