First Impressions

As promised this is the first installment of our reflections on our time in Kenya.  It seems fitting to start at the beginning, which coincidentally was 5 years ago this week.  We landed at night and were picked from the airport by our teammates Kellie and Erin who were with Gideon, one of the managers at Brackenhurst. On the way home one of the girls mentioned we would have to take the long way home because there had been a lot or recent carjackings on the short route.  Not to mention guys kept hopping the median and crossing the unlit road right in front of our car (that seemed like it was driving at least 100 mph).  I was definitely wondering what I was getting myself in to.   All of it seems completely normal now, but it didn't that first night.
When we woke up the first morning and I saw how beautiful Brackenhurst was, I forgot how apprehensive I was on the ride home.  I don't have the adjectives to describe it so here are some pictures of the conference center that was to be my new home.

(tea fields right outside of the gate)

(Ngong Cottage, our home for most of our time at Bracken)

When I look back on my first few weeks at Brackenhurst, I'm struck by everyone's hospitality.  It seemed like all of the Brackenhurst staff were tripping over each other trying to shake our hands or share a cup of tea with us.  In our first 2 weeks, we had dinner at every ex-pats home who lived in the area (which was a lot at the time, it seemed like we were at someone's house every night), it really helped me settle in and feel welcome.
In the beginning we got lost, a lot. On our first solo trip into Nairobi we stumbled upon the Rift Valley (which is in the direct opposite direction of where we were headed).  So my first look at one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen was the result of a wrong turn.  One night we tried to find an Ethiopian joint in a part of town we had never been in, in the dark, in the rain.  Let's just say its no small miracle that we didn't end up in divorce court, culture shock hit full force that night.  But eventually we ended up at an Ethiopian restaurant (not the one we were looking for) and so began my love for Ethiopian food.
When I look back, I kind of miss those first weeks where every little thing felt like a big adventure.