Hello, Mombasa!

"I realized that once people are broken in certain ways, they can't ever be fixed, and this is something nobody ever tells you when you are young and it never fails to surprise you as you grow older and you see the people in your life break one by one. You wonder when your turn is going to be, or if it's already happened."
Douglas Coupland, Life After God

I don't even know where to start today. It's kind of been a funny few days, I'm sort of an emotional wreck to be honest. The last few days in Nairobi were really great. I had some really good times hanging out with both old and new friends, and thouroughly enjoyed my bonus day off, thanks to the census! As a matter of fact, even Nat and I got "censused", which was fun! Apparently you don't have to be Kenyan, they want to know every person who is living (even temporarily) in Kenya at the time.

Nat and I had a quiet night at home last night, where we finished of the research project we were due to hand into Cherie. It felt SO good to finally get it finished and sent off. I've somehow managed to stay on top of my course work this summer, and won't be going home in a mad panic trying to get it all finished! Then we started packing for Mombasa!! I realized that we only have two days back in Nairobi when we get home from the beach, so I started trying to pack to go home. It was something I definitely wasn't ready for!! I have one whole suitcase of souveniers and work clothes packed up already, NOT FUN!

This morning Nat and I were up at 4am to head to the airport. After a quick flight out to the coast, and an hour-long taxi trip, we arrived at the resort. It is absolutely beautiful. Palm trees, multiple swimming pools, and ocean. What more could you possibly need? We were poolside by 930am, and by 10, were taking part in the Water Aerobics class.

For those of you who don't know, I acutally spent five months in 2007 working at an All-Inclusive Resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It feels like it was a different lifetime ago, and although I wouldn't trade the experience for the world, there was definitely a lot of bad that went along with the good. It's all I've been able to think about all day. This hotel feels the same as the good old Crown Paradise Resort. The layout is the same. The beach looks the same. The buffet restaurant has the exact same views. It's sort of uncanny.

Participating in the water aerobics class was the strangest part of all. I remember that being my favorite part of the job back in Vallarta. Ususally two times a week, I'd teach the noon water aerobics class, and it was so much fun. It was a great way to stay in shape (getting paid to exercise is amazing!) and I always met the coolest people. Being in the class today was so weird. Instead of just enjoying it like all of the other people, I couldn't stop comparing it to the way things used to be, and I couldn't stop wondering how the jobs of the entertainment staff here compare to the way things were for me. I know the lifestyle, and I can't really say I envy them anymore.

Probably the reason I've been in such an off mood today is that it rained most of the day!! We only have four days of beach time, and one of them was spend shivering under a shelter waiting for the rain to stop! Unfortunately, the weather has a bit of a tendency to affect my moods, so I'm sure if the sun is shining tomorrow, I'll be back to sunshine myself!

Nat and I were going to be really ambitious and try and see different partf of Mombasa and the surrounding beaches, but now that we're here, we think we might not make it any further than from out room to our beach chairs for the rest of the week, and I can't wait! While Rwanda was the greatest trip ever, it wasn't too relaxing. To be able to spend four days doing absolutely nothing sounds like the greatest "last weekend in Africa" experience we could have at this point. I'm trying so hard to reflect on the whole summer, and come to terms with going home, and there couldn't be a better place to do it. It's nice to get a change of scenery, and be able to think about Chilliwack, Nairobi, Vancouver, Mexico, and Rwanda...all of the places that now hold a piece of my heart. Each place holds amazing memories and people who've become so important to me.

I have so many emotions right now that I'm trying to deal with, but what keeps me together is remembering that for every person I have to say goodbye to here, there are many more that I can't wait to say hello to again back home. Exactly one week from this moment, I will be in the air, on the last leg of my journey home. Wow.

-Delaney xo