UMN in Kenya 2023

We hopped off the plane at AMS and said our last goodbyes to Owen and the Professor, who had a short layover and were off to Atlanta, whereas most of us were going direct to Minneapolis in a couple of hours. We went through security. The security was set off when some of us walked through, so we were patted down… thoroughly. A couple of our bags were also flagged going through. Sarah was told that her water bottle got flagged. The TSA worker said the sensors usually allow water, but the sensors did not like hers. So the guy threw her water away. Owen and the Professor missed their flight to Atlanta by about two minutes. Owen came on the flight to MSP with us, but the professor’s flight details were much more elaborate. Legend has it she did get home one day, or maybe “home” is just the friends we made along the way. Lol, no, she got home late that night. Anyway, we arrived at MSP. I was the last one through customs. Kate texted me that the others had left and that she was at door two. I got through customs and found her. We exchanged a few words about how we were happy to have met each other and we would never forget this amazing trip experience. I walked to my brother’s car. We drove past Kate. Waved goodbye.

This morning we got to sleep in a bit later, which was very nice! We then had breakfast at the conference center before heading to the Masai Market once again. Many of us packed our bags with pens, gum, old shirts, and candy to barter with. Before arriving at the market, we went to exchange money at Junction Mall. The vendors at this market were much less pushy and were not very willing to barter, they didn’t seem interested in any of the gum/pens/items we brought to trade.

After the market, we headed back to the Methodist Resort and Conference Center for lunch. Lunch was pretty good, and it consisted of beef, chicken, rice, watermelon, and chapati!

After lunch, we headed to downtown Nairobi to join a yoga session and drumming circle. It was a bit uncomfortable at first because there were so many people sitting on benches around us and watching. However, the yoga instructor and main drummer were super friendly and welcoming, and it felt really good to stretch out. The yoga was a bit challenging at times, but it was fun to see everyone try their best. Eventually, the former mayor of Nairobi stumbled across our session and joined in (suit, tie, and all- it was pretty entertaining).

After our yoga session, we joined the very large drum circle, in which many of the onlookers participated too. It was fun to see so many people come together and make music. It was also neat to see the various kinds of drums used. Some were handmade and looked almost like an hourglass shape with carvings on the sides. Other drums were made of recycled oil barrels covered with animal hides and string. We stayed for a while and said goodbye to the organizers of the event before heading to a few small shops down the street.

As soon as we entered these shops, we realized just how much we had all been scammed at the Masai market. These prices were absurdly low, so many of us ended up getting more gifts. We then had dinner back at the conference center before catching a 7:00 showing of the new Spider-Verse movie. I think many of us missed popcorn more than we realized. We then caught Uber’s back to the conference center and called it a night!

Our transport took us to a glass-blowing place first thing in the morning. On the way there, Professor talked to us about reverse culture shock. At this point, it started to sink in that we only had so much time left in Kenya. We all talked about how we felt (if we felt comfortable sharing) and what we thought some of the challenges going home would bring. On arrival, we looked around at all the different glasswork. Owen and Bradley played a game of mangala (likely incorrectly) in the shop. We ate lunch that our hotel had packed for us. We ordered ice cream too. I’d give it a 7. We watched an impressive glassblowing demonstration. After that, we took a family(group) photo in a tire playground apparatus. 

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We drove back to Nairobi and went to a market. On the way back, Owen showed off his free styling skills in the back of the bus. Spent more money on things that are not worth it (but maybe they are for the memories. I don’t know). Some of us played 500 in the pool before supper. We played cards after supper and shared our best stories. In one game of cards, Kate definitely won, but because of slight confusion and a couple of others’ desire to win, we claimed the win illegitimate. I just wanted to set the record straight, Kate won that game. This was our last night in Kenya.

