Friday we left our compound in groups of three with 20 shillings each and were instructed to get our own matatus and meet downtown outside of the Hilton (one of our landmarks to get around the city). We went to an orphanage we were told suffers from corruption, and the kids consequently suffer. We’re not sending interns there as it would only assist the corruption, but we have said we will include the kids in any activities we organize. When we got there it seemed so quiet and empty compared to all the other place we had been to. Alan, Victor, and I went to the guys bunkroom to see if there was anybody there. We stood there for a while and some kids trickled in. Alan and I asked them if they wanted to go out back and play soccer. Needless to say, they taught us a thing or two. There was a room of infants that I did not see, but a lot of the girls talked about where the kids were simply ignored and seemed completely out of it. After leaving the orphanage we walked down the road to the Center for Domestic Training and Development, another one of the possible internship sites. We learned how taboo discussion of domestic labor was, and that this was the only place that provided training services for both men and women so that they could then get jobs in the workforce. The women had made popcorn, homemade chips, and roasted nuts for us, all of which were so good! We changed our clothes there and got taxis to go to Nzisa’s wedding, she is a friend of KJ. It was a Catholic wedding, but incorporated a lot of tradition I think comes from tribal tradition. Friday night we went to Carnivore, a very famous restaurant/club, for the reception. There was a Kenyan band and a lot of dancing. It felt like we were the only white people dancing, though! It was a great time.

On Saturday we left on a six hour private-matatu drive across the country to a town called Voi. This is where KJ first arrived in Kenya and was adopted by a family there. First of all, the ride over there was very bumpy and rough, and needless to say long. The Chinese government largely funds the road construction on Mombassa Road, since Mombassa is the port city of East Africa and the road is the only one connecting Nairobi to Mombassa. The problem is the ones overseeing the road construction pocket the funding and supplies, workers don’t get paid, and construction remains stagnant. Rural Kenya was so much like what you see on TV, but at the same time very tourist oriented being right along Mombassa road. About half way through our journey we saw about three elephants on the side of the road just walking. Voi was such a small town and everybody really took us in because of our relationship with KJ. We went up in the mountains for a hike and to meet KJ’s African adopted family. Two girls, Lucy and Happiness, were younger than us and Happiness had already had a child. Lucy was in school still and was top of her class, but everybody in her class had failed math – hurting her chances of college. We stayed in Voi for the night, and quickly saw how sad nightlife was. Most everybody in the small bars were just watching the TV (there was the ODM party-nominations for the upcoming Presidential elections going on that day).

The next morning we woke up early and took our matatu to a nearby game reserve where we had a breakfast overlooking a saltlick where a bunch of buffalo where drinking. We didn’t see much more than gazelles and a small little animal that looks like a mini-deer called “dik-dik”. On the way back one of the things I noticed was the police traveling on motorcycles in packs. When I mentioned it the next day in discussion we got in a big talk about the problems with the police system and that if you call the police they would charge you for the gas so that they could come check it out. Also, there is a proposed law that would allow police to collect fines on the site. There is a real problem in Kenya with the law enforcement regarding under-funding and corruption. It has supposedly improved since the current president, but until there is a law-enforcement system the people can have confidence in, there will continue to be huge social problems. Later in the evening we went to see Eric Wainaina perform at Club Afrique, which was awesome. Kim and I got called up on the stage along with two others contribute each a unique dance for everybody to follow. It was a great time.