Good morning! I woke up two hours before we land in Amsterdam; The rest of the flight went very smoothly and it feels good to be one stop closer to home! Following our arrival we had a very smooth trip through security and had to say goodbye to Dr. BA… I think I speak for everyone when I say how thankful we are to have been lead by her on this journey. She radiates wisdom and joy which provided the most ideal environment for this experience. The University of Minnesota will truly miss her, but we are so proud of her for this new chapter of her life.
The sad goodbye was followed by some European Mcdonald’s which hit the spot for me at least! Some of us also headed to grab some coffee and later made our way to some sparkling orange juice (lol).
Finally it was time to board (for most of us) our final flight. During the flight I watched Breaking Bad and looked back at photos & reflected upon the last these weeks that we spent in the most beautiful place with the best people. I can’t believe our time in Kenya has ended and I am just filled with so much joy thinking about this experience. I will never forget Kenya or the people who made it such a touching journey. I have seen so much self growth, gained stronger passion, and met many new wonderful friends.
Following the 8 and a half hour flight we finally arrived in Minneapolis but unfortunately had to say goodbye to each other. We will all share the most special bond forever, and I am so proud to know you all.
This morning we woke up and headed to breakfast. A group of us got to eat breakfast with Joseph, he gave Brett a pep talk on how to stay calm with the timing of our flights today; We caught up with Joseph about our time in Mombasa and showed him a few funny videos.
After breakfast a few of us had to practice our fluidity once again and move into new rooms. Our new rooms were either getting cleaned, half cleaned or so far from clean….. After this hint of chaos we boarded the bus to head to Karura Forest.
We arrived and as we found a place sit, Emma looked into Dr BA’s hands to see a grasshopper and the grasshopper decided to pounce at her which caused Emma to jump and land on the ground.
Then we began our debrief conversation in which we shared our struggles, joys, highs and lows. Below are a few quotes from the debrief (said by Venna).
“privilege is not a mistake but it is important to realize that once you have any type of privilege it just means you have the power to extend a hand to someone else… privilege is a call for kindness not judgement”
“The things you think are impossible are just in your mind”
After the debrief we embarked on a very muddy walk / hike and continued some conversation. During this walk it began to sink in, for me at least, that this was our final day all together in Kenya.
Once we arrived back at Methodist we were able to eat a delicious lunch and then most students went to the Market for a final time; Haley, Brett, and I stayed at the hotel and went to the pool! Once everyone was back we all got ready for dinner and packed up to head to dinner and then to the airport.
Our bus ride to dinner was filled with a few sentimental moments and a lot of music. I will miss moments like this so much!
We arrived at dinner and enjoyed so much delicious Indian food. Following dinner we said goodbye to Khalif and Prof. and were able to thank them for this experience.
Now it was time for the final bus ride on the Jojo mobile with our Kenyan staff. Once again the ride was filled with music and so much gratitude for the people around us and the journey we just experienced.
As we arrived at the airport there was some anxiety surrounding our timing and just the chaos of the Nairobi airport; on top of this it was unfortunately time to say goodbye to Joseph, Ones, Stephen, and Venna. These people were our rocks this month and we have grown close to them and their supportive and comedic personalities. These goodbyes were not easy but we are all so lucky to have crossed paths with each of these incredible humans.
Airport security was hectic as usual however we all made it to the gate on time and boarded for our first flight of a trip home. The flight has been smooth and should take little over 8 hours. We will wake up in Amsterdam tomorrow!
From the youth we empowered to our Kenyan staff and fellow students / Dr. BA, it became so clear that it really is all about the people you’re on the journey with.
Our beautiful Venna in her Minnesota hat before our hike.
Dear gentle readers (the ones who get it, get it) and hello everyone!
My name is Betsy and I am writing the blog for our 2nd to last day in Kenya! It is surreal to think the time has gone by so incredibly fast and that tomorrow is our last day in this beautiful country.
We all had an early start this morning especially those of us who decided to watch the sunrise over the Indian Ocean for the last time. I apologize this is the 3rd post in a row the sunrise has been mentioned but I just had to speak on how pretty she is in all of her glory. We enjoyed our last buffet breakfast at travelers beach hotel (I am really going to miss those pancakes) and then loaded up the bus for our excursion today with all of our luggage to head straight to the airport later. Shoutout to our bus drivers McDonald and Brian for packing up all of our things on the roof.
The gorgeous sunrise this morning
McDonald and Brian working hard for our luggage
After our long sleepy bus ride and a little hike we arrived at Rabai Cultural Village. There we learned about how the village works to preserve traditional African culture and gave us a little window into the ways they do that.
