Kat in Kenya

Rear Window

2006-04-27T05:21:00.000+02:00

Interesting things happen to the unemployed:

- yesterday I got free Baskin Robbin's ice cream and didn't have to wait in line for long because I went when everyone else was in work!

- this morning my closet exploded. Ok, didn't explode but the bar fell out of the wall. The repair man who is in the house renovating the other bedrooms said he would fix it but never came back. I guess I will have to sleep on top of all the clothes and hangers on my bed.

- my pen fell out of my mouth into the depths of the gas oven. Turns out you can access under the elements from going in from the back of the oven. You learn something new every day.

- if you apply for enough jobs you will start to dream about it. One dream had me getting a job I didn't apply for. The other dream had me calling a company to see why they didn't hire me.

- there is a slightly batty woman living next door who sometimes walks up to the window in the backdoor of her garage and stands there yelling at her reflection until her daughter comes out and tells her "That is enough mama!"

Movin' on up

2006-04-23T05:41:00.000+02:00

This week I moved in to my new place (with the help of my parents). It was relatively quick and painless. The only problem I face now is that much of the apartment is currently under renovation and thus other than my room, it is mass-chaos everywhere else with boxes and furniture from the rooms under renovation in all extra spaces. At this point though I am just worrying about my room and getting myself all settled in. So far so good.

People in Toronto often seem in bad moods. I think I am realizing that my time in Nairobi was more akin to spending time in a small community than a big city (which it was) because within my neighborhood I got to know a lot of people and they sure recognized me quickly. Also, as far as the expat community went, it was pretty easy to pick out people you knew if you were in a crowded marketplace! And people were all just so friendly there. People sneer here more.

Although I have to say that no one has tried to rip me off yet because of my skin colour. But CRAP everything has gotten SO EXPENSIVE! Prices have risen so much in the past 9 months. I will need a job a lot faster than I expected at this point!

I'm still wrestling with whether or not I should continue some type of blog. I want to but I just am having a hard time coming up with things to say other than me complaining about things. I don't want to be so negative.

I like it here, don't get me wrong. It is just this adjustment period that is a bit painful.

Snowy Spring

2006-04-10T00:17:00.000+02:00

Snow at Camp, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

I went to Thunder Bay to visit some family. It is in Northern Ontario and is quite cold there. I saw my 90 year old grandma, had some Finnish pancakes, played with my cousin's 3 sons, ate a lot of food and tried not to freeze.

Last night I was back in Sault Ste. Marie and went to my friend's place for a belated birthday dinner and then to a house party. It made me really miss Kenya and my friends there because the parties in Kenya were always so much fun and this one kind of sucked. It is hard not to compare everything to Kenya but really it has only been 3 weeks since I have been there so it is hard not to.

I don't think I am allergic to alcohol. I haven't drank in a few days and have still gotten the allergic reactions. (WHEW!) The investigation continues...

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2006-04-07T05:38:00.000+02:00

I am trying my best to have the same outlook and excitement about what I do here as I did in Kenya. Today I went to watch my mom curl. You know, like curling, the winter sport? I used to curl when I was in grade 7 and 8. It was what made me so popular back then. :)

Then I found a great pair of Kenneth Cole pants for really cheap at Winners, this store that sells brand-name clothes at affordable prices. Imagine! I envision myself wearing said pants to an interview where I knock them dead and get the job on the spot. Such are the day dreams playing out in my head these days.

While I was in the mall I saw that we have a store in Sault Ste. Marie that is called "SABERS" and it sells... SWORDS AND SHIELDS! (And sabers I am assuming). What is this world coming to? Seriously, is such a store necessary? Slightly frightening that there is enough demand for swords and shields that warrants a store be in the mall providing such goods for 365 days a year.

Tonight I pretended I was a teacher and went to a teacher mingling party with my teacher friends. I got free appetizers and got to watch Rob perform in a kind of retro soul band. They were really good.

But I have some potentially terrible news. I have been having these weird allergic reactions nearly every time I eat since landing in London (it seems) and even more so since I have been in Canada. And tonight I figured out what it is that is making my throat itchy and swollen. It is ALCOHOL! Is that not nuts? I drank so much in Kenya and had NO PROBLEMS and now back in Canada I have a few sips of wine or beer and my throat is totally itchy. I'm not sure what to do about it but I'm trying not to think about it too much. My whole world is changing. How could this happen!?!?!?

Well, it is cold here.

2006-04-05T05:35:00.000+02:00

Me and the Queen, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

And no, I am not in London - despite the photo posted to confuse you - I just put that up to let you all know that I am finally caught up in uploading my photos. Check them out by clicking on the photo.

I am home in Sault Ste Marie visiting my parents. It is snowing here. They closed the highway for a few hours today the snow was so bad. What a warm welcome!

