This week marked the beginning of our two-week EDES 200 course. We split into two teams, and my group is focusing on designing a screening device for retinopathy of prematurity. Most of our time was spent researching, brainstorming, and refining our ideas as we worked through the early stages of the EDP.
On Wednesday, a large protest took place in the city, but thankfully it didn’t disrupt our work. We held our meetings at the hotel, and things carried on smoothly. It was a bit surreal: sitting by the hotel pool, sipping coffee, with a live African band playing in the background, while protest sounds like distant booms and sirens echoed from afar. Despite the intensity of the moment, everything returned to normal the next day, and we were back working on-site at Kenyatta University. We began building low-fidelity prototypes, testing out concepts and making adjustments as we prepare for the next designing phase.
Outside of classwork, we managed to fit in a movie night. We went to see 28 Years Later, a horror film that ended up being more funny than scary. The theater was in Westgate Mall, a polished shopping center in the city with a good selection of restaurants and a grocery store. Before the movie, we had some Asian food and ice cream. I was also happy to find a small Asian section in the grocery store where I stocked up on instant noodles and boba tea.
Speaking of food, breakfast at our hotel continues to be excellent. We often pack up leftovers for lunch. When we’re at Kenyatta University, we grab meals at the campus cafeteria, which is affordable, around $3–4 per meal. For dinner, we usually order delivery through Glovo (a local equivalent of Uber Eats). My go-to spots have been Java House and CJ’s Café; both offer great options for American-style food and drinks.
Over the weekend, we took a much-needed break and traveled to Diani Beach. It was peaceful and refreshing, just watching the ocean and doing absolutely nothing felt like the perfect reset. The seafood we had on our first night there was amazing. The sand was soft, white, and warm underfoot. We also went snorkeling near a small island, where we saw a variety of marine life, including starfish, sea urchins, sea slugs, and lots of fish. One of our friends even spotted a large, pregnant starfish!
The journey back to Nairobi, however, was far from smooth. Our flight was supposed to take just 1.5 hours, landing in Nairobi by 10 a.m. But about 20 minutes into the flight, we had to land in Mombasa for unexpected maintenance. We ended up stuck there for six hours, waiting for the plane to be cleared for takeoff. By the time we finally got back to the hotel, it was 10 p.m., a full 12-hour travel day for what should have been a short domestic flight!