This is an unusual situation where Kenya Air is at the mercy of the airport administration. We have been promised by Kenya Air representatives that if the airport is not open on July 18, they will provide alternate transportation for the project participants who have a Kenya Air ticket.

We will update you just as soon as we ourselves receive a firm answer or reaccommodation. We have been in continuing contact with Kenya Air regarding this issue since the latter part of May.

Cardinal Travel

The local airport is currently under construction and says that it can “perhaps” fly our airplane out. We’re leaving in 8 days… seeing as it is just a runway in the middle of a field… I’m not sure what airport construction entails and whether it will really detract from the complex technological contraptions of that concrete path.  I’m kind of hoping that the local airport will fail and we’ll get to take a bus to Nairobi because the 15 of us on a bus on the way home would be madness and I’d like to see what Nairobi looks like, but on the other hand, AHHHHHHHHH PLEASE LET ME GET HOME.

Before I write my really deep, reflecting entry on “what I have learned about myself” and what I will miss ( ) from my 2 months here… this entry will be on how freaking excited I am to be going home. So indulge me.

The past month has flown by with so much to do. After the first 3 weeks of settling in, the second half of this trip was and has been booked. Yet with America just around the corner I feel like time has suddenly slowed down despite the fact I’m still really busy and rushing around…

My mom called me last night and planned out what my meals will be for my first week home. Day 1: Sushi. Day 2: Seafood pasta. Day 3: Ribs. Day 4… love my mommy. When us interns meet up to play soccer or run it is commonplace to discuss what we will order in the Dubai food court, how awesome plane food will be, and the prospect of having a shower head so soon. Fast internet will be lovely too.

I keep hoping that I’ll have time to just hang out at home and relax… but that looks unlikely too. Hard to believe that in 3 weeks I’m going to be back on the plane again and heading to South Africa. 2 weeks till PWaves (yay! beach!!!). And the two weeks I spend at home is going to be rushed too… my parents, in their obsession with solely western and Taiwanese medicine and absolutely nothing else, are super eager to send me to a “malaria specialist” in the states, which seems ridiculous to me because the doctors here are probably 20 times more qualified to treat malaria than any white guy in DC.

Next week is going to be bittersweet. I’ve grown attached to so many people here…

little gary

I talked with my tailor for a good 15 minutes yesterday and she kept saying she would miss me (and I’m sure the massive amounts of business I bring her through our intern group and my love of the dress fabric here). And despite the fact I only see her for 5 minutes every other week to pick up whatever I’m having made, it was odd to realize that I would probably never see her again. Even the overly-forward-sometimes-offensive colleague of mine in the office said that he would be sad to see me go and I will kind of miss him too, but in the way you miss the neighborhood bully after years of being harassed… in that he’s become an annoying, but regular part of my life here.

Anyway, lots of picture taking will ensue next week so expect those soon-ish.

And also if you donated 30 dollars to my online fundraising on June 21st please let me know who you are so I can send you an email on where your money went! [update: fundraising total: 905! Thank you and more on the various projects I did with that money later... ]

obligatory landscape picture- campsite lake during retreat