First Impressions

This place is so beautiful. I never imagined that it would be this beautiful. There are so many really pretty trees and unbelievable flowers.

Today is the 11th of August and it’s my first day at Maxwell Adventist Academy in Nairobi, Kenya! It’s a lovely day outside and a bird is singing; it sounds amazing. I’m blessed to have my lap-top and the Internet in my room, so I’m able to write everything I’m writing now right in my own home here in Kenya.

I haven’t seen a lot; I arrived only yesterday evening. But what I have done is sleep. I slept eleven hours. And that was exactly what I needed…

It is now a few days later and I’ve seen lots of things already. First, I hear birds singing all the time. It sounds lovely! And I’ve seen some animals as well: hares, wild pigs (eating something along the road and paying no attention to cars and people around), and baboons (with red behinds, walking right near the busy Nairobi road). I’ve also seen squirrels playing some kind of a hide-and-seek game. It was fun to watch! I’ve seen insects as well, but they usually don’t bother me. Once I felt something trying to get to my shoulder by way of my arm. It scared me a little bit, because I couldn’t see what it was. I shook my arm and saw a tiny spider, which seemed to be more afraid than I was. So it was nothing to worry about! 

This place is so beautiful. I never imagined that it would be this beautiful. There are so many really pretty trees and unbelievable flowers. I can’t even describe the smell – it’s just awesome! And the colors – I bet you haven’t seen such colors. It’s so beautiful here!

Maxwell is a bit of a ways away from Nairobi. It used to be a game park. Some time ago, it was possible to feed giraffes at maybe the same place that my room is located now. I have a room in a three bedroom house that is very comfortable and quite large. There’s enough space for many people to visit.
The people are friendly. I’ve felt perfectly safe in the market and I’m even able to talk to the local people. They always do their best to help me if I need it. I was in the shop earlier today and since I was only planning to buy a few things, I didn’t grab a shopping bag. Well, I ended up with a lot more things in my arms than I expected. I was carrying all my items in my arms and looking at some eggs. I wanted to buy a set and was wondering how to manage it when a man came up to me and said “Excuse me.” He held out a bag for all my groceries. He came just in time! I was surprised, but very pleased and grateful.

What else can I tell you about? Oh yes – God loves me so much! In fact, I should have started with that. It’s true. And for me, serving at Maxwell and being here in Kenya just proved that truth. He loves us all so much! 

 

Violetta Martsynkevych is originally from Ukraine. She served as an English Tutor and Teacher at the Maxwell Adventist Academy in Kenya. She served from August of 2010 to June of 2011. She believes that the most powerful way to show Jesus to others is to share love and fulfill their needs.