Fast Simple Amsterdam Layover

On my way to Kenya I stopped in Amsterdam. My layover was 12 hours long and I was determined to make the most out of it. I have never been to Europe so you can imagine how excited I was, I was also really tired after a 10 hour flight.

I left the airport and hopped on the local train to Central Station. This costs 9.5 Euros round trip and takes about 20 mins. After leaving central terminal I looked around for a canal cruise company, I found many just outside central station. I chose Lovers Tour Company which was the cheapest I found at 19 euros for a hop-on-hop-off boat tour.

I walked to the boarding dock and started off on the canal cruise. They have headphones and a recorded audio tour as you float down the canals in 19 different languages. You can hop-off and on at various locations. The next boat is only 15 minutes away. 

I walked the narrow streets, eating and drinking anywhere I felt. I had traditional croquettes along the canals.

Unfortunately during the day the Red-light District is dead and the Ann Frank House has a huge line. I hope to go again to experience the night life of Amsterdam. It was a long and exhausting day walking the streets of Amsterdam. I was exhausted as I boarded the plane to Nairobi. 

Welcome to Kenya

As I am writitng this blog I am siting in my new home for the next year without any power. Its been the second time since I arrived in Eldoret that the power has gone off, the first time was the minute I walked into the house.

I arrived in Kenya on Thursday morning from Amsterdam. I spent the day at the airport waiting to board my next flight. In the mean time I bought a Safaricom sim card. It was 250 KES ($2.70) for the card and 2000 KES ($21) for data and talk that should last me a couple months (as long as I am not instagraming constantly). Once arriving in Eldoret after 3 days of flying I was exhaused, but when does that stop me. 

After leaving my bags in my dark room without power we headed off to Mama Mias a local favorite among the Indiana University research team. I met the team in Kenya that I will be woking with for the next year. After a couple Pilsner beers from Kenya I headed home to sleep.

The next day I was taken on a tour of the Eldoret AMPATH Clinic and Moi University Teaching and Referal Hospital by the research director Micheal. I will be working out of these two placd most of the time and will be traveling to more rural clinics around the area. Micheal and I ate lunch at the hopital cafeteria called Cool Stream where I feasted on a mountain of bean stew, rice, chipati and cabbage for 100 KES ($1) under a small thatched roof bugalo sourrounded by tall grass and small farms. 

After a satisfying lunch we headed to a small research presentation with the kenyan research assistants that I will be working with the following year. That evening we were celebrating Micheals going away so we all met up at Mama Mias for pizza, beer and drining games wich required paticipants to name countries with the same begining letter. 

We then headed out to a local club named "4 one one" where we dance our hearts out to Afrian beats.  We ate a 4am snack at the kenyan equivalent of KFC. Today I woke up headed out to buy fabric for our Pocket Square Project that helps fund support groups for children with HIV/AIDS. (thepocketsquareproject.org) 

I then headed to the market to buy some food for the next couple of days. I went to Nakumatt that is kinda like Walmart because it sells everything from furniture to produce. 

After going to the market I went over to the hospital with Micheal to visit one of our HIV kids who is really sick in the hospital. Micheal brought her some food and I gave her a small cow keychain I brought from America. She was very weak and tired and waiting for dialysis due to HIV kidney injury. She has been on the waitlist for dialysis for over a week and tonight she is finally getting the chance to have dialysis. Next step Micheal says is to find her a kidney and money for a transplant. After I gave her a short back rub and talked to her mother I walked home thinking about her as I walked down the muddy dirt roads back to my small house without power. 

This next year will be full of stories like hers. I hope that you continue reading and I hope that the stories I bring you will help inspire people to give back to their community and volunteer to make the world a beter place.