Shillings and Water

I am here! Although, I don't feel "here". The feeling is closer to a dream than reality. It's probably the jetlag and my internal clock being so off. Yesterday was a whirlwind. After getting picked up at the airport by my dear friend, Judy Wanjiru and her colleague Jack, I checked into the guest house. A warm shower after almost 3 days of wearing the same clothes and breathing recycled air was a gift...hot water is not always a guarantee.

Judy and me

Lunch and then Judy and I were off on a bus to downtown, dodging matatus and cars to run errands. Picture Downtown Nairobi: New York City on steroids. Double the vehicles, no street lights and minimal stop signs. A million people walking up and down the sidewalks and crossing the streets with no crosswalks. Horns honking and diesel fumes flying. A driver's free-for-all and every pedestrian for himself. Judy and I flew down the sidewalk - really, I was walking too fast for her out of urgency to "get rid" of the *cough, cough* money on my person. Our first attempt at exchanging money was a bust. The bank didn't like my small bills and offered a horrible exchange rate. So we left empty handed and decided to try our chance with my friend Jane's dad at a Forex Bureau...even without a prior phone call. The first Forex Bureau was the wrong one and we were sent down the street to another. Success! He was there and immediately saw me and help me with the exchange. So generous of him to do his daughter's friend a favor at the drop of a hat. With a fat wad of shillings and the bank closing in 10 minutes we rushed back over to the bank to make my deposit. Back down the populated sidewalks and across the busy streets, Judy held my hand and informed us when to stop and when to go. At the bank, we stood in a long queue and I finally breathed a sigh of relief as I made the deposit to the secondary school for our sponsored orphan, John's year of education. Minus the small bumps in the road and my nervousness about the cash burning a hole in my pocket, everything went smoothly. At one point when Judy was holding my hand, I sensed that God was saying "This is Me. I got this." After dealing with the money, we set off to Safaricom to buy me a phone. Then to the grocery store to get a jug of water. Why we thought to get water in town and carry it home...I'm not quite sure. The bus route was slow and long and I fell asleep on Judy's shoulder...still fighting my old time zone. The driver took a different route to avoid traffic and dropped us off far from our stop. We had to walk with that heavy water jug almost a mile down an unpaved road with a lot foot traffic. Judy and I each grabbed a handle and carried it together, careful not to step in potholes. We seemed vulnerable and I prayed as we walked passed all those people for God' protection. We made it back safely, exhausted and dusty. I couldn't even bring myself to take dinner - and for those of you who know how much I eat...that's saying a lot! I wanted an adventure and I sure got one, right? This is only Day One...