Nairobi, Kenya Part 1

Right now, the East African nation of Kenya is experiencing much turmoil
in the aftermath of a very controversial election. To help ease any
trepidation one may feel about visiting the Motherland in the wake of so
many desperate-looking situations, I may be able to help. It was my
first international trip, and it couldn’t have come at a better time –
just about one month after Hurricane Katrina ravished the Gulf Coast and
even less time after Hurricane Rita finished off what Katrina didn’t
have an appetite for in its havoc.

This trip was an opportunity for me to assist my pastor in an outreach,
mission opportunity never undertaken by our church, The Potter’s House
of Dallas. The church took its entire mass choir, a group of business
leaders and medical professionals. The choir would record during two
days of a crusade in Uhuru Park before nearly half a million people from
all parts in and outside the capital, Nairobi. The business leaders from
the church would work with political and business leaders in Nairobi to
generate ideas to boost economic activity in the country, and medical
professionals went into the rural areas outside of Nairobi to evaluate
the immediate medical needs of the area’s citizens.

Flying over “The Big Water,” as some of my relatives call it, was a bit
scary before I even got on the plane. But British Airways
www.britishairways.com was WONDERFUL. They accommodate flights from most
major U.S. cities and fly easily to London’s major airline hubs. Mine
were London Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport. My entire flying time
totaled 20 hours, and I traveled from Dallas-Fort Worth to Gatwick and
then from Heathrow to Nairobi, Kenya. We even had enough time enroute
from one airport to the other to go through some of the rural parts of
London, getting a glimpse of London’s version of an area amusement park.
And talk about green. It’s an emerald paradise even in the morning.
London was a cool delight (the humidity in the aftermath of the
hurricanes had swelled Dallas temperatures to the mid-90s, which felt
like the low 100s). Getting to London in the early morning around 6, we
were greeted with temperatures ranging from 55 to 65 degrees with no
humidity.

We arrived at our hotel sleepy, but well-fed (in flights like this, the
crew feeds you three, good, full-course meals), excited, still a little
scared, but happy to be in a place where we genuinely felt at home and
were welcomed with even more acceptance than could ever be imagined in
the U.S. And talk about a nice place to stay. Our week in Nairobi was
highlighted by our stay at the Grand Regency Hotel,
www.grandregency.co.ke/. The hotel takes away any preconceived notion of
Third World, which most people tend to think of when there is any
mention of Africa. The staff looks just like you and goes out of its way
to make sure you are accommodated to the utmost of their abilities.
Also, here a U.S. dollar goes a long way. Many of the hotel staffers
work in multiple capacities to make more money, so out of good foreign
traveler etiquette, leave at least $1 as a tip for the hard-working
staff and make sure you take time to make eye contact and speak clearly
to the staff so that all of your needs are met. They will definitely
make sure you are well taken care of since you are, at last, home.