When we first arrived we were greeted with cultural clothing to put on along with some coconuts.
The cultural clothing we got to wear!
Emma and I enjoying our coconut water
We then got to see their nursery which has multiple different kinds of medicinal indigenous trees. We leaned that once the trees are mature they either plant them in their own land, give them to the community or sell them. The village also had a farm which we did not go into for good reason. Our guide explained to us how the farm has multiple bee hives which are their form of security that prevent people from obtaining medicine from the farm without consent. We also learned more about the traditional marriage customs and rituals along with traditional medicine practices. We also got to watch a fortune telling demonstration which informs individuals of their challenges and how to go about solving them. We also put our strength to work when we got the chance to pound maize with large sticks in a barrel to break off the husk. Then we learned how to sift the maize to separate it from the husk and were shown how the maize goes into the grinder to make flour. This flour is used to make ugali. During our time at Rabai cultural village we also partook in multiple dances which was very fun but I fear our dance moves were not exactly up to par.
Making maize flour
After our visit at the village and our hike back to the bus we enjoyed our field trip type lunch made by the lovely Venna. We ate our lunch on the way to the airport, thinking we had plenty of time before our flight. However, little did we know that our flight time had changed yet again (for the 4th time) and we indeed did not have much time at all. This lead to an extremely rushed experience checking our bags and going through security at the airport. Thankfully the plane was held for us and we all made it but unfortunately we were very unprepared for how warm our flight would be. I think it is safe to say that we were all extremely happy to land and get out of the airport into the cool breeze. Much to our enjoyment Joseph and Ones were ready to pick us up and we were so happy to be reunited with them. They drove us and our luggage through tremendous traffic to Methodist Resort for our last night here in Kenya (tears).
Alex exhausted after our 45 minute flight
When we arrived we enjoyed an amazing dinner which included some of the best watermelon and pineapple ever. I am surely going to miss all of the fresh fruits that Kenya has to offer. Once we went back to our rooms we got ready for our adventures tomorrow along with the lovely travel day ahead of us.
Thank you for reading my post and I am excited to say that we will be home so soon! 🙂
Hello to my friends and family back home and see you soon! ❤️
Hi everyone, this is Miranda! I can not believe that the trip is almost over! It has really flown past and yet it feels like I’ve spent a lifetime in Kenya. We were able to have a slower start today because our only activity (Glad’s House) wasn’t until the afternoon. A lot of people used the free morning to sleep in which was dearly needed. However, a few of us (including myself) got up at 6:00am to watch the sunrise. That might come to a shock to those who know me because they know I’m never up that early, but I figured “When in Kenya”. It was so worth it because the view of the sun coming up from behind the ocean was breathtaking. But believe me once I get home the early mornings are going to have to stop.
Sunrise on the beach at 6:20am
This morning was a nice change of pace because we have been so busy. Many of us chose to spend our free morning by the pool as this was our only opportunity. We went down to the pool after breakfast expecting sunshine, but unfortunately it was cloudy and a bit rainy. That did not stop us though! We were very determined to get full use out of the pool. This included swimming during the rain!
Swimming in the rain!
We had a late lunch that was delivered to the hotel via Vienna and Stephen (our Kenyan guides). And of course the sun decided to come out as soon as we were about to leave for Glad’s House. Truly a tragedy.
Our second visit to Glad’s House was full of activities. We were split into groups to complete different tasks. One group helped the younger kids make educational posters for the library. Another group helped the older kids with their homework and the last group helped a group of boys put together a power point presentation for a stakeholders meeting. Personally, I helped make a poster for their library and had a blast getting to know the children I was working with. Our poster was the numbers 1 to 30. We wrote them in Swahili and English. It was definitely a fun Swahili lesson for me! The kids and the teachers at Glad’s House were so welcoming and full of enthusiasm. It was nice to be able to get to talk to them because we did not get much of a chance to yesterday. The visit concluded with a dance lesson taught by Vienna! I am not the best dancer, but I really tried my best! I fear the boy in front of me was so good that he stole all of my thunder! Overall our trip to Glad’s house is one I am sure none of us will forget!
Numbers poster for the library
Tomorrow will be a busy day for us as we travel back to Nairobi and visit more organizations. I don’t think I am ready for my time in Kenya to be over, but I am missing home too.
Hi everyone! I don’t think anyone else has introduced themselves on their blog days, so this will be a little different. I am Braydon, I graduated from the School of Kinesiology earlier this month and will be applying to medical school in a couple of days. Like many other people on this trip, I have been an athlete my whole life and was very interested in exploring sports in Kenya.
