10 days to go

In ten days I will be getting on a (long) flight to Heathrow and then Nairobi to begin my study abroad adventure granted Europe shovels all that snow and Long Beach isn't flooded with all this rain.  I have known for over a year now that I wanted to go to Nairobi and I have known all semester that I would be going but it is only recently that it has hit me that I am going most likely because it is only recently that I have gotten all of the shots, pills, and suitcases.  For 18 years I lived in the same house on the same street with pretty much the same neighbors going to school with the same people.  Going to American was a big step and since then I have bounced back and forth between Washington D.C. and Lakewood but going to Nairobi is taking that next huge step.  There are so many differences between West Coast and East Coast culture and living- my list has become endless as I have navigated between the two and begun to somewhat assimilate into East Coast living but I knew what to expect in going to Washington D.C.  Going to Nairobi is something completely foreign as I am beginning to find out and I have no idea what to expect.

Simply in packing-
     I have been at a complete loss as to what to pack.  We were told earlier in the semester to stick to skirts and dresses and avoid showing shoulders but finding skirts and dresses that go past your knees in Southern California is not exactly the easiest thing to do.  Luckily, other people have affirmed that jeans are indeed acceptable except for when we have our rural home stay so I no longer need to throw out the majority of my clothes; however, showing shoulders is still unacceptable as well as as showing skin above the knee (apparently the thigh is the most sexual part of the body in Kenya). And the list goes on and on and on and on...


In general-
   Living in Nairobi is going to be completely different from living in NW Washington D.C. and I'm not sure how easily it will be to adjust to that.  My trends in what to pack and what is important for the next four months differ drastically than my strategy for packing for my first semester of college.  I worry that in the things I wear or what I bring, I will stand out as an American, but I think I need to not worry so much about not trying to be American/Western.  It is blatantly obvious that I am American between my pale skin, blue eyes, blond hair, and specific Californian diction.  I couldn't change that in the next 10 days even if I wanted to.  It's all about being open to new experiences and not assuming that I am superior just because I am from American (because I am not).  My goal for the semester is to speak Swahili/Sheng as often as possible and be open to all of the new experiences...