Arriving in Malindi

The next morning, a group of six other girls and I left for a two hour car ride down the coast to Malindi. This drive was even more eye opening than the one from the Mombasa airport. We passed hut after hut and then, right across the street there would be a concrete building or we would see a car dealership. Again, the unequal wealth distribution was so apparent. The driving is also reckless and relatively dangerous, which helped to make the drive more interesting. We arrived at our home, welcomed by a sign that read '4 star hotel',  and by a closed gate with a guard. When we were showed where we would be living i was taken aback. We had a villa, directly infront of a pool and a two minute walk away from the beach. All together there are 12 of us, American's, some from Ireland, London, and Norway. We walked up to the beach and were greated by 8 or so young, shoeless, dirty boys, smiling and laughing running around and doing flips, putting on a show for us. Dixon, the eldest, knew a little english so we were able to converse and learn some Swahili. They were all very fond of cameras as well so we even got a little photo shoot . As we began to leave though, they began rubbing their stomachs, saying that they were hungry and asking for our help. The fact that I, even a huge group of people, cannot help all that need it is upsetting. The beach though was gorgeous and the fact that I had been standing in the Indian ocean was insane. Being able to travel here was such an incredible opportunity an dI am so excited to go to the hospital tomorrow and to experience Kenyan life.