Welcome!

As I'm starting this blog five weeks into my trip, let me fill you in on how this adventure began and the major events thus far.
Let me begin by saying I think this trip was fate.  I know that's a dramatic statement, but looking back, there are so many little variables that fell into place with such purpose that it makes me think I did not end up here by accident.  Through a series of events that I will not bore you with, I ended up not going to the college I had originally planned on attending and so I was left with an unplanned semester off while I applied to the school that should have been my first choice all along.  But applications only take so long, so after my admittance I was left with a good deal of time just waiting for school to start.  It seems a lot of people wish they had nothing to do, but let me tell you, there is no greater curse.  However, it was during this time that I really began to cook and create my own recipes.  I suppose there's always a hidden blessing.
Anyway.  One morning my mom told me she thought I was feeling under appreciated, bored, and headed towards depression.  I had to agree.  Then she asked me if I wanted to go to Africa.  I jumped at the chance, how could I not?  By that evening, with the help of a friend, I knew where I was staying, and I had bought my ticket.  A trip had never come together so quickly in the history of my family.
I arrived in Kenya, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, on December 1st at about 7:30 in the morning.  I was met there by the wonderful Nic (the only other volunteer, also from Northern California) and the equally wonderful Patrick (the Kenyan driver for the home).
After some coffee (yay for Malindi Machiattos!), a brief stop at the house, and hasty introductions, we loaded into the bus and went to the Village Market to spend the day at the water park.  All in all, it was a fun-filled, though rather overwhelming, first day.  I mainly just remember, through my jet lag haze, how kind and loving the kids were to me even though they had only just met me.
My second week here I went to the incredible Maasai Mara.  My time there was full of deep thought and epiphany.  It was there that I first decided, or realized rather, that I was going to stay in Kenya longer than I had originally planned.  And as for the Mara itself, it is truly one of the most incredible places to on earth.  The whole time I was there, I kept thinking "god lives here".  Being in the Mara gives one the same feeling as being in an old cathedral, or monastery.  Beautiful.
Not long after I got back, Nic and I went to Mathare Valley, the second largest slum in all of Africa.  It was an indescribably surreal and intense experience.  The people of Mathare, to tell you the sad truth, are not quite human.  They look like human beings, but when you look into their eyes, there's something missing that is truly disturbing.  I went through an intense emotional cycle there; I went from numb to crying and back again a few times.  What makes the whole experience all the more bizarre is that I couldn't fully describe the emotions I was feeling, and afterwards I couldn't fully remember my time there, like it had all been a chaotic dream.  It was after Mathare that I fully decided to stay and wrote my deferral letter to my college.
I was also lucky enough to cook Christmas Dinner for the house, which was a huge endeavor.  It took at least a week and a half of preparation with spreadsheets and price checking, and one night and two full days of non-stop cooking.  It was immensely satisfying, though extremely exhausting.  I fell asleep as soon as everyone was finished eating.
Now.  In the present tense.  My goal while I'm here is to revise and update the kids' diet.  Currently, it is lacking a lot nutritionally.  I want to create a whole new daily menu for them.  I would like to do this through developing three projects to get the kids more involved in their food and the full process from earth to table.  Those projects are to plant a large edible garden, build a solar dehydrator to preserve the surplus fruits and vegies, and to build a cob oven for the outdoor kitchen that currently only has stove top cooking space.  Wish me luck!