Traveling to Kenya

After spending six and a half hours sitting in a window seat, crammed against the wall hoping to avoid touching the somewhat large, smelly man sitting beside me at all costs, I was very much looking forward to my next flight from London to Nairobi in which I was lucky enough to have a premium economy seat, not quite first class but definitely a step above the mediocre, crowded back of the plane. With this special ticket I had the privilege of skipping the entire boarding check-in line, which in itself was a special asset. I handed my ticket and passport to the travel clerk, the machine beeped when my ticket was scanned and said that an error had occurred. Rather than telling me that I had the wrong ticket or that there was no more space on the plane, the clerk informed me that my seat had been changed. I was no longer 23C but instead 7K. I had been upgraded to upper class. All the way in the front of the plane, lit with an array of colored lights and everything adorned with purple leather, I was in a traveler’s heaven. I had my own cubicle which was in its own row and was equipped with a personal TV, cushioned headphones, pajamas, a blanket and pillow, socks, a toothbrush, toothpaste, eye goggles, ear plugs and one of the more special things, a menu of a plethora of items that can be cooked by our own, personal chef. Not only was I immediately offered a drink as I boarded but I was also given a tutorial on the many gadgets I could take advantage of. Of course I had a choice of over 100 movies, plenty of TV shows, video games and music, all of which I could access on the TV which could conveniently be popped out of the cubicle wall and placed directly in front of my for my preferred viewing. There were buttons on the left side of the same cubicle that worked to recline the large, extraordinarily comfortable chair and another which electronically pulled a table out of the opposite wall. This table would later be set by the stewardess for all meals, tablecloth and all. The third button was one that turned my chair into a bet that I was ensured, the stewardess will make for me, sheets, blankets and pillows included. I think that it is safe for me to say that I have never had a more comfortable, enjoyable flight and was most definitely treated like royalty, which helped me enter Kenya on a more than fantastic note. Even from the air, as we began our descent I could tell that I was landing on a different continent. The land was barren and the trees were sparse. Those that did exist were not lush, nor were they green. The Nairobi airport is mainly outdoors, full of duty free shops stuffed to the brim with a variety of African trinkets, jewelry, alcohol, and of course, perfume. As I was walking to the domestic departure gate, after waiting for 45 minutes to get a visa and collecting my luggage, I experienced my first hackling. I was approached by a man who continuously ensured me he was an airport employee. He insisted that since I had 2.5 hours to kill, that I go get coffee and hang out a the airport restaurant. I allowed him to escort me, only because I was surrounded by other travelers and could clearly see where we were headed. This ‘restaurant’ was actually called “the pub’ where I was greeted by at least 15 males drinking and smoking, even at 8am. Not my ideal coffee joint, but interesting nonetheless. I found myself a nice table in the corner, ordered a cup of coffee and began to take in my surroundings. This is when the same man who took me to the restaurant came back, asking for a tip. I reluctantly handed him 100 shillings (the equivalent of 1.20 USD) With this he was not happy and began to preach about his family. I stuck my ground though, went back to my coffee and held onto my bags, a little bit more tightly than necessary. At this point he walked away and I busied myself by people watching, waiting for the caffeine to kick in. Mid-though, an American college student approached my table and sat down. He informed me that the community service program he was supposed to participate in never picked him up from the airport. Stranded, he had no idea what to do. A Muslim woman had noticed him, looking very lost outside and offered him her cell phone but he was unable to come into contact with any of the program leaders. She then informed him that she had seen an American girl (referring to me) walk into “The Pub’ about ten minutes ago, thus, how he found me. I obviously was unable to provide much help to him, but conversation definitely did help the few hours go by more quickly. His plan at the end of our conversation was to go to airport security and see if they could help in any way and then plan from there. He definitely did not want to go home but feared that if he called his parents (he had not yet informed them of this relatively large mishap) they would force him to go home. I guess I will never know what he decided to do, but hopefully he will get to explore the country, at least Nairobi and do some of the things that I am so excited to do. As I type this, I am waiting for my flight to Mombasa. All of the planes are incredibly small and it is necessary for you to walk outside to the plane and enter using its stairs. There do not seem to be very many foreigners at my gate, which makes the experience seem even more authentic. I am so excited but also a little apprehensive about finally getting there and meeting the people that I will be living with for the next month. Hopefully I will have good luck and be met by the Elective Airport van upon arrival in Mombasa.