Jambo from Nairobi!

I have finally arrived in Nairobi! The last four days have been a whirlwind, I can't believe it was only Friday when I left from DC. When I arrived on Saturday - the last of our 12 team members to arrive in Nairobi - I was quickly welcomed into the group. It was wonderful to finally put faces to the voices I had been hearing on our weekly conference calls the past three months. Although we are all from different countries and backgrounds, it was immediately clear that we would all get along very well and will develop a very strong team dynamic. Saturday night we headed to our first team dinner, hosted by our fabulous DOT partners Alex and Muriuki, and spent time getting to know one another (and try our first Tusker beer).

Starting Sunday morning, it was straight to work! We worked with our subteams to finalize our initial presentations to the client, we met with Muriuki and Alex to learn more about the history of Kenya, the challenges the country is facing, and the recent emphasis on innovation, and finally attended in our first subteam presentation with the client. Never a dull moment! Below is a picture of our entire team with Alex and Muriuki before the first presentation.

We were also determined to try our first taste of authentic Kenyan food, and so our group headed to Ronalo's in downtown Nairobi. A live band kept us entertained throughout the evening, and for a special performance of "No Woman No Cry," the band even called Richard onto the stage to perform with them - what a fun evening! Below is a picture of our Ronalo's meal.

On Tuesday, our subteam was finally able to meet face-to-face with our client, Vision 2030, and present our work plan. Following our presentation, we were able to meet with several resources within the Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat to learn more about the the client's current reporting process, the client's expectations, and the Vision 2030 goals, structure, and flagship projects. It was a very productive day, and our team left with a lot more information (and several pages of notes!). The task ahead of us is large but exciting, and I am looking forward to what our team is able to design. Below is a picture of my subteam at the Vision 2030 office.

Tomorrow our team leaves Nairobi and heads to Machakos, where we will be living for the next two weeks. My short stay in Nairobi has been great, but I am looking forward to exploring Machakos!