Kenya

In about a month, I will be arriving on the continent of Africa, the country of Kenya, the city of Nairobi.

I really don’t have a clear idea of what I will be doing there, but I’m going with and organization called HEART, whose main focus is health and AIDS education. I am going with a friend whose main focus is researching female genital mutilation (FGM), in the hopes of writing a book that will be a resource for Kenyan women.

I’m pretty excited. God always surprises me. 4 months ago, I had no idea that I would be spending a couple of months in Africa.

Thankfully, the travel advisory has been lowered. They are no longer recommending that all non-essential American personnel leave the country. And now the warning doesn’t sound much different than the warnings we get in the U.S. when the threat level goes up.

The U.S. Government continues to receive indications of terrorist threats in the region aimed at American and western interests, including civil aviation.
The threat to aircraft by terrorists using shoulder-fired missiles continues in Kenya, including Nairobi. Terrorist actions may include suicide operations, bombings, or kidnappings. U.S. citizens should be aware of the risk of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in public places including tourist sites and locations where westerners are known to congregate, as well as commercial operations associated with U.S. or western interests. In particular, there is an increased threat against westerners in the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal region.