The start of Per-service training

Well I have officially started my peace corps training.

I will have no pictures until I can charge my camera batteries, as I need a voltage converter and a plug adaptor.

We arrived in Nairobi the night before last, late. It was a very long travel, with few short naps. I was quite tired to get to our first training location. Once I get outside the Nairobi airport thought, the air was a nice surprise; it was fresh and the night was cool.

I guess I should include a bit about my time in Philly. I got off the plane and got my baggage and by a small coincidence ran into a return Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV), Kenya ’68. She told me about the time of her life, about her motorcycle and a Volkswagen she shared with another volunteer. She recommended lots of books. It was a great first impression. It seems like RPCV are all over, as I ran into another at our hotel in Philly.

My great friend from college, Jacob F. Monroe sent me off, as he is living in D.C. It was great to see him again and we got to spend a little bit of time down town Philly. He also provides needed support during the mornings. My first few mornings, I was a mess. I would wake up in shock at the adventure I had in store and my nervousness keep me from eating. That left quite soon.

From the airport, we took a twenty minute bus ride to our enclosed hostel we where staying. We each got room and I was very surprised to find out that we had Wi-Fi. Guess the world is shrinking.

Our first day included more meetings and a few shots, followed by our first language training. Most of this was simple, but since only one of us got more than 5 hours of sleep, we all where a bit sluggish.

And finally my favorite Kenyan ritual is the regular chai breaks. I found a replacement for coffee. Their chai consists of Kenya tea bags with hot milk and maybe some water. I bet some put sugar in theirs.