Nov. 23rd, 2013: Spicy, and extra crunchy

Approximately an hour & a half into my first day in Nairobi, I arrived to the guest house I was renting in the morning around 10am. I had arrived the previous night from Kilimanjaro after an amazing 9-day safari with my "husboyfriend" which was magical and a stark contrast to the crappy hotel we stayed in in Nairobi, where we slept for a few hours before he took off back to LA and I set off for my time working with Jacaranda Creations. It was a tearful goodbye at 2am as he left me in a dank, machine-gun protected hotel room. Thankfully the driver (arranged by the safari company) hired to pick us up and take us back to the airport, Mike, was a dear soul and I immediately trusted him. He became a friend during my month in Nairobi as I used him often when I needed to go somewhere in Nairobi, and he was a wealth of information about Kenyan culture, lifestyle, and history. More about him later.

So, I show up to the guesthouse, which was a great little apartment set just outside the gorgeous home of Garry & Brenda Kean, the founders of the organization. I was definitely a little surprised (although grateful later) at the 24/7 security guards, electric wire fence and intense security around their little compound. After the stories of rape, armed theft and other horrors Brenda told me, I was very happy to get to know all of the friendly guards keeping me (and them) safe from harm.

So no one was home when arrived, but I talked to Brenda on they phone and they were all just coming back from a trip to visit some of their locations in the slums and were headed immediately to a sale at the American school that her daughters attend. Apparently the sale happens a few times a year, and several different vendors come…it resembles a mini-Maasai Market. (The Maasai Market is a huge outdoor market that happens every Friday in Nairobi, and it is intense. More on that later). So, she picked me up and off we went to the sale. 

The sale was a fantastic introduction on all fronts; I was able to meet everyone from Jacaranda the first day, and see all the product displayed. I thought they did a nice job of their display (whereas most vendors just had their goods laying on a 6-ft fold-up card table) however one of the first of many "needs" Brenda mentioned was a well-designed display that was easy to set up and break down.  You'll hear me talk more about the needs of the organization, as I started my journey with Jacaranda by doing an overall Needs Assessment. 

I also walked around the market to scope out competitors and how they display their products. The day was a great way to become acquainted with the product and meet the staff, and I was thrown right in to help break everything down (and did a bit of shopping as well)! 

Afterward, I was introduced to the Java House for the first time…a place that would become like a home away from home, where the Keans like to go quite often for lunch & dinner. I came to love the french fries the way the Keans eat them; spicy, and extra crunchy….