Day 1

Well hello. It is Sunday night' 9:00 pm.  We arrived last night about 7. The flight from PDX/Seattle was uneventful. The flight from Seattle to Dubai was uneventful as well. I was ok on the flight until about 2am. I had taken a Benedryl around midnight in hopes it would put me to sleep. Nope! No dice. So I sat around trying to watch movies. I eventually fell asleep around 4am. I was awakened at 6 for breakfast! 2 hours sleep was actually ok. The food on Emirates airlines was unlike anything Ive ever experienced. Dinner was Salmon or Lamb or a dish called Bhindi Masala (curried okra). The appetiser was Asian noodle salad. Dessert was cheesecake. We also had cheese and crackers. THEN there was the middle of the night munchies. Pizza, fresh fruit, and candy bars! I've never experienced anything like it. Granted the cheesecake was the consistency of a sponge. But the rest was pretty good-especially when you consider it was airline food! Breakfast was fresh fruit, plain omelette or chive scrambled eggs, and a croissant.
We eventually landed in Dubai at 7pm local time to 96 degrees and gross humidity. we finally got to the hotel around 9 after the airline lost 1 piece of luggage. We ate dinner around 10:30 and Kathryn, my roomie, and colapsed. Some of the team went out and took a midnigjt city tour. Kathryn amd I declined! we were up at 6 to eat breakfast and be ready to check out by 8 am to catch our 10:30 flight to Nairobi. BTW, dinner and breakfast were buffet style in the hotel. It was a decent combination of American and local foods. I did find it quite funny that the pancake syrup was "American Garden" brand. Flew 7,000 miles to eat American syrup!
After the 14 hour flight from the day before spemding 4.5 hours on a plane was a snap! Lunch consisted of a shrimp cocktail appetizer and èither sweet and sour fish or mutton. Call me crazy but I went for the mutton! It was quite good. Ican hear my mother telling ,e how proud of me she os for trying somethomg new.
We landed in Nairobi aroumd 5. Kathryn and I were the first 2 to clear customs and walk out of the airport. Just about the time I spotted pastor Ralph Kathryn spotted pastor Daniel waving his arms frantically at us. It was great to be greeted by smiling familiar faces and hugs from Daniel. The university where we are staying sent a bus but with 24 of us plus luggage we didnt all fit. So Ralph rented a Matato (a local transportation in the form of a 10 passenger van). So 8 of us got on the van. The rest of the crew hopped on the bus. Our driver decided to take a "shortcut" to aboid traffic. OH MY! Ever been off roading in a van? Hold on for your life! I cant remember when I've bounced so much. After what sewmed like an eternity bit was actually more like an hoir we arrived at the campus of ANU. ANU is right outside of a little town called Rongai. Everything we saw on our ride screams poverty. ANU is completely fenced and has a guard gate.  We had just enough time to unpack in our dorm rooms and ot was time for dinner. We all ate together. I wish I could remember what we ate! it was barely 24 hours ago but seems so much longer-I believe we jad a beef dish' a chicken dish and veggies. The staff at ANU is feeding us very well.
I slept really well. I thought it would be harder to deal woth the jetlag. Not too bad so far.
ANU borders a wildlife preserve. The sounds of wildlife surrounded us all night. Hyenias, orangatang and more birds than Ive ever heard.
After breakfast we went to a churxh in Rongai. the members dress up in their best clothes for church, even moreso than I see in the states. The children love to hold your hands and feel your soft hair. Its pretty funny. I made friends with some 12 year old girls. One them is named Harrison and she stayed pretty close to me most of the day. She is a beautiful young lady but her hair is cut so short its almost nonexhistent.
I need to post this and go to bed. It was a long day and tomorrow is going to bring more of the same.