Planes, trains, and automobiles- not necessarily in that order. On this trip, we’ve done it all. Today, we took a train from Mombasa back to Nairobi (with stops in between) for our final leg of the trip. The train ride was a bit rough, not going to lie. It was six hours in length, and we had to leave before sunrise in order to get to the station on time. I have been dealing with a rather vicious stomach flu, so my recount of the day may be a bit biased.

The train station had excellent views, and it was exciting for many of us to be trying something new. The SGR/Madaraka Express was helped built by China, since they have speedy trains and a desire to establish a connection with East Africa- according to my host mum Nancy.

We watched as the landscape changed from coastal Mombasa, to the mountainous Tanzanian border, to the dry lands near Emali, and finally, Nairobi. Oddly enough, today is Madaraka Day, the namesake of the train. This day celebrates the ending of British rule in Kenya (1963).

After a long journey in some pretty cramped quarters, we arrived in Nairobi, reuniting with our driver, David. We have gotten to know him pretty well and missed his presence in Mombasa. It was also nice to return to a somewhat familiar area, as this is our second time staying in Nairobi. We drove past familiar roads and buildings, and had lunch at Kilimanjaro again. We played cards while waiting for our food, and ate quickly as the journey had made us hungry.

We drove to our hotel accommodation for the next few days. Some of us rested, others took walks/ran, and swam. We called it an early night and tucked ourselves in, happy to only have a few more nights left under mosquito nets.

Started the day off with an all you can eat buffet breakfast and headed to our first site visit. We drove through the rain, potholes and the traffic of a shipment area. We arrived at our destination and were seated outside. Then the dancers came out and started to perform traditional dances. The drumming and dancing attracted a lot of the neighborhood to come out and watch. Mothers with their kids joined us in watching the performers. The dancers grabbed us from our seats and we joined in on the vigorous shoulder moves. After that, the acrobat part of the show took place. Flips, holds and juggling had the crowd impressed. After the show, we joined them in their building and had a Q&A session. We learned how this dance group gives some of the people career opportunities and opportunities to travel through performance. We took some pics together and hit the road.

Next, we drove to the Rabi area where we toured a church that was one of the first churches created in the area. We discussed how Christianity influenced the region, how the church housed escaped slaves and how missionary work opened the door for colonization. We also learned about the Rabi culture that had been preserved despite the efforts of missionaries to convert. After the tour we got to visit a traditional Rabi village. We walked through what Owen called, “the opposite of New York City”, there were cows, lambs and birds decorating the green landscape. We walked on a dirt road through a peaceful neighborhood and people waved and greeted us. A small group of children followed us to see what we were up to. Walking up a hill, we started to hear drumming and singing.

We were greeted with dancing and we were put in some traditional clothing. We joined the dance circle and danced into the village. We were taken on a tour of the village and were shown reenactments of a traditional medicine healing, a wedding, ugali creation and prayer. We danced some more, said our goodbyes and walked back to our bus.

We headed back to the hotel and had a nice dinner together and then hit the hay after a long day.

Our day started at around 6:45 for breakfast where we ate at our hotel, the Traveller’s Hotel. We all dined at the buffet they offer to all guests while the rain poured all morning. After eating breakfast, we set off on our van ride and on the way we saw and elephant, completing us seeing the “Big 5”! (Leopard, Lion, Rhino, Buffalo, and Elephant) We arrived at our site at the ocean soon after. Although it was rainy, we were still excited to get on the water to swim and snorkel in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. We all jogged to the boat and put our lifejackets on. The boat then drove out near a sandbar and we all jumped in and swam with the crashing waves. After enjoying the waves we got back in the boat, shivering since the water was warmer than the air and it was still raining. After this our captain drove over to a coral reef where we went snorkeling. Each of us snorkeled for different amounts of time, following our guide and looking out for fish. The most notable sea creatures we saw were a pufferfish, a shell, and a stingray. After snorkeling, we drove back to shore and made our way to the van and tried to get warm.

