Mzungu me (Kenya part I)

Full day number 1 in Kenya. Here I actually am. As I am sitting here in the Business centre of the Fair View hotel - I just got back from my first day of the Compassion Vision trip-week here in Nairobi Kenya.
The flight went wonderful as I amused myself with the newest movies. Jaaahh! :-)

It is truly the weirdest and most unbelievable thing to be here. It seems like a different world that I have been before. I feel comfortable being here and it almost seems as if I know all the people that I meet here. On this first day with the most fresh and newest impressions I'm trying my hardest to find the right words for the things I am seeing and experiencing.

Yesterday, October 11th 2008, we were picked up from the airport by Susan and Jim, two WONDERFUL people from the Compassion Kenya office! They both work for the tours and travel-department. I stepped outside of the airport to our van and a nice warm breeze was welcoming me into Africa.
Oh my gosh, I feel sooooo white and mzungu here! I think it is just general that people are looking at each other, but I notice it so sharply here in comparrison to the Netherlands because back home, people live so much more with there eyes towards the street.
After a good night sleep at a very nice and friendly hotel here and after some breakfast we were picked up by Susan and Jim to go to a homevisit. I visited a 16 year old boy, Daniel who is in project 317. He LOVES soccer and we were being told he had a soccer match that evening. As we (Hugo, Annemiek and me, Susan and Mercy (a projectworker) walked through the small red-mudded alleys towards his home - we were welcomed into the home of Daniels mom. A super friendly lady who was so honoured and grateful to have us over. It was for me a typical picture of a poverty home. Laundry hanging outside, Goats and beautiful beautiful children, I think there were like 8 of them. They just finished their lunch and we went inside to talk a little. The mom told us she was single and mother of 5. She was grandmother of 4 children, who were also there. The children were seriously too adorable. I just wanted to pick them up and squeeze them, oh my!

After about half an hour there we went back to the project and the church, which were next to each other and there is where about 2,5 hour (if not longer) church service started. Hugo already warned me that Kenyans love their equipments as to microphones and speakers and so they make full use of its volume! MY EARS!!! And the Lord-AH!, Said-AH! That He-Ah! Loved-Ah! The world-Ah! so much-Ah!...etc. :-)
It was a very African experience I think.

For myself I just try so hard to not be too much the touristic mzungu. I have no clue how to behave around such a different culture and I am told so many different things of do's and don'ts that it confuses me. I've already made up my mind, I'm just going to be me. Mzungu me.