April 23 2015 - I've Arrived!
Caroline knows all about Kenya which seems reasonable given she's lived here most of her life. But as my seat mate from Amsterdam to Nairobi, I doubt she wanted to talk that much about it. "So what about this and that" I asked. She kept trying to pretend she was falling asleep - nice try.
But as much as I learned from Caroline, I was still unprepared for what was coming. My arrival was heralded by a torrential downpour and after contemplating the most "rule fluid" driving I've ever witnessed, arrived at my house. I learned that the electricty "should come on at some point - maybe today or tomorrow". I learned this from Mahri who showed me to my room. Dark - late - wet- no lights - tough start......
April 24 - Now that is what I call secure!
The first night was challenging given the monsoon rains and lack of power. I walked around the guest-house noting that the windows were neither closed or screened. Hmmmmm - what manner of creatures are scuttling about in the dark? In time I found my way to bed and slept surprisingly well. That is in part due to the lengths MSF has gone to to ensure my security. There's the 12 ft fence electrified and razor wired. Then there's the guard stationed at the gate and the flood lit yard - the alarm system, the motion detectors, the barred windows and steel doors. Last but not least are the panic buttons and security gate at the bottom of the stairs. Safe in Nairobi!
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| I wanna speak to the Waaaaaaden! |
And my first day on the job was today. The team is extremely thoughtful and welcoming. They are all Kenyan and very committed to the objectives of the organization. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from health care. MSF offers assistance to people based on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. Our job is to get medical/non-medical supplies to our projects in East Africa though mostly supporting 5 operations in South Sudan.
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| And here's the shop! |
April 25 - Pretty manly
I made a plan to wander as many "safe" roads as possible. My first choice was to go down a road close to my home but a little scary in my view. As I walked along suddenly I heard the sound of feet rushing up behind me. I braced myself for whatever was coming next and as I turned 2 children 3 and 5 years old grabbed my hands and excitedly explained that I can walk with them. They then told me their names and in a wonderful combination of Swahili and English entertained me for the next 3 blocks. Their mother a few steps ahead just smiled. I smiled for the rest of the afternoon as well. Cute? Too cute for words.
Also - Nairobi is in bloom with beautiful flowers everywhere.... Given that its on the equator the daylight never changes 6-7 daily, almost always the same temperature - though rain for part of the year. That is definitely now.
April 26 - Food for thought
As I made my way to work in the morning I casually looked over at the pickup truck next to the cab. The box was stacked high with hacked off cow heads and legs. Hmm - well that's a bit different I thought. Maybe a tarp or something would be nice. I learned later that these are likely going to be soup. Another menu item now off my list.... No soup for me!!
April 27th - The Massai
Of the 40+ tribes in Kenya, the Massai are unique within a country of amazing things and people. Wikipedia does a great job of describing the Maasai and I would encourage anyone to have a look. A really interesting tribe absolutely committed to maintaining their traditional ways and completely unapologetic about the conflicts that necessarily result as new and old worlds collide. Picture here is a Maasai gazing his herd on a major road(Ngong Road) near central Nairobi. I heard a story about them grazing at the airport - why? Well the grass is so good there... of course. The Maasai would say that this is traditional land to which they have inalienable rights.
I have to tell you that I have never ever ever seen anything like the traffic in this city. I've not seen a lot of the world but Beijing, Rome, Lima are not even close.
First - the infrastructure - please note the photo below of the road leaving the office.
This is the rainy season so worse than usual but the issues around dealing with all that water and the damage it does to infrastructure is a real challenge for the government and people of Kenya.
Next - would be the spirit of competitive driving. On my first day we were 5 across going (albeit slowly) into a corner. This is a 2-lane road. 3 on the road car 1 was on the sidewalk and the 1 next to it - on the boulevard.
2.5 pedestrians are killed every day in Nairobi. Mostly it's the motorcycle guys (boda bodas) weaving in and out of the traffic. Kenya recorded 13,000 accidents last year with 6000 being fatal. Care to reconsider that brutal situation when the guy hesitated at the 4-way? And when state based transport fails, there will always be private sector alternatives. Enter the Matatu - pirate of the highway. 20 good people loaded into a minivan careening down the road as fast as possible pointed generally wherever there is space in the direction they are going. Complete Chaos yet all remain calm. There is no incessant hoking like Beijing - no swearing like New York just a quite determination to get to where they are going first.
And if you take note of the photo, in the center of the mirror at the bottom is a triangular piece of metal. This razor sharp doo - a - me - hickey is on all taxis and many other cars so that when little fingers try to twist out the mirror, there's a bit of a deterrent. And just to the right of that - the mirror is wired to the car to prevent theft and if broken off when things get too tight, it's still attached to the car.