After we changed into our dry clothes we ate our lunch that we had pre-ordered so it didn’t take too long to come out. We then drove to our site visit in Kilifi at an organization named Moving the Goalposts. Moving the Goalposts is an organization centered around providing athletic experiences mixed with academic support and reproductive healthcare for girls. Another main focus they emphasize is gender-based violence prevention through education and empowerment. During our time at MTG, we talked with the administration about the main reasons why they are involved in the organization, as well as their goals for the future of the organization. We also had the pleasure of watching a scrimmage of the top team at MTG which was really fun, as all the athletes were very talented and the game was fast-paced. After watching them play we did a brief meet and greet with the team before departing for the hotel. After we arrived to the hotel, we winded down for the day by washing the saltwater out of our hair and eating dinner before going to bed.

My entire time in Africa has been an incredible life changing experience, but today left a special handprint on my heart. Our first site visit was to Glad’s House which hosts homeless children and other children in the community. Their goal is to empower the youth who were once forgotten about and give them the chance and hope that they deserve in life. Sport is one of the tools that the organization utilizes to get the children involved and engaged. This is coincided with education, and child rights and protection services. Glad’s House also provides food and showers to their youth as well. They use their educational resources to get the children caught back up with the end goal of returning to a formal educational setting.

We got to visit one of their sport sites, the boxing ring. That is where our class fell in love with JJ, or Jerald. This young boy was 13 years old, and was living on the streets. Even with only being introduced to boxing a few weeks prior, he was a natural both at the sport and at being a leader. He took the responsibility upon himself to introduce his classmates and also lead the various demonstrations. When I was walking back down the street with him, my heart hurt for children like him. He was a sweetheart that deserved more. I am pleased that he has found a community amidst the Glad House children. We got to interact with other kids as well on their break time. This included table tennis, pool, chit chatting, and other hand games. Issac was an absolute baller at table tennis. Khloie and I got to learn some of the dances and songs with some of the girls as well. Our team really enjoyed interacting with the children who brought so much light and laughter into the room.

While we were there, two men from England were visiting as they run a program called Greater Goals which also works at empowering youth through sport globally. 

Our next stop was to Mama Ngina Girls High School. During the visit, we had the pleasure of interacting with girls in smaller groups so we could get to know each of them on a deeper level. I had a lot of fun interacting with my group. Little did I know that I had the opportunity to be in the same room with basketball and handball regional champions. 🙂 We compared university life to their lives at this boarding school. I can’t imagine being away from my family at that age for weeks at a time. Many of them expressed their longing for home and their mothers, but were glad for the opportunity to play sports and interact with some of their best friends. 

After a bittersweet goodbye, it was off to a small lunch in the city…well not really small. The plates of chicken biryani were HUGE. Mara, Khloie, and I could have easily just split one. To cap the night off, the girls enjoyed a nice stroll on the beach with crabs and snails as company.

We arrived at the Traveller’s Hotel and Resort in Mombasa yesterday and have been loving it! Sarah, Kate, and Khloie started their morning with a walk on the beach and then headed to breakfast to meet with everyone else. We have all been enjoying the buffet style meals at the hotel very much so far! After breakfast, everyone parted their ways before beginning the fun of our free morning.

Dr. BA spent her morning working out and then enjoying a book by the pool. Most of us decided to go swimming after breakfast. After doing a few flips and enjoying the water, we headed to the second pool with the basketball nets and netball. We were able to enjoy the sun while playing netball for a long time; Venna joined in and we also met a boy named Conrad from Germany who joined in on the game!

After a long game of netball, we headed to the beach for a bit. We enjoyed the sun, the warm ocean, and the view all while Bradley built a sandcastle on the shore. Then we headed back to our rooms to get cleaned up for lunch with Professor Jama. We enjoyed lunch oceanside at a nice restaurant and most of us ordered some seafood that was delicious!

After lunch we headed to Fort Jesus for a tour of the historical landmark. It was built by the Portuguese in 1593-1596 as a way to protect the port of Mombasa while gaining Western control over the trade routes of the Indian Ocean. The site was amazing to experience and very historically educational!

