It’s Friday… my last full day of work in Kenya has been completed. I still have a few more journal entries I want to write about but it may take me a few days to get them completed and posted. On Saturday, I will be waking up super early (4:00a) and will be heading to the Sweetwaters Game Reserve (yes, I’m trying to squeeze in 1 more tourist visit while here). I’m really excited to visit the Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Words have a lasting impact. I guess that is why I’m most excited to see the chimpanzees… my mother used to call me a little monkey when I was younger. That has always stuck and is the reason for my excitement and love for these animals.
I hope to get back to the hotel around 5:00p, will shower, finish packing, eat my last dinner in Kenya then off to the airport. My flight leaves around 10:30p Saturday night (3:30p EST on Saturday). God willing, my plane will land safely in Detroit around 10:30a EST on Sunday (5:30p local Kenya time).
For those of you that have been following along my Kenya journey, I hope you have enjoyed a few of the posts. I thank you for reading. This experience that Microsoft has allowed me to do under the #MySkills4Afrika program will always be remembered.
I hope I have done my Kenyan colleagues proud (as well as Microsoft 4Afrika and my team back at home). I’ve tried to portray Kenya as I have experienced it. I’ve also tried to ensure that the “real Africa” story gets told; although I will admit that I sorta lived the high life while here – 5 star hotel, all expenses paid (except my tourist visits), taxis and travel all arranged, customer appointments scheduled, above and beyond hospitality from all of my colleagues, etc., etc. Sure, there are security concerns and living concerns (which I will blog about shortly), but overall the experience has been amazing.
For my colleagues in Kenya, thanks to you my blog posts have reached about 350 views over the last several days. Hopefully everyone around the world will know Kenya is a great place to visit, do business, and be a tourist.
If you have considered traveling to Kenya, I would highly recommend it. It is breathtaking and beautiful.
-Stephen