Hello from Kenya!

I’ve arrived in Kenya safely and could not be happier! Leila (a Flying Kites Executive Director) and I arrived yesterday morning and quickly made our way out of Nairobi to the Flying Kites Children’s Center.

The Children’s Center is located about an hour and a half outside of Nairobi. On the drive out, as I watched the landscape transform from urban sprawl to beautiful and lush hills, I saw firsthand the importance of Flying Kites building its Children’s Center in the countryside.

The setting of the Children’s Center is gorgeous; I entered the gates to explosions of wildflowers and 50 children (the 16 Flying Kites children along with the community children who come in for school) singing me a welcome song.  It was the best hello I’ve ever had.

After school let out for the day, Leila and the kids took me on a hike around the property to give me the lay of the land.  Flying Kites has smoothed the rolling landscape, making a flat area to play as well as a soccer field. They bulldozed an amphitheater into the property which doubles as a theater space for the kids as well as a gathering area for the community to meet.  Beyond this is an orchard of apple and pear trees, and fields filled with vegetables.

Have I arrived in heaven?   Possibly so.  I look forward to getting to know the kids better – they seem so smart, outgoing, and caring.   I constantly found a little hand in mine, someone wanting to show me their school work or their own special spot at the Center.  These are some happy kids, and I want to give them everything they need to thrive.

On Monday, I’m going to Nairobi to get a Blackberry (yes, a BLACKBERRY, my law firm friends), and get my laptop hooked up to the internet properly.  I can’t wait to post some pictures and let everyone see the beautiful spot in which I’ll be living for the next year.