Hello Kenya!

I said my goodbyes to my new friends of Bangkok and received gifts of food, chocolates, pocky (my favorite snack) and notes of encouragement... Then off to a new land. The travels went nicely. My only scare came when I was sleeping at my terminal in Mumbai, India waiting for the boarding of my flight into Nairobi. I slept two straight hours contorted over arm rests on a row of seats. I woke up as the last few people boarded the Nairobi flight. I grabbed my things and shufled quickly to the attendant. Crisis averted. The plane was huge and there were not many passangers, so I stretched out and slept the whole way to Africa.

I did have more trouble than expected with immigration, but I guess there are some true perks to working with nuns! I got a three month tourist visa after sister linda spoke with the previously unwilling officer over the phone. I wil go to immigration on monday to convert the visa to a one year work permit. Sister Linda and her trusty driver John have been quite the hosts! They set me up with a rom in the Catholic Hostel - which is available to tourists like any hostel, but it is on the grounds of the Nairobi convent and its profits go to support the catholic missions of Kenya. Sister Linda brought me into the convent for a breakfast of toast and delicious Kenyan coffee! Ah, finally! I met lots of sweet, really funny nuns. We traveled to the nursing council and successfully secured my Kenyan nursing license. I feel so exotic! Yes, I hold nursing licenses in Alabama and... Kenya! (dear Chelsey... isn't that cool?!)

Sister Linda has informed me that I wil have my own apartment and will be living in community with the professors at Wamba's nursing school. They are all kenyan and have families with children! She says they helped her set up my apartment and are really excited to be living near an American:) They want to teach me Swahili and how to cook Kenyan food... I'm so lucky! I will work 7 hour shifts, 6 days a week most likely on the regular medical/surgical floor. They say wamba is beautiful. Sister Linda has told me there is a mountain in sights and beacause it's been so dry, they've already had to shoo elephants away from the cultivated compound three times in the past season. She says there's a wildlife park nearby too!

My contact will be quite different from now on. I will no longer have internet access. I will have a phone - so in case of an emergancy I can have contact with the states. But my main communication will be letters. My new address is:

Skye Chambless c/o Wamba Nursing Training
P.O. Box 49
20603 Wamba
Kenya

With much love and hope and excitement!
Skye