I think I speak for everyone when I say that these last few weeks have been incredible. Many of the experiences we have had are once-in-a-lifetime. There have been countless moments during this trip that I have stopped to think that there are very few people who will get to experience what we have. It is sad to think that we only have two more days in Kenya, but all good things must come to an end.
Today was a slow start for most of the group after a long travel day yesterday. We have really been racking up the hours on the bus. A couple of us did get up in time to catch the sunrise over the Indian Ocean, another one of those experiences that I am sure I will not forget. And yes, I did include a picture below. The resort we are staying at is fantastic. Right on the beach, all-you-can-eat buffet for breakfast and dinner, big pools, nice rooms, and a waterfront bar (just for water, of course). It may be our first day here but I am not looking forward to leaving Mombasa later this week. As I said, the meals here at the resort are very nice, and breakfast today was no exception. Having tons of options and being able to choose our own portion sizes was really nice.
Today’s morning activity was a boat trip out to the Marine National Park, a very welcome change of pace from the types of excursions we’ve been on for the rest of the trip. Some of us were a little late getting to the meeting point, I think we may be getting too comfortable with “Kenyan time” (aka being late). The first location on the boat ride was a coral formation. Our boat had a glass bottom, so we got to watch the fish feed and a couple of us got to swim under the boat. Seeing all of the fish and the coral was incredible. We enjoyed jumping off of the top of our boat, which many of you will probably see videos of very soon. It was one of our local guides, Steve, first few times swimming in the ocean, so he was extra safe with two life jackets on. Interesting strategy! The second location on the boat ride was a sand bank about a kilometer off the shore of Mombasa. This was a cool spot where we could stand or sit on a little bit of sand in the middle of the ocean. Among the activities here were racing, exfoliation with sand, building sandcastles, and relaxing, naturally.
After lunch at Domino’s (taste of home?), we visited Glad’s House, an organization that supports street children here in Mombasa. Their complex was very impressive and they recently added another floor to add to their capacity for service. At Glad’s House, street kids get the chance to eat, study, and play sports. We got a tour of the building and a retelling of the story of the organization by Fred, the guy who runs the place. Given that we are here for a class about sports, we ended up getting a look at the boxing club and the volleyball court that the organization uses. Our team did pretty well against the locals but didn’t manage to win a single game. We were competitive, though, I swear. And we attracted a fairly large audience, including a couple of enthusiastic “spectators”. The location looked like something out of a movie, especially where the boxing ring was. A couple students practiced on the pads, and our Box Girls visit is already paying off.
We made our way back to the hotel and enjoyed another excellent dinner. Nights on the ocean are spectacular.
Love you, Mom!
Sunrise on the Indian Ocean
Family picture at the Marine National Park sandbank
Hi everyone!! My name is Alex 🙂 We left RunIX this morning which was a bittersweet departure since we enjoyed our stay there so much. As we were leaving, they handed us a box of to-go lunches for the road since it would be a long day for us. These boxes contained a variety of sandwiches and fruit.
Betsy, Brooklyn, and I said goodbye to our adorable little house at RunIX which was named in honor of Bob Tahri, a famous runner.
Before heading to the airport for our next adventure, we had a quick stop at 42 House Kiprun. The property was absolutely stunning and had gorgeous flowers and views all around. They are sponsored by Decathlon which is the biggest sporting goods company in the world. We learned that Decathlon gains marketing/advertisement from the sponsorship, but does not actually gain any money from winners. Kiprun stands for “Keep on Running” and currently houses 12 athletes, although capacity is a bit bigger. After a lovely conversation with some of the athletes, we RACED to the airport (a HUGE thank you to Joseph who drove like the wind to get us to our flight on time). We made it through security and all checked our bags just in the knick of time. We had a short flight that landed to drop off some of the passengers in Kisumu before heading to our final destination: Mombasa!
Kiprun property
The moment we got off the plane, we all seemed to relax with the warm air, sunny skies, and cool breeze. We grabbed our bags and loaded up the bus (luggage strapped to the roof). We had an easy drive and a quick grocery store stop before arriving at our beautiful hotel. We checked in as quickly as possible, got our bathing suits on, and ran to the beach. Being able to submerge ourselves into the water for the first time was the best feeling ever. This was also the first time in the Indian Ocean for all of us! We had a blast swimming around, soaking in the scenery, and taking some cute pictures. We then got changed and ready for dinner which was set up as a buffet. The food was really good and there were lots of options to choose from. There was chicken, beef, fish, pasta, rice, naan, and more. There were also fruit and dessert options. After dinner, we had some fun around the resort and continued to bond as a group! I think we are all very tired after a day of travel, but looking forward to our first full day of activities in Mombasa!
