First two weeks in Kenya

Sorry it took me so long to get around to posting. I sort of forgot I set up a blog, actually. Anyway, Kenya has been fantastic so far. It would take a really, really long time to mention everything we've done so far. I think instead I'll just make a couple of general comments, then try to update this thing more often from now on.
We got into Nairobi late Monday night, and had to wait about an hour for the other group flight to arrive from London. Then all 32 of us in the MSID Kenya program were bussed to a Kenya Wildlife Club hostel for the first night. We got up early the next morning to go to the immigration office to get our pupil passes and visas. The pupil pass basically means I pay the same rates as Kenyan citizens for admission to parks, theaters, etc. That took several hours. While in Nairobi, we also changed currency and stopped at an internet cafe, then we were off to Lake Nakuru national park for a week of orientation. At Lake Nakuru, we got an opportunity to see a lot of interesting African wildlife on daily game drives. We also had traditional Kenyan food prepared for us so we would know what to expect to eat with our host families. We spent most of our days at Lake Nakuru doing basic orientation activies to help us adjust to East African culture.
On Saturday, we drove back to Nairobi to meet up with our host families. My family has been fantastic so far! I live with my mom, 24 year old sister, and our live-in house help. I have my own bedroom, which is a pretty substantial luxury.
Our school day is from 8:30 to 3:30 daily, where we have three main classes: Swahili, Development, and Country Analysis. The material is already very interesting and the lecturers are great too. I walk 45 minutes each way to school, which gives me a good chance to get to know the neighborhoods around my house and school. After October 23, I'll be in a rural town working at a clinic, helping with a project to deworm women and children.
Security around Nairobi is a really big issue, so we always have to be in the house by sunset, around 7 each evening. A lot of days we spend the time after school playing soccer with some locals at a field near school, doing homework and emialing from internet cafes, and spending time with our host families.
Overall, I love Kenya so far and I'm really excited for the rest of the semester. And I promise I'll make an effort to update these posts a little more often from now on.