The Apartment Pool

The apartment complex has a pool!
It has been cloudy and rainy for the last couple of days. Once the sun comes out and warms the water a little, we will succumb to the children and let them go for a swim.

Our Apartment

Off our Balcony (Right)

Off our Balcony (Left)

From these pictures, you can get an idea of the apartment complex in which we live.
For the past 2 days, we have lived in a temporary apartment on the back of the building. Today, like when we first got here, several people showed up to help us move our bags. We walked up a flight of stairs and across the roof (dodging the clothes' lines) to move our bags into our new apartment on the front of the building.

We are finally getting moved in and unpacked. We have a nice view and there are birds everywhere. Today is a good day.

We have arrived in Nairobi

We arrived in Nairobi, Kenya after a v-e-r-y long trip.
....
The trip began on 23 May 2007. Immediately following Honors Day (Last day of school) at the Capitol School, we returned home. After finalizing the packing and stuffing ourselves and 9 articles of luggage in my Prius (4 people, 4 carry-ons, 5 checked bags), we traveled to my parents' house in Fort Payne. My father is taking care of my car while we are out of the country.

About 03:00 the next morning, we awoke, drug the kids out of bed, redistributed some luggage, and raced for Atlanta International Airport to catch our 11:00 flight. We drove way too fast on two lane highways, but we made it without incident and in plenty of time for tearful goodbyes, security screenings, bathroom breaks, and a coffee before boarding.

We boarded the plane without a problem, but after backing out of the gate, nothing happened. The plane had a malfunction and one of the engines would not start. We deplaned and after an hour to replace a part, reboarded the same plane. The flight from Atlanta to Chicago was uneventful after that. Our 5-hour layover in Chicago was cut to three.

The plan was for my brother to drive down from Madison, WI to Chicago and spend our layover with us, as we do not get to see him but once a year (Xmas). With our shortened layover, we tried to spot him as we passed through the terminal, to no avail.

We had to leave the secure area to hop the train to the international terminal, so upon arriving in the proper terminal, we passed back through security into the boarding area before we noticed that all the eating establishments were outside security.

We went back into the main terminal and had a bite to eat. Toni went out for a smoke before we boarded the 8-hour flight to London, and it was she who found my brother, Jon, sitting by a window (reading) while he waited for us. We learned that he had been told that the flight had landed on-time and still he waited for us. We misread the time and spent our time together in the long security line, hoping to make it back through in time for the flight. ARGH! It wasn't until we were back through security and he was gone did we realize that we had another hour we could have spent visiting.

The 8-hour, overnight, flight to London was pretty good. British Airways had recently installed video screens on all the seats in coach, so the boys could select their own entertainment. We had proved on the leg to Chicago that we all could at least nap on a plane, so we arrived in London, having slept some and ready for breakfast at Heathrow.

Three hours in Heathrow. We exchanged some dollars for pounds and whimpered - the exchange rate was $2 to the pound. We got a little food, some coffee, and a couple of drinks, but instead of being asked to pay, we received an apology and best wishes on our journey. We were confused. Anyway, we changed clothes and refreshed ourselves before boarding the 9-hour flight to Nairobi.

We arrived at Jomo Kenyata airport in Nairobi about 22:00 (10:00 pm), local time. After standing in a long line of Methodists on a mission, we were the last to receive our Visas and enter Kenya. We collected our bags, with the help of some friendly airport employees and made it through customs with only a few questions as to why we were here.

Once through customs, our driver was waiting for us. We helped him load the bags into the van and off to the Hotel we went. Near midnight, we arrived at the Jacaranda Hotel. They greeted us with glasses of passion fruit juice. Very refreshing.

In our room at last, Forest really shows what we all feel. The trip was interesting, exciting, and exhausting. Tomorrow, we will travel the 2-3 blocks further to our apartment - our home for the next 5 months.