How many Mombasans does it take to get Lacey Home…

What a day! I have to travel about 30 minutes in a matatu (14 passenger vans that Mombasa uses for transportation) across the Indian Ocean to the Mombasa Island to get to my work every day. The past 2 days my host sister, Norah, has assisted me. Today I did it alone – with the help of 9 kind Kenyans. In the mornings, the matatus don’t come as close to my house as they normally do. So I had to walk a bit further than I did the past 2 days. I got a little lost. So I asked 2 women and they directed me. Then my host brother, Isaac, found me wandering around the village and helped me get on the matatu. 

At work traveled to a small village and visited with some women who are working on receiving a loan from the place where I intern, NCCK (National Council of Churches of Kenya). It was a beautiful place with mud huts, cute kids, and wonderful women. They were very patient with me since I had to communicate mostly through my supervisor since they speak Kiswahili. I interviewed most of them and found out what their business is like and what challenges they face. Within the next few weeks my boss wants me to get to know them better and then give them advice as they prepare for the loan. Pretty neat!

By the time we got back downtown, it was close to 5 which is rush hour here. My boss dropped me off at a different matatu station than I had used before because she thought it’d be easier to catch a matatu there. I couldn’t find the matatu going to my village, Mikindani, so I asked a woman waiting next to me for help. She said I wouldn’t find a Mikindani matatu at that station, and then she walked me to a different station and helped me get on one. At the next stop, I heard the driver yell out something other than Mikindani, so I asked the woman sitting next to me, and found out that I was on the wrong matatu! Helper #6 of the day told me where to get off the wrong matatu and to catch the right one. So I did, but this matatu stage was super busy and people were shoving each other to get a spot on the matatu. So a Kenyan man asked me if I wanted help, and he shoved me through the crowd to get a seat. I made it home 2 hours after I had left downtown! Wow. 

Mombasa people are said to be extremely lazy, but I have found them very helpful. Most will drop everything to help me, and they are extremely friendly towards each other as well. Mombasa is also extremely hot. I don’t think I have stopped sweating since I arrived, even when I sleep. No wonder they are stereotyped for being  lazy. It’s tooooo hot to move fast. 

My host family is incredible. My host mom is a wonderful loving mother who has 6 of her own children, at least 1 orphan that she’s adopted. Also, I believe she has taken in children on and off throughout the years. She has hosted 9 other MSID students and is very good at it! My host dad is great too. They have 2 grandchildren ages 1 and 5 running around the house and he is always playing with them and he makes me fresh mango/papaya juice every night!!!! YUMMY! All of the host siblings are great as well. 

So far so good. I turn 21 in 8 days in Kenya! There is a restaurant which floats on the ocean, and I’m hoping to go there with some friends on my birthday!

Miss you all! Love you!