I told so many people that I was thinking about writing a blog that I can’t really get out of writing one. Sunday the 29th I’m scheduled to fly out of Newark Airport and land in Nairobi Monday. Internet access in Kenya should be relatively scare so, at least partially, this blog is an attempt to centralize my communication. I want this blog to represent my thankfulness to all the people who have invested their time and energy into me. While I don’t expect my observations to repay you for all of you help and guidance, maybe they’ll cover the dividends. Through this blog I hope to share what I will learn while abroad in Kenya.
I will leave home around 11 AM on Sunday and get into Nairobi by about 7 PM Monday night with a brief stop in Amsterdam. I’m dreading the long flights because, although I’ve experienced a longer door to door trip (the 48 hour Williamstown to Cochabamba Bolivia saga), I’ve never been on two flights as long as these one after another. I don’t enjoy the act of flying and try my best to forget about it as soon as I’m off the plane. On this trip, however, I don’t want to take flying for granted. I can’t imagine getting to Nairobi by any mode of transportation other than flying. I doubt I would enjoy being cooped up on a boat all the way across the Atlantic and around the Cape of Good Hope. So…thank you planes.
Another quick word on flying—walking onto a plane in one country and walking off of it in another country makes for an awkward cultural transition. Driving allows you to peer through the windows and observe the changing landscape and details. The changes form a narrative which begins at your starting location and finishes at your destination. Nothing feels odd or entirely out of place because the changes flow into each other. When you fly to another country, however, the contrast from your starting location and you destination is huge. All of a sudden people dress, talk and look different. There are new and bizarre smells and new food to taste. This simultaneously makes flying exciting (new adventures) and disconcerting (sharp contrast).
I admit that I’m looking forward to emptying my pockets in Kenya to see which tiny pieces of America came with me.
Before I can fly out I need to finish (start) packing and run a million other tedious errands. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment and ask questions,
I agree with the cultural transition on flights. My first flight to Houston was with all Americans. The flight from Houston to Mexico City was completely different. All of the sudden, everyone dressed and acted completely different. Plus, suddenly everyone spoke nothing but Spanish. I knew there was no turning back from there...
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