Lilli H is in da' house!

By Lilli Holmberg  

  When I first heard that I was going to Africa for a term I was so excited I couldn't wait but when the days were getting closer I was getting more and more nervous about missing my family and friends but at the same time I was still excited to see my aunt,  uncle and cousins. When the day actually came I think the excitement took over me more. My uncle Jason slept over the day before we left. We woke up at 5:00am but I was so excited that I was not tired. For my last breakfast in Utah we went to this diner called "Sunshine Café" and it was so good. Finally we set off to the airport. We got on a small plane that was a 3 hour flight to Austin, Texas. Then it was a bigger plane from Austin, TX to Amsterdam that was like a 9 hour flight. Then from Amsterdam to Nairobi that was like a 8 hour flight and then finally a 1 hour flight to Mombasa, Kenya. On one of the flights I fell asleep on the person that was next to me that I didn't know and my took a picture of it but, the thing that was embarrassing was that I didn't know I was sleeping on her because I fell asleep on the armrest and slipped off onto her. When we got there it was like midnight and waiting for my uncle and I was my aunt and my cousin Alta, when we saw each other we just ran straight to one another and gave each other a huge hug. We got to their house everybody was awake and waiting for us, I gave everybody a big hug.
     My first day of school was on Wednesday and I was so excited to meet everybody. I was just followed my cousin Porter the whole time because I didn't know where my classes were or what was happening next. I noticed that the school here is totally different than any school I have been to in Utah. Probably the first thing I noticed is when you walk to your classes you walk outside because the hallways are outside and it is just more like a sidewalk. Second thing I noticed was the lockers, the lockers here are just like small wooden cubbies that are out side and seem totally different than the lockers that I would have thought they would have looked like. Third, I noticed that they call a lot of things different names then we call in America, like for example, instead of grades they call it years like you are in year 6 instead of being call you are in 6th grade and you have to say trousers instead of pants or they will think you are talking about your underpants and a lot more things. Forth thing would probably be that all the years (grades) from year 1 to year 12 are in one school together but the interesting thing is that when you go from America to Kenya you move up a grade because they do not have preschool nor do they have kindergarten but they start 1st grade a year earlier than us so when I was in Utah I was in 6th grade and then when I went to Kenya I was in year (grade) 7. I am still getting used to everything but I don't mind and I really enjoy experiencing a new school and meeting people.
     I can't wait to experience and try new things while I am here. I know I am going to have many adventures and many new stories to tell that.