City Life

I've been adapting to the city again after 3 months by the sea - and what a city! My first few days here were hard, I was very tired and paranoid about being mugged all the time but I'm starting to settle now.

So far it's only been the buses I've had to worry about for safety. The matatus seem better although their physical safety record might not be so high (they're small so the drivers seem to think they can change lanes constantly - and yes Simon they still hang off the sides and play music loudly :) There seems to be some sort of scam at work on the bus routes where someone tells you that you need to fasten your seatbelt and then offers to help you scratch around trying to find it - they're normally buried in the back of the seat because nobody uses them - meanwhile they're trying to relieve you of anything that's in your pockets or even your bag. Nearly got caught twice but so far lost nothing except a plastic rain hat that I was using to keep the sun off my head. I don't think it will suit the thief very well as it was small even for me (sorry Mum I know that was yours but I'll get you a new one).

I like Nairobi, at least the way it looks, the roads are wide and there's plenty of trees it's much greener than I thought it would be. It's a place that obviously had some planning put into it once - but the traffic is nearly as horrendous as I'd heard it was and I've never been in a place with so many people! (next stop New York) Just walking the pavements is a struggle sometimes.

Living by yourself in a cheap hotel is another thing which can drive you over the edge if you're not careful. Thanks to Rachel and Mercy's help I managed to find a place that delicately balanced my small budget with facilities just clean enough and safe enough for my liking. I think the mainly female staff reckon I'm a bit crazy for having stayed there nearly a week and so far I seem to be the only Mzungu in the place but they give me breakfast and I found someone who will wash my clothes for a good price and my door has a strong lock, what more could I need?

It definitely wouldn't be worth staying here if it wasn't for the people I've been able to connect with. After Lamu Rachel got offered a dream job working as a dive instructor in Zanzibar. She took it for 2 weeks and then quit when her contact at the National Museum here offered her the chance to assist him with studying bats. So she's been here a week or 2 already staying with an Australian friend of hers although this week she's been out in the field. Mercy also works at the museum - she was at Mwamba at Christmas although we didn't get much chance to talk but she's really gone out of her way for me since I arrived and she even got me complimentary ticket to the museum gallery. Everyone I know here seems to be struggling to get by in some way and having to rely on friends and relatives whether its for accomodation, cash or employment. Lispa is also in town staying with her cousins and looking for a new job.

I'm enjoying being a tourist in some ways - task for the day is to see stuff and spend money. In other ways I hate the cultural barriers that exist between the tourist and the local, I've felt like even more of a cash-cow than usual. In the last few days I've got lost several times and given in to using my Rough Guide maps while standing on the street corner. As well as the museum I went to the cinema for the first time in months which was great. I made the most of 'Super Tuesdays' and bought a Fox Combo (unfortunately Fox have taken over here - the local 'fleapits' mentioned in my out-of-date book have all closed) which included the cinema ticket two pieces of food and a drink all for 350KSH!! (Unfortunately still too much for most struggling Nairobians - Mercy declined to join me on account of the cost and the cinema was noticeably quiet - I wonder how long Fox will remain?) I've also visited the David Shreldnick Wildlife Orphanage and finally got to see elephants close up (more about that another time) and come face to face with a Black Rhino - by the time I get back to Africa one day there may be no Black Rhinos left. I've been on endless matatus and sat in endless traffic and breathed in far too many fumes.

Finally I've also been spending some time with Peter Johnson who I also met at Christmas and he's been as good as his word and has taken me to some places most tourists don't see. We've visited an amazing little 'informal' school in Kageme - an area which is fast becoming a slum - where the children are reading and writing better at 5 years old than they do in the UK in English! I've also been on the outskirts of Kibera (Nairobi's biggest and most infamous slum) to a Girl Guides project for girls who've dropped out of school.

And right now I'm at a crossroads, do I come home on Tuesday or not? At this point I'm honestly not sure what to do. I'm tired, I miss my home, I've been here for over 3 months but I still don't seem to have adapted culturally in some ways, I feel a little at war with the world every day. And yet I feel I have to grab every chance to stay as long as I can. I don't know when I'll ever be able to come back.


For Those Who Pray

Please pray I make the right decision about when to come home as it's really concerning me right now.

Pray that if I stay I can be useful and make the time worthwhile.

Please continue to pray for my safety and a good place to live if I do stay on - it's all still up in the air as I write this...