Day 2: Welcome to icipe!

So, today is Day 2 at the icipe headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.We started the day by going to breakfast. I had toast and jam again, but this time I also had cereal. All with hot tea, of course!Toward the end of breakfast, Ruth (the Guest Centre Manager) came and got us saying the Lillian was ready for us in her office. Some gentleman who worked at icipe walked us to her area and she was there ready to meet us. We walked up to her office and met several people; two of them, Matilda and Lisa assist in coordinating interns, fellowships, and out-of-town researchers.Lillian had scheduled two meetings for our morning: one with the Director General of icipe and the other with the Head of Capacity Building and Institutional Development Programme.We first met Robert Skilton, the head of CB&ID here at icipe. He was very nice British man and offered firsthand advice to traveling to Mbita and what to see/what to do. He said that we would be very very unlucky to get malaria and that he has been to malaria-infested areas for 15+ years and has never got it. Rico, the other BR intern, knows the son of someone who works for icipe so they talked about him for a bit. We told him what we were going into with school and he was very intrigued by Science and Agriculture Journalism, my intended major at the University of Missouri. One of the first of its kind, Mizzou offers an exceptional program in this area so I'm very excited to start my studies in that. He explained the CB&ID programs to us and showed us insight into his side of icipe. He gave us his business card and told us to contact him with any questions; everyone has been so open and willing to assist us and he was no exception! The second we mentioned blogging and sharing our trip, he wanted to follow along on our internship and that was very appreciated. Thank you to all of you who are following along as I work this summer in Africa!We are now headed to meet with the Director General, who I've heard many great things about. Icipe is a busy place, no doubt, and it was kind of Dr. Skilton and Director General to take time out of their schedules to visit and get to know us. Below is a photo of Rico (the other BR intern), Robert, and myself in one of the wings of offices.Thank you Dr. Skilton for sharing your icipe experiences with us and opening your office this morning. It was very nice to meet you and we hope to see you again on our travels home.After that, we went back to Matilda and Lisa's office, which is directly across from Lillian's, and took "work photos" and recorded information for their directory. Woo hoo! It kind of sunk in that this a job after taking these photos. I look really tired in every picture, but I promise I'm not as tired as I look! I've been sleeping better and even had a few naps today. :)So, there you have it! My work photo. Crazy, right? I don't even know what they use it for, but it was cool to have one taken anyway.Next is the meeting with Madam Director General!