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Karibu Kenya!

Karibu Kenya!

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Karibu Kenya!

On Monday, May 12, our team embarked on a 14-hour journey to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, landing safely in Nairobi at 10:30 a.m. Despite our collective exhaustion, the day was just beginning with partner visits, immersive experiences and rich discussions awaiting us.

Thankfully, we were greeted by Rasheed, our 'technically' tour guide but truly so much more. With his quick humor and endless fun facts, he instantly lifted our spirits and set the tone for the days ahead.

Visiting Grounded

After the impressive feat of packing 21 suitcases and 16 people into a single van, we headed to Grounded, a local business that focuses on creating sustainable cleaning supplies, which aligned beautifully with this year’s theme: Sports and the Five Senses. We explored scent memory by selecting a signature body wash scent for the team to use throughout the trip. We hope this will tie our journey to a scent, triggering memories of our time together, even years from now.

Next, we visited House of Treasures, an entrepreneurial market featuring small businesses like Bronze Art Gallery, India With Love, Tin Roof Café (where we stopped for lunch) and Bush Princess.

To close out the day, we arrived at Homecare Retreat, where we were welcomed with heartfelt warmth by the owner, Irene, affectionately called Mama Irene by our group. Her hospitality was unmatched. She not only greeted each of us with open arms but also took the time to learn our names, making us feel an immediate sense of home and belonging.

Two students in their bedroom

One of the bedrooms at Homecare Retreat

Over dinner, we were joined by Zaynah Khanbhai and Justo Casal, founders of Merging Mundos, two inspiring entrepreneurs who spoke about their experiences building social enterprises in the Global South. Their insights challenged us to rethink Western models of entrepreneurial hustle by finding our purpose in life before entering a business setting.

Day one in Kenya was a whirlwind, and we cannot wait to see where the rest of this trip takes us!

By Nicole Karadimitriou

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Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244
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