Kakamega

Dear friends,

On the highway near Nairobi

I´ve arrived in Kakamega on Sunday. On our trip from Nairobi we stopped in Naivasha to visit Hellsgate National Park. On our bike-safari there we saw giraffes and zebras and I got sunburned pretty hard. Additionally, at Lake Naivasha there are some hippos, which we have seen at night.

Besides the rain, Kakamega is very beautiful. So far, we´ve attended a Barasa, a meeting of chiefs and we´ve visited KEEP, the partner organization of Ivakale.

Giraffes and Zebras

The countryside and the rainforest are amazing. Just passing by, we´ve seen different kinds of monkeys and a lot of different and very colourful birds!

Right now, I´m in Vike´s Hostel!

Cheers,

The Barasa

Frauke

Still in Nairobi

Nairobi National Museum

In the last days Michael and Alexis arrived in Nairobi and now our team is complete. Unfurtunately, Alexis´ laguage is still lost, so we have to wait for it before leaving to Kakmega.
But we used the first additional day not only for still owing arrangements in the Center of Nairobi but also for a visit in the Nairobi National Museum. The exhibition was great and we did not only learn a lot about Kenyan society but also met Lucy and Turkana Boy! Indeed, very affecting was the special exhibition about the terrorist attack at Westgate mall in Westlands (Nairobi). On 21 September 2013 at least 67 people died, no matter which age, religion or race. The message of the exhibition was "in the end we are all just humans" - a great and truthful installation!

The three of us in front of the Museum

Lucy, 3.2 million years old

Turkana boy, 1.6 million years olf

 
Special feature of this week was Tuesday, when electricity was gone and work impossible, we went for a swim in a pool of a nearby hotel.

The awesome pool

Our beloved home in Nairobi

But hopefully, we´ll be able to leave soon for our project!

Cheers,
Frauke

Nairobi

Central Park

The first day in Nairobi was amazing. Soon, I had to recognize the delicacies of traffic lights in this city: Move, if its red and be cautious, if its is green! But thats something, you get used to quite fast. Moreover, the combination of skyscrapers and green areas was interesting. Especially, the Central Park with its Uhuru Monument was great to visit, while highrises were in the background.
Happily, I had some assistance of Kady and Issac, who I met in the hostel. Togehter we were able to buy the most important technical equipment and to get some cash.

Uhuru Monument

The afternoon was devoted to work. But in the evening I had some Ugali (traditional Kenyan dish made out of corn flour) with chicken and it was delicious!

So, right now I´m really looking forward to meet Micheal, who will arrive tomorrow morning.

Cheers,
Frauke

Finally made it!

My little lodger of tonight

After 20 hours of travelling, I arrived safely at Manyatta Backpackers!
Mosquito net is installed and my sleeping back unwrapped, so now I can get some rest.

More tomorrow...

Layover in London

l have reached London, but still tired after just 3 hours of sleep and having a fantastic last evening with my four parents! Thanks again for the wonderful time! There are some hours left until my next flight starts. So, searching for a quiet place to rest a bit😉

Departure

Dear friends and followers,

I´m happy to have you here and be able to communicate with you, even from a vast distance! After months of preparation, ultimately, I´ll leave in  24 hours to Kenya. In the last days final organizing has been done and I´m glad it all turns into account, now.

For the first few days I´m going to stay in Nairobi at a Backpackers to wait for some of my colleagues to arrive. Together we´ll be taking the 12 hours drive to Kakamega!

But the actual first step of the internship will be accompanied by my parents, who will bring me to the airport in Düsseldorf. At 7:20 a.m. tomorrow I´ll leave Germany.

I´ll do my very best to be alive and kicking to see you all again on the 30th January.


Cheers,
Frauke