We have had an exciting, yet busy time since we have landed. When we arrived, we found out that classes were not starting for another two weeks, so we decided to begin our case writing on a tour company. After meeting with our client, we decided to experience our client’s product offering first hand by embarking on a three-day safari in Masai Mara! It was an incredible journey – we saw lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, elephants – you name it! We also had the chance to meet an amazing group of cardiologists and nurses who were opening a Women’s Empowerment Centre at a slum in Nairobi. After our safari adventures we headed back to Juja, and stopped at breathtaking viewpoints such as the Great Rift Valley.
When we returned to Juja, we continued to work on our tour company case, as classes hadn’t started yet. After a few days, Pamela, JKUAT’s representative for our program informed us of some case leads in Nakuru. Immediately, we packed our bags, and headed to Nakuru. Our first case lead was on a bookshop; it was so interesting to learn that in Kenya, only primary school was provided by the government, whereas in Canada, our education is covered until university. Our second case lead was on a boxing club – we even got a chance to get into the boxing ring and learn some techniques from the coaches! To end off our trip to Nakuru, we checked out the Lord Egerton Castle. Lord Egerton had his heart broken twice throughout his life, so he banned women from entering his castle.
After our trip to Nakuru, we headed back to Juja to prepare for our orientation class. The orientation class went extremely well – the students seemed eager to learn, and we finalized our lesson plans and class schedules for the upcoming two weeks. On the weekend, our Masai Mara friends invited us to the official opening of the Women’s Empowerment Centre; it was an incredible opportunity. After the opening, our friends invited us to a boxing match, which featured the #1 Female Featherweight in East Africa!
Since we have spent a lot of time touring Nairobi and getting accustomed to the culture, we are so excited to officially begin teaching at JKUAT this week! Stay tuned for more updates after we complete our first week of classes!
– Aalum, Anuj, Jasmine, and John