The Goodbye Luncheon

My flight left Mombasa early this morning. Nothing too exciting happened at the airport. My cab driver did try to charge me more for the week than what my calculations had shown. It’s a good thing I know my math. We also hit a large traffic jam on the way to the airport. I told the cab driver my flight time was earlier than it was just so I wouldn’t be late with the African time and all. Even with the allotted time, the driver insisted we needed to get there soon so drove on the edge of the road making for a very bumpy ride. We also received some dirty looks as we passed by. The security in the airport surprised me with their laid back attitudes. I walked through without any trouble and didn’t even remove my shoes or jacket. The man asked to look at my bag, unzipped it, and zipped the bag back up almost immediately. I am not sure if it is just my American instincts of high security, but it did seem like anyone could walk on the plane.

While sitting in the airport, I saw coverage of the Olympics playing. I could not believe it, because I definitely thought the opening ceremonies were tonight. I love the Olympics and to miss the opening ceremony. I will just have to find it online to watch. Soon the plane boarded and I was in Nairobi in no time. I met the lady with my name sign outside of baggage claim and she called a cab for me. When I got in the cab, the cab driver asked me how to get there. I panicked a little, having no idea how to get to icipe. There must have been some confusion, as the driver thought I lived in Kenya and he was planning on taking me to my house. Thankfully, the driver knew how to get to icipe. Room 1, the room I have lived in for the past two months, was taken by someone else so they gave me a room across the hall. The rooms look almost identical, other than the fact the new room seems to have gotten more wear. With all of my suitcases, I began unpacking and repacking, wondering how I was ever able to fit everything on the way here. It doesn’t help that throughout my stay I have purchased numerous souvenirs.

Later in the afternoon, Vivian picked me up for lunch at Susan’s house. Susan lives in a very nice community, and even though I thought we were running late, we were the first ones to arrive. We sat in a room with a beautiful hand painted African mural, sipping juice as we waited for the others to come. Fabian was the next to come and gave me a gift of a large picture of an elephant he had taken while out on one of his safaris. Soon Mercy, Sarah, and Karen joined. We conversed for a while. Susan let their puppy out for Damian, Vivian’s son to play with. Most of the guests were completely scared of the dog, practically running away from it. This was so interesting to me, as dogs, especially puppies, are loved and welcomed in the States. In Kenya, dogs roam the streets or are used as protection for homes. Many told me frightening stories of being chased by dogs, never to have liked them again. In the course of the afternoon I met one of Susan’s daughters. The other was at boarding school and her husband was at the Kenyan house in London for the Olympics. What a hard job.

Fish, rice, and other various meats were served for lunch. We ate in the backyard with a very nice arrangement. More people began to come, some of which I do not remember meeting in the past. The more the merrier. After our meal, we sat in the backyard until dark talking. Our initial discussion focused on what Americans thought of Kenyans and likewise. Of course we think of Kenyans as runners. I have been surprised to find that very few Kenyans actually enjoy running. They explained to me their thoughts on Americans—workaholics, over cautious of security, etc. These didn’t surprise me in the least bit, because with the differences in our cultures, these would be the most drastic ones. I never thought of this in the past, however, they were telling me how the United States doesn’t have a direct flights to and from Kenya. With all of our security measures, even in the airports, I can see why. The topic of conversation then turned to different scams people ran throughout the streets of Kenya and how many of my fellow colleagues were almost caught in the mist of them. People running those scams are very clever, to a point it’s scary. I’m glad I didn’t hear all of the stories I heard on my first week in Kenya, or else I probably never would have slept at night. When leaving, Susan was very generous and gave me the gift of a cloth (I can’t remember what it is called, but very African). Sarah, Mercy, and Karen also gave me some gifts as well.

I am not sure if I have talked about this in the past, but the hospitality Kenyans show is remarkable. From Susan having the goodbye luncheon today, to all the people I have met here, I have really been fortunate to be completely immersed and welcomed into a new culture. I think it hit me on my ride back to icipe of how much I am going to miss the people and the daily culture surrounding me. Tomorrow is my last full day in Kenya. In the final hours I spend, I plan to make the most of it—taking in the wonderful surroundings.