My first
month away has flown by; I can’t believe it’s already October! September was
spent in Kenya, orienting ourselves with the culture. We were each matched with
a host family, so we spent our first weekend in Nairobi with them. My mom, dad,
and three siblings were very warm and welcoming. I was fortunate enough to
spend the next two weekends with them as well. The other YAVs and I also took a
ten day Kiswahili course and a three day graduate course on East African
culture, religion, politics, and economics. We also visited a children’s home,
a center for Christian/Muslim relations, and a village in the foothills of
Mount Kenya. While it was great to experience Nairobi, I’m thrilled to be in
Dar es Salaam, my placement for the year!