Amanda Wood: Muzungu! How are you!

Well the long awaited day has arrived and I am finally in Africa (hallelujah). I think it's safe to say I can already tell this was one of the greatest decisions I've ever made. The city is crazy with bodas (a motorcycle taxi) and taxi vans flying around everywhere and the mountains are just as green as you could imagine. It is the funniest thing when you're walking down the street and you see a slew of African children look at you and yell, "Muzungu! How are you!" Muzungu meaning "white person." Or as we're all riding in a taxi van together and you see every single person stop what they are doing and stare and wave as you drive by. I love Africa.

I had the opportunity yesterday to travel up to the mountains to an orphanage where we will be doing a couple projects over the next three months. The children were thrilled to see us and came running out to meet us as fast as they could, greeting us with warm hugs and huge smiles. It's amazing to me how these people can have pretty much nothing and still have the biggest smiles on their faces.

Life here is about survival. It's very simple without the distractions that we have in America. I love it in the way that as I go about my day I am not worried about what's on my phone or on Facebook or Instagram. In America, we are beyond blessed. We have houses and pluming and food and a shower and basically the list goes on and on. But the great thing about being here is you realize even without those things we are still people. They love and laugh and experience every emotion just like the rest of us and they are beautiful.

I am not in Africa living with special privileges -- granted we do have a beautiful African home, flushing toilets and a little running water to shower with -- I pay 1000 shillings to ride a boda into town everyday, we have to barter with the taxi drivers a reasonable price so they don't rip us off, I wear a skirt everyday just like the beautiful African women here and we buy our food and other needs at the markets just like everyone who lives here and I love it. I am beyond grateful to have been given the opportunity to live here in Africa and am looking forward to the next three months.

On a new note we hiked to the edge of the earth today so I just have to post a few pictures below from that. And I am truly sorry people because no matter how hard I try, these photos do not do justice.