An Epic Paradise

This trip to Mombasa has been incredible. Technically, we are just south of Mombasa in Tiwi Beach, and it is the most perfect place I could ever imagine. It is one of those stereotypical paradises that you see on the television and assume doesn't actually exist, but it does. I have never been able to just relax and take some time to chill like this in my life, and it is epic.

I don't know what has been better over here. The food, atmosphere, and company have been amazing. The train trip here was long, but fairly comfortable. We met a German girl on the train and talked to her for a while. It was pretty cool. The girl was pretty annoying, and Germany sounds fairly communistic (50% tax and not much opportunity from what I gathered, but the chick I talked to could be a very unreliable source), but I learned a lot. We arrived at about noon, which was much later than planned, but this is Africa.

After arriving in Mombasa, we hit up a Barclays Bank for an ATM and headed for a ferry. The only real flaw with Mombasa is the heat. It is so hot and humid here all the time. By the time we crossed the bay to South Coast, I was pouring more sweat than I thought possible. It was gross, but I discovered that it can always get worse. We went straight to the matatu station after the ferry, and it was only a matter of minutes after boarding one that I began to vomit. Luckily (which isn't a word I use often), the matatu hadn't left yet, so I was able to get out and puke behind a kiosk. That was fun.

We eventually made it to the beach, and my spirits definitely lifted. This place is incredible, with white sand and crystal clear water. No surf, but there is a beautiful coral reef, so snorkeling rocks. Most of our time has been spent napping under palm trees, swimming in the ocean, walking the beach, and eating incredible seafood. It is such a great life.

We have had a couple adventures, though. Fishing in some skiff that was held together with rope and sticks was pretty cool, but that trip ended prematurely due to some more vomit. I feel better today, but the first few were tough. Today, Gio and I went out to the Shimba Hills with Isaac, some cool guy we mat. I'll get back to him. We were going on some cool safari, and we even had a whole caravan to ourselves, but the wildlife was pretty lacking. We still had a good time, though.

Arguably, the coolest parts of this trip have been the people we have met and the thing we have learned. The world is huge, but sadly America doesn't really show it to us. I love my country a ton, but I never realized how ignorant we are. Before coming here, I barely knew any of the countries in Africa, nonetheless the troubles in each. I have been introduced to a number of different social and economic systems from Europe, political and social struggles in Africa, and a lot of cool stuff about New Zealand.

All of this new knowledge has been acquired through a lot of conversations with different travellers. The most significant of which would be Isaac from New Zealand, and Roald and his friend from Norway. Just talking to these guys about the world has really opened my eyes to life outside of the states. We had a long discussion on night about Africa, and we talked about huge dilemmas that I have never even heard about. I doubt that the majority of the people reading this know what is going on in northern Uganda or throughout the Congo. It is some crazy stuff that people should be aware of.

Europe also seems more appealing to me. There are still a number of countries over there I could live without (France), but meeting the Norwegians was awesome. New Zealand seems great too. It seems to me that America gives out blurry pictures of these other countries, and it goes the other way as well. People's ideas of America seem just as stupid as my ideas of Norway or Germany (probably because they watch Martha Stewart and The Tyra Banks Show over hers), but just talking to people can remove all of the confusion. Everyone in the world is a lot more liberal than I am, and I am still really unsure about Social Democracy, but I understand it a lot more now.

The Norwegians were cool and very knowledgeable about world affairs, but Isaac is awesome. He is this guy from New Zealand that just came over here to have some crazy experience with God and spread love to the African people. His experience and ours have had their differences, but what we have discovered is remarkably similar.

Everyone comes over to this continent expecting to lift it up out of poverty and to change the lifestyles of so many people. They expect everything to happen like it does everywhere else, and they want to make a huge difference. These ideas are pretty far off, though. This place is so different from what we all come from. There is a difference between the way Africans look at time or quality and how Mazungos do. What the rest of the guys and I discovered is that we need to surrender to this African mindset and culture in order to accomplish anything. Most of the changes that go on over here are inside yourself. This is life in Kenya; you can't, and shouldn't, change that. All we can do is spread Love to as many lives as possible because that is where God really comes through. I'm sure this all sounds quite boring, and most of you have probably stopped reading by now, but it has just been mind-blowing for me, and I think it should be shared.

Well, I'm dirty, tired and hungry, so we're probably going to head back, eat, and get clean. This time off has been a great time to clear the mind and get ready for the next couple of weeks. I can't wait to see how this all turns out, and I really can't wait to get home. I love and miss you all. God Bless.

-Victor Rogers IV