Arrival at the Mombasa airport
Beach time!!!!
(Hugs and kisses to my friends and family at home!! Love and miss y’all very much and I’ll be home soon ❤️ )
Hello everyone! This morning was the second meeting of the newly formed run club, with the inaugural meeting being yesterday. Staying at RunIX, and in combination with being in Iten, there are a lot of runners out in the morning! Many of the runners are wearing sponsored gear, but you can tell that they are professionals based on how fast they are running! I personally am going to blame my slower pace on the altitude (8,000ft!), but today was easier than yesterday. The scenery is beautiful, and it is the perfect way to start the day. As someone who loves to run and follows professional running, this leg of the trip in Iten and Eldoret has been very exciting!
Run club views
We did not have to leave until 10:00 am today and many of us enjoyed a slower morning. Our drive to the organization we visited today, 21 Sports Academy, was short. We picked up some of the kids and drove to the track where we would get to run with them. When we got to the track professional runners were already there doing their workout. It is certainly the most scenic track I have ever run on! 21 Sports Academy was founded by the same man who founded the Shoes4Africa Children’s Hospital we visited yesterday, Toby Tanser. 21 Sports Academy allows children who may not have access to sports after school the chance to run and have a meal. We warmed up by running a couple laps and then doing some stretches. We then started relays. There were 2x200m, 4×400, and 4x100m relays. The athletes at 21 Sports Academy are very talented and won every race! It was so exciting to meet them and to meet other young people who like to run.
On our way to the track
The beautiful track!!
After our visit we came back to eat lunch and get ready for our hike to a waterfall. This is something that I have been excited about the whole trip! We were told little about the hike going in other than that it is long and can be challenging. The hike started with an incline and stayed that way for some time, and then all of a sudden we were at the waterfall. Some of us decided to go down to get closer to it, and this turned out to be a treacherous endeavor!! It was very steep going down and also very muddy. (As a side note to my dad- imagine the way down our hike in Bozeman but muddy!). Our guide said that people have been putting down ropes to make it safer, but no such ropes were found today. Nevertheless, we made it down and it was so worth it! The way back up was also hard, but we made it and continued on for a while longer. Our hike in total was about 2.5 hours, and was one of my favorite things we have done so far! After our hike we came back and ate dinner. We will all sleep well tonight!
The waterfall
Today was my kind of day, but I do feel as though morning run club tomorrow may have to be a walk club !!
Hello everyone! It’s crazy that we only have one week left in Kenya! We have made so many memories and our time here has impacted all of us in many ways. Starting off today, we ate breakfast and headed out to our first visit which was at Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital. When we first arrived, we were greeted by Toby Tanser who built the hospital. Tony began to share with us how he first ended up in Africa, his interest in running, donating shoes, and even shared a few crazy moments from his first few months spent in Africa. After this, Tony brought us into the hospital, and we each got to pick a sport/activity to engage with the children. We got the opportunity to play soccer, basketball, dance, and even jump on a trampoline! After this, we split into small groups and created an art canvas with the children. It was so amazing to share this experience with the children and staff at this hospital :). After this, we went to Dr Karani Magutahs house, where he hosted us for lunch! His whole family was so welcoming and we had a long conversation about his research, educational background, and more! We then got the chance to go around his house and we all played basketball. Watching each of us shoot some hoops was fun, and even our staff members joined in! On our drive home from Eldoret, we listened to a ton of fun songs and all sang along! It was so fun and we all enjoyed ourselves and our wonderful voices 🙂 Looking forward to another amazing day tomorrow!
Today we had an early start to our morning with a 6:00am wake up, we set out to Rimoi National Park, hoping to see some elephants. The drive itself turned out to be quite an adventure. The road was full of dips and turns, making the journey thrilling and picturesque. We even had to cross a few flooded roads, which added to the excitement. However, as the journey progressed, the road conditions began to deteriorate. The terrain became increasingly challenging for our bus, and despite our best efforts, we ultimately could not make it to Rimoi National Park. It was a disappointing turn of events, but our spirits remained high. Since we couldn’t reach the park, we decided to make the most of our day by stopping at a gorge. Here, we were treated to a spectacular sight: locals performing daring cliff dives into the river below. Their skill and bravery were impressive, and we watched in awe as they plunged into the 15 meter water from 30-45 meters up. However, the sight was also a bit concerning because the walls of the cliffs were very narrow. Less than 100 feet away from where they were diving, we spotted a crocodile sunbathing. The juxtaposition of the thrilling dives and the lurking danger added an element of tension to the experience. Despite this, it was a memorable stop on our journey.
