Twenty-four hours after gathering in Heathrow airport with huge amounts of both kit and excitement, the six of us are now settling down for our first night in Kenya. As journeys go, today’s was smooth. In fact, Kenya Airways even treated us to a sauna at 39,000 feet in an attempt to prepare us for the Sub-Saharan climate. It was therefore disappointing to be greeted by mild, drizzly and altogether British conditions upon arrival in Nairobi.
Cloud covered Kenya. Win the toss and bowl?
We were greeted at the airport by ‘Ice Man’ who will be accompanying us throughout the trip in his role as guide, bus driver and friend of Cricket Without Boundaries. After letting Ice Man deal with a flock of baggage handlers in the hunt for our Kenyan Shillings we headed off along the road to Kericho, picking up George, a local cricketer and CWB regular, in Nakuru. The three returning CWB volunteers, Colette, Leigh and Sam, were all delighted to catch up with George and Ice Man so the reunions acted as a great start to the trip.
The stress of twelve bags got the better of Sam at Nairobi airport.
The real work begins tomorrow with a coach education session at the local teacher training college followed by our first school visit in the afternoon. This is all impeccably timed, coinciding with the day Kenyan teachers have called-off a five week strike over pay. Despite being trained to adapt to all situations, it is nevertheless reassuring to have some schools open for us to coach in!
Did they hear we were on our way?
Keep an eye on this blog over the next two weeks as we update it with stories, photos and videos as the Autumn CWB Kenya 2015 trip continues.
– Max