Evacuation from Kenya

Hello everyone, I am pretty sure most of you are aware of the political crisis in Kenya. I wanted to let you all know what is going on with me. I am completely safe and sound now. I am currently in Paris. I was evacuated from Kenya on Wednesday. I was on Christmas vacation in Watamu, and then flew to Lamu, a beautifully historical island where there are no cars and donkeys are used as taxis. I was amazed at all my surroundings and having the time of my life. While on vacation, the conditions in Mombasa, Kenya were getting worse and worse. I was in constant communication with my host-family and the staff of my organization. There were reports of violence, burning, looting, robery, and just complete chaos in various parts of Kenya. I was constantly told NOT to come back to Mombasa. Soon, we found out there was going to be a Million Man March held by Raila Odinga (the runner up in the presidential election) in Nairobi which would most likely activate the citizens all throughout Kenya. We needed to return to Mombasa at one point to collect our things and passports in order to leave the country so all of the interns were told to immediately return to Mombasa, get our things, and get on the first flight out before it became even worse. While in Lamu, my friend and I booked a charter flight that day to return to Mombasa. I stayed the night with my family and could see the fear in their faces and tones of voice. All the shops on my street were closed because there was nothing left after being looted. These are shops that are essential to so many families for their livelihoods. A nearby building was burned and 2 people died. I lived in Changamwe, a district of Mombasa and this was one of the dangerous parts of Kenya to be in during the post-election chaos. At the airport, I booked a charter flight with my friend to Italy the next morning. That morning, I was notified that the credit card machines were not working and the ATMs would not give me enough money, so the plane left without us. We quickly booked a flight to Nairobi and from Nairobi scrambled to get a flight out of Kenya. After much running around the airport, I finally got a flight to Amsterdam the following morning. All the other interns happened to get the same flight as well so we all spent the night in the airport. Later in the day at the airport, I needed to get my first bite to eat. During the chaos, my bag was stolen which contained my laptop, camera, flashdrive, glasses, journal, copies of documents, are GONE. I can not express how frustrated and depressed I was to discover this. I filed a police report- I wrote what happened on a piece of scratch paper and it was shoved it in a drawer. Though I still cannot believe I am left with no record or pictures of my experience here, it is... small potatoes compared to the strife of many Kenyans during this time, so I constantly am reminding myself not to be too upset and be thankful I am alive and well. After spending a confusing, sleepless, frustrating, night in Nairobi airport, I left for Amsterdam and from there, my friend and I decided to go to Paris and try to enjoy ourselves. I am extremely disappointed that my stay was cut short and I still do not feel a sense of closure. Even more so, I am worried about the well-being of those I became close with, especially my host-family. Kenyans are some of the strongest people I have ever met and there is not much that scares them. Seeing the fear in their faces and hearing it in their voices was very unsettling and strange. When I asked my Mama if she was going to be okay, she said "I really don't know.... all we can do is pray. I really don't know" and I almost cried. I lived with my Mama, 3 kids: Edward, Irene, and Noel and our neighbors were my family as well. It was the hardest thing to leave them behind and I am always thinking of them and all the people I met. I did not do all I wanted to do, did not see all I wanted to see, did not finish my project (I was starting a peer health education program and even won a grant competition for it), I did not thank those I wanted to thank, and so much more. My experience in Kenya will be something I will never forget and will forever be profoundly changed- in ways I never thought I could. I can only hope that one day I will return to Kenya. Sorry to be mushy! The presidential elections were extremely close and the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki, won with Raila Odinga close behind. There is so much to the politics of this election process and it is definitely not the most organized process. I believe the root of the corruption is a lack of communication. I actually don't blame the citizens for their outrage as it is definitely apparent that the government is hiding a lot of corruption. For example, when the public demanded an update on the number of votes for each candidate, the spokesman said "oh.... um.... I left the numbers upstairs...." then "oh wait...... they're right..... here...." Seriously.... come on! Anyway, if any of you have questions or need more information from me, don't hesitate to email.