Our next stop was for a rest break and lunch at Kerio View Restaurant and Hotel. The restaurant had a beautiful view of the Rift Valley. We then took a break for lunch at the Kerio View Restaurant and Hotel. The rest break provided a much-needed respite, and we enjoyed a leisurely meal while taking in the stunning views of the Rift Valley from the restaurant. After lunch, our adventure continued as we headed to a local primary school called Chepkogin Primary School. Here, we had the opportunity to interact with the students, who were full of energy and curiosity. We played games with them, which was a heartwarming experience that allowed us to connect with the local community on a personal level. The children’s enthusiasm was infectious, and it made the visit truly special. After the games we were able to sit down with the students and staff and have a short discussion about the school and one of the students was brave enough to stand up and express their grattitude and enjoyment with our visit, which many of us found touching and sentimental. Following our visit to the school, we decided to take a different path back to the bus. This route turned out to be quite challenging, as it involved a 10-minute hike straight up a cliff. The hike tested our endurance, but the sense of achievement once we reached the top was rewarding.
Our next stop was St. Patrick’s High School, an all-boys national boarding school renowned for its academic excellence and track and field accomplishments. The school holds a prestigious reputation, and visiting it was an inspiring experience. At the camp, we had the privilege of speaking with Colm O’Connell, a world-renowned running coach who has been with the school since 1976. Colm described it aptly: “if Iten is the home of champions, St. Patrick’s is the kitchen… the most important.” Colm shared with us the rich history of the school and his personal journey into the world of coaching. Listening to his stories and insights was both enlightening and motivating. His passion for running and dedication to nurturing young talent left a lasting impression on all of us. The conversation with Colm O’Connell was a fitting end to our day, encapsulating the spirit of excellence and perseverance that characterized our entire trip.
Lastly, after a 12 hour long day we made our way back to the camp where we enjoyed a delicious meal of chicken, homemade chapati and a vegetable medley. The dinner was quick, which we greatly appreciated considering the long day we had. Everyone then headed back to their cabins to get a good rest and prepare for another long exciting day tomorrow!
Jambo! Today we got to sleep in a little bit more than some past days so that was nice. Bently and I got ready for the day and had to say goodbye to our host mom, Catherine. We were so lucky that she opened up our home to us, informed us of Kenyan culture, and introduced us to her favorite dating shows too 🙂 Then we were picked up by bus and headed to Nairobi Airport to fly to Eldoret.
We went through security smoothly at the airport and grabbed a bite at Paul’s Cafe, their iced lattes were delicious. Eventually, it was time to get on the plane. We took JamboJet for our flight to Eldoret, and the plane was pink! It’s something not seen that often so I thought it was cool. The flight was only ~50 minutes, which is MUCH shorter than the recent flights we have been used to. The views were pretty as we descended into Eldoret. It was raining once we had gotten our luggage so we quickly got to the bus and reunited with Joseph and Honest again! I am so greatful that they took the time to drive our suitcases overnight so that we had less luggage to carry today. From the airport, we stopped at the supermarket to grab water jugs & snacks and continued our journey to RUN’IX Training Camp. Once we had arrived, we met the staff and got a quick tour of the beautiful grounds and ate a quick snack.
Once we finished our snack, we headed out to Sing’ore High School, which is a boarding school in Iten. When we arrived there were many students playing a variety of sports such as futbol (soccer), netball (like basketball), volleyball, running, rugby, tennis, and field hockey. It was so neat to see all the sports being able to practice and flourish at the same time. Some of us ran a few laps with the long distance runners, and realized that the altitude really does make a difference. All of us split into the different sports of soccer, volleyball, rugby, and tennis. This way we each got to enjoy a taste of our favorite sports. We then took the time to get to know some of the runners. In my group, we talked about what events they run, their favorite classes, and our favorite things about Kenya so far. The grounds at the school are kept incredibly neat, and the Principal of the school even told us that they had planted 1,500 trees that day! The Principal even told us about getting her students involved with planting trees and the environment, as deforestation is one of the major events happening in Kenya.
Once we wrapped up at Sing’ore we headed back to RUN’IX. By this time we had picked out the cottage that we will be staying in during our time here. Each of the cottages is named after famous runners. Ours is named Levy Matebo, a famous Kenyan marathoner whose fastest marathon time is 2:05:16. He also was runner up in the 2012 Boston Marathon!
We walked around the grounds a bit to see the others’ cottages, and then it was time to head into the dining room for dinner. This meal consisted of pumpkin soup as an appetizer, chicken, ugali and rice for the main course, and cake for dessert. This meal was delicious! Maddie, Haley, Bently, and I then all headed back to Levy to wash up and prepare for our day tomorrow 🙂