The reason I haven't posted in a few days is because the most exciting thing I have done is go to the dentist. NO CAVITIES!

Sometimes when I am home visiting my family I find that I get really lazy and it is difficult for me to get anything done. Even thinking about working on my resume or something is akin to running in water. Suddenly I am unable to act at anything more than a snail's pace. Everything distracts me and I am powerless to resist.

I want to have 2 job applications out by tomorrow. Wish me luck.

One down

2006-04-02T01:32:00.000+02:00

Ok, I got a place to live. It is in a wicked area (Little Italy) and is cheap enough for me to afford food and maybe a pair of jeans once in a while, at least until steady with a job. 2 roommates to share the top 2 floors of a 3-level house with. Just like my last living situation before I moved to Kenya but this time I don't know the roommates. They seem nice. And there is a 24-hour grocery store just 2-minutes from my doorstep. And it is the BEST neighbourhood in Toronto. Hands down. So that is good.

It has been quite stressful these past few days. I am finding that I am short with people and getting irritated by silly things. I scream a lot more here than I used to but in Kenya screaming at people was necessary to get anything done. I'm not sure yet how it will work here. I don't want to be bitchy but I think the screaming is better than holding things in and simmering with rage in silence. We'll see.

2 more people said I look taller. Ok, that is just messed up.

Sorry to Karen for insulting her driving skills in the last post.

I went for Dim Sum this morning and had pigs feet and they still had HAIR on them. Gross. I only tried them because I was hoping they would taste like bacon. They didn't.

Things to do

2006-03-29T06:25:00.000+02:00

1) Find a new blog. Think of a new handle. Deadline: 2 weeks

2) Find an apartment. I have 4 viewings tomorrow. All from craigslist.com or viewit.ca. Wonderful thing this internet. Would be even more wonderful if I am able to find a decent place in one day. Deadline: Sunday

3) Find a job. This is the toughy. I hope to have some interviews and good leads by Easter if not before. Deadline: May 1st?? (cross your fingers!)

4) Sign up for night courses at University. Deadline: Friday

That should keep me busy for a while.

The weather has been so great here. Sunny and warm and I didn't even have to suffer through winter for more than a couple of days. I feel like I have somehow cheated the system.

Today I told Karen that her driving was as bad as a matatu driver. I was exaggerating but was happy that she got the reference. That's why it is nice to have had friends visit me. It saves a bit of the explaining.

Today I was walking back to my uncle and aunt's house and was waiting to cross the street at a stop sign and a woman in a car approached first and waved to let me cross just as I waved to let her go first. This went on for a few seconds before I just gave up and crossed the street. Sometimes people being courteous makes things less efficient. But I guess I am just not used to it being done that way.

By the way, the spell checker for blogger doesn't recognize the word blog. It suggests that I use the word 'bloc' or 'blouse' instead. Silly blogger.

Landed

2006-03-28T02:42:00.000+02:00

I am back. In Canada. Ok, and I take back what I said in the last post, I am excited to be here. I was so happy to see the first glimpses of land and snow and trees... a small tear even came to my eye...

And it is so warm here. 11 degrees. And sunny! Take that LONDON!

Aunt Deb came to pick me up at the airport (with my 10000 tons of luggage) and now am basking in the amazement of high speed internet and cable tv, unlimited refills on drinks at restaurants, a pie made for my return and claims that I look taller. Somehow I grew in Kenya apparently! On the ride back to their place I thought I saw hippos in the frozen pond beside the highway. Jet lag? Craziness? A bit of both?

Heathrow

2006-03-27T10:43:00.000+02:00

In the airport waiting to board the plane back to Canada. Yikes, I am not looking forward to going back. I am VERY excited to see all my family and friends. But I know that what is really waiting for me as I step off the plane is the stress and responsibility of finding a job, finding an apartment, figuring out schools, beginning the process of studying for GMAT, etc, etc...

It is kind of taking away from the excitement of my homecoming!

My last couple of days in London were fun. After Camden Market (and rain) on Saturday, we went to a club that night (and somehow managed to avoid paying cover - I'm not sure how). Sunday we checked out a few of the parks and then went to a "NUN FUN CHURCH SEARCH" that was a fundraiser for Dave's friend who wants to raise money to put on a play for the Fringe Festival. It was basically a tour of churches around London. A bit dry but Dave and I were making wisecracks the whole way through and thus made our own fun.

I have the worst heartburn EVER. I think it is a combination of the indian food, my malaria pill (last one - they always give me heartburn) and the stress of coming home. I think I will have a milkshake. That usually helps. :)

I can't believe it is over.