After heading back to the hotel we had some time to relax before dinner. We all chatted while enjoying dinner together, most of us headed back to our rooms to play cards after and then we were off to bed!

‘Twas an early morning. The bus left by 7 am for our first destination. Unfortunately, our transport (van) stalled about five times on the way. Eventually, our driver, David, could no longer get it to start, so a Matatu picked us up for the last part of our drive. We met with Dr. Maguta at his house. He started our visit with a tour of his place. We saw his chickens and pigeons. He has a large garden area that he wants to one day make into an orchard. After walking the grounds, we sat outside to talk while breakfast was being made. 

The discussion mainly revolved around concerns about the health of Kenyans. The obesity rate is much lower than in the United States, but he still was concerned about an increase. He mentioned that one cause is since Kenyan parents want their kids to get better grades, the schools prioritize providing more teaching time instead of physical education. Breakfast was ready, so we continued inside. To eat, there was fruit, yogurt, milk, various juices, sausages, eggs, and a couple of other things I forgot. Dr. Maguta’s family and some former students introduced themselves to us. One of them is a singer and sang a bit for us. He was pretty good.

We could not stay long, though, because we had a noon flight to catch. The airport was small; It felt like our group would be the only people on the flight. The flight had a connection which was strange because it was a short flight. We got off the plane onto the tarmac in Mombasa and were shocked by the heat and stickiness of the air.

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We arrived at the hotel in the early evening (5:45). We were pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the place but disappointed to learn that the pool closed at 6 pm. After settling in, some of us went to the Indian Ocean beach directly adjacent to the hotel. We all stood about shin-deep in the water until it was too dark. We ate supper soon after that and were all safely tucked in bed by 10 pm. 🙂 #americans?#thatsweird #owen #sock #DrBA

This morning we got to sleep in a bit, since we didn’t leave until 10. We then had breakfast before hitting the road. We visited another running shop in Iten before heading to Kerio Valley View Point. We were all blown away by the beautiful overlook, and enjoyed looking at the houses and abundance of green vegetation below. We sunbathed on a deck for a bit, had a chin-up contest, and the girls went off to explore a path. This was a neat find and we ended up getting some pretty cool pictures! Dr. B-A was extremely generous and offered to buy us lunch, so we enjoyed our pizza and chicken with a beautiful view!

We then stopped by the High Altitude Training Center once again to change and get ready for our hike! We were told to expect a four hour hike that included crossing a river and seeing Kesup Waterfall. We began the hike, got to pet a baby cow, and then hiked up a pretty steep incline. Eventually, we reached Kesup Waterfall. Our guide, Reuben, was quite the outdoorsman and kept us trailing at a quick pace. Many of us couldn’t get over how he completed the entire hike in a dress shirt and khakis, without even getting his shoes dirty! Reuben pointed to a drop off on the side of a literal cliff and told us that this was the way to the waterfall. I don’t think many of us registered that he was being dead serious when he said this, but eventually, we all decided to venture down the VERY muddy cliffside. Mara, Khloie, and Venna had quite the time descending (sliding) down this path and ended up looking like they had rolled in the mud…because we basically did. However, the dirt was worth it! We enjoyed taking pictures and cooling off in the waterfall, all while admiring the gorgeous view. We then climbed back up the path (much easier than going down) and continued our hike. It was quite muddy and steep at times! After what seemed like a dozen “one kilometer left”’s from Reuben, we made it back to the High Altitude Training Center in one piece and very muddy clothes.

Most of us then returned to the practice field to watch some kids from 21 Sport Academy train. We watched a bit of soccer, chatted with Amos and Ben, did some yoga with Dr. B-A, and had a brief Q&A session with the kids before getting poured on! We finished up our night with dinner and a night swim back at camp. I have a feeling we will sleep well tonight!