PCV in Kenya: Week 18 & 19
IST Reconnect
Monday of Week 18 began with a trek into Kisumu for IST Reconnect training. Savannah and I made eggs on toast with kachumbari so we could finish off all of the food that was still in my fridge. I’ll be away from my house for two weeks and I don’t need any critters waiting for me when I return. After making sure we had all of our belongings ready for training and our trip after, Savannah and I locked up my house. I then took Nala and all of her things to Mama Gladys’ house. Mama Gladys will be watching Nala for a week and then Sammy will watch her when he returns. We walked to the main road and caught a matatu almost immediately. This was a really good thing because it was raining today. Once we were in Kisumu, we rode a tuktuk to the Peace Corps office to drop off our luggage. We were lucky enough to be able to put them in a Peace Corps car that would be headed to the training center later that day so we didn’t have to come back here to pick them up.
We then headed to United Mall and I picked up some eye masks, a book, and snacks (all necessities for an upcoming vacation). Next, it was lunch at Java House followed by a walk to Maasai Market. Here, I picked the nativity set I had requested to be made for Aunt Susan. I also found another waist bead and beaded sandals. From here, we got our nails done. This was the longest nail experience of my life. We were here for four hours. It was getting dark when we left the salon and we were exhausted from the day, so we were happy when we got on a matatu to get to the training center. Unfortunately, this matatu lied about where they were headed and Savannah and I soon found ourselves in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, and in the rain. They wouldn’t turn around to take us to the main road, so we called Peace Corps Safety and Security who were able to talk to the driver and organize a plan. This plan was to have the driver complete their route and then take us back to the main road. This took over an hour. When we got back to the main road, a taxi took us to the training center and we arrived at 10PM. We showered and ate dinner that Seamus and Lucas had gathered for us and slept well.
Tuesday through Friday of this week consisted of IST Reconnect training. A highlight of this training center was the breakfasts. They had omelets with fresh juice and a variety of other breakfast items every day. Our mornings and afternoons consisted of meetings all day long. We had breaks for chai at 10AM, lunch at 2PM, and were finished around 4PM or 5PM each day. To keep my attention during these meetings, I made some new friendship bracelets. I learned how to make the following patterns: Greek wave, checkered, alternating stripe, and daisy. The best thing to happen on Tuesday was a Jeopardy game in which Andy, CiCi, and I tied for first. This meant we got a box full of American snacks! The volunteers had a fun PCV-themed PowerPoint night on Wednesday during dinner. The themes consisted of “My Top 10 Selfies”, “13 Reasons Why I Might ET”, “Dowry Amounts for Each Volunteer”, “Nicknames for my Students”, and “Top 10 Moments”. On Thursday, our counterparts arrived and joined in our meetings. Peter from my school at my site is my counterpart, so he was with me for the rest of the training sessions.
On Friday, the most important thing that happened was the release of Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department”. This had a chokehold on myself and many others for the rest of the week. After the day was finished on Friday, Savannah, Rikki, Sophie, Laura, Marisa, and I went into town. We rode into town in the car of one of our counterparts which was convenient. Our first stop was Chandarana in West End Mall. I purchased groceries I knew I would want when I returned from vacation. We dropped these items at the Peace Corps office then walked to the bank. We withdrew some money here because there is no fee and the got boba tea. We returned back to the training center in time for dinner then packed up to get ready for our trip tomorrow!
Nairobi
The end of Week 18 and the entirety of week 19 was a trip to Mombasa, stopping in Nairobi on the way there and back. To get to and from Nairobi from Kisumu, we took an EasyCoach bus. This ride takes about seven hours, but the bus seats are very comfortable. They also stop twice for a break and snacks. The ride had amazing views. We were able to see rice fields, tea plantations, zebras, water buffalo, flamingo, and antelope. When I wasn’t looking out the window, I passed the time by listening to music, napping, watching Netflix, and working on friendship bracelets.
During our short time in Nairobi, we prioritized sites and food. We ate at the following places: Mercado – Mexican Kitchen and Bar, Cold Stone Creamery, Papa John’s, and ArtCaffé. Mercado had notably good jalapeño margaritas and ArtCaffé had an amazing fried chicken sandwich. We saw the following sites: National Museum of Kenya and Reptile Center, Central Business District, City Market, Thorn Tree Café, Maasai Market, Kenyatta Convention Center, and Westgate & Sarit Shopping Malls.
Savannah held a snake at the Reptile Center and I touched it but was not about to hold it. In City Market, I found two unique rings. At the Maasai Market, I found two different pairs of earrings that I love. One of my favorite activities was going to the top of the Kenyatta Convention Center. The views of the city were awesome from here and totally worth the 300KSH to ride the elevator. At the malls, I was able to find some fun toys and a cat harness and leash for Nala! I am so excited to get home to try to train her to use them. We also went to a movie theater and watched “Civil War”. It was so fun to be back in a movie theater with popcorn and a slushie 😊
Mombasa
To get to Mombasa, we took the train. On the way home, the train was fully booked, so we had to take a shuttle. We loved the train. We saw camels, zebras, and so many elephants. We spent half of our time in Mombasa city and the other half of our time in Diani. Like Nairobi, our favorite things were the sites and the food. The following were our food favorites: Fayaz Bakery, Tulia Backpacker, Jahazi Coffee House, mahamri, shawarma, and Cafesserie.
If you find yourself in Mombasa Old Town, Jahazi Coffee House is a must. They had amazing Turkish coffee and Swahili snacks. Cafesserie was a close second-favorite. My iced sweet tea with lemon mint and mango ice cream were amazing. The inside of this restaurant is also adorable. Shawarma is a street meat sandwich that is amazing. We got it every day we were in Mombasa. We saw the following sites: Fort Jesus, Old Town street markets, and Nyali City Mall. We were also able to see a movie here as well! We watched “The Fall Guy” at Nyali Cinemax. The theatre and the movie were great.
Diani
To get to Diani from Mombasa, we took a matatu, ferry, another matatu, and then a tuktuk. My favorite things about Diani were our hostel, the seafood, and the ocean. We stayed at Diani Backpackers. They had a pool, happy hour, tons of games, events every night, and food that was delicious and a great price. Rikki, Savannah, and I stayed in a private room here because they offered some that had three beds which was awesome. This meant we had our own sink and shower. My favorite event was karaoke night and the three of us sang “Mama Mia”, always a crowd favorite.
From the hostel, it was about a 10-minute walk to the beach which was amazing. The sand and the water were perfect. The waves even picked up one day and we were able to have fun trying to body surf. My favorite night of seafood was at the Salty Squid. I had prawns with a salad and fries and everything was delicious. One of my favorite days in Diani was spent on a boat and in the water. We went on a snorkeling trip and it was beautiful. The sailboat itself was very relaxing. Once we got out into the ocean, we saw dolphins too! While we snorkeled, we saw a ton of coral and colorful fish. We even saw a sea snake! Overall, it was another successful Kenya vacation and I’m super thankful for the time I got to spend with my friends.
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