That's a bit better

2006-03-24T14:32:00.000+02:00

It never fails, I complain about the weather on the blog and it improves. It has been a little sunny, blue skies and warmer pretty much ever since I posted on Wednesday. Yesterday was gorgeous and I had a great time strolling around Cambridge. It is a lovely city! And a nice University!

The night before we were front row for Who's Afriad of Virginia Woolf? and were being practically spit on by Kathleen Turner and her manly voice. It was good. I went to Harrod's today and then to the National Portait Gallery and will probably see the British Museum after lunch. Tomorrow is Camden Market and the Opera. Keeping busy is good. I am already forgetting that I used to wear flip flops every day.

I am invisible here. No one notices me or yells at me ("mzungu!") or asks me if I want a taxi or to book a safari.

Suddenly - the COLD

2006-03-22T15:40:00.000+02:00

After a nice dinner with about 18 friends at my favourite Indian restaurant, I head to the airport with tears in my eyes. Luckily, once I was checked in I found something to distract me. I still had Alla's keys! Alla had been letting me stay at her place for my last couple of days and when we all met up for dinner I forgot to give her the apartment keys! Panic! Luckily, my friend Sophie was dropping off her boyfriend at the airport (same flight as me) and I managed to go back through security and find them and give them to her to give to Alla.

Then I flew to London. The weather really makes it seem like another world. The cold makes me forget that I was ever warm and that Nairobi and Kenya was just a few days ago. I checked my big huge heavy suitcase into a luggage storage service at the airport (saved me from taking a taxi and was CHEAPER than a taxi - only 30pounds for 6 days storage... and took the tube to meet up with Dave!

I am a bit in shock here over everything... all the white people, all the nice clothes people wear, the traffic lights, the crisp air, the sidewalks without things sticking out of them (or open sewers waiting for you to fall into them), the beautiful architecture everywhere, how organized everything seems, how on time everything seems, safe drivers, mothers pushing their babies in carts instead of strapping to their bodies using colourful fabrics. Most people here are dressed in black.

I have managed to find ways to do London cheaply! A 7-day subway (for 2 zones) pass is only 21 pounds. There are tons of museums and galleries that are free to the public (fees were dropped after the London bombings to encourage tourism) so I have been to the National Gallery and will go to 2 or 3 others. Most of my days are spent walking around the city. Tomorrow I head to Cambridge to check it out and visit a friend. Tonight we got 10 pound front row tickets to see Kathleen Turner in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe. On Saturday Dave got us free tickets to the Opera.

Last night was VERY fun. Dave and I went with one of his co-workers to her local pub and played in a TRIVIA competition! It is a very British thing and was very fun despite our lack of ability in answering the questions that focused on Britain (which was about 60% of them). But we did come 5th. And ate fish and chips.

My face and lips are peeling because the cold is cracking my skin and all the tanned bits are falling off. NOOOOO! I am still dark compared to all the brits, but that doesn't take much.

I Caught Crabs in Watamu

2006-03-20T10:16:00.000+02:00

I leave tonight. But it is ok.

I had the best weekend. 7 of us went to Watamu (a beach town on the Indian Ocean) and rented a beautiful, huge, airy house for about $10 each a night (including people to cook and clean for us) and spent our time playing trivia games, throwing around a coconut, having races, jumping waves, swimming, sunning, eating, drinking, having nighttime bonfires and swims, catching crabs and then racing them, and just having an amazing time.

Part of me wonders if it was a bad thing to have such an amazing weekend right before I left because it will make me all the more sad to leave, but at the same time it sure was a nice way to finish off such an amazing 9 months. I have met some of the most amazing people here and I will miss them very very very much. Kenya is so beautiful it is hard to imagine not being here.

And yes, in the photo those are cows on the beach. Not sure what they were doing there other than maybe they just wanted some sand and surf like the rest of us.

The people who came along for the trip were (L - R): Me, Alla (Russian/American), Anna (Finnish), Ally (British), Peder (Norwegian), Matt (Canadian), Alex (Kiwi).

Tonight I have a final dinner at Open House (great, cheap Indian food) and then head straight to the airport. I am trying to get excited about all the free movies I can watch. Trying not to think about actually leaving this place.

Finally..

2006-03-17T09:29:00.000+02:00

Looks so surreal, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

I uploaded most of the rest of my photos to flickr. Check them out. This one is one of my favourites - it is in Sossuflei, Namibia. Such a crazy landscape.

Today I am off work and it is WONDERFUL! This morning I got a paper and had a leisurely breakfast at Dorman's (local coffee bar). Poor suckers who are at work!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I am officially retired as of today!

2006-03-16T08:13:00.000+02:00

I have decided that working is not for me and after today, my last day of work, I will be officially retired. I am hoping to find a nice community in which to settle, play shuffleboard and watch gameshows.

Quite happy actually about it being my last day of work. I have finished everything up as of Monday and so have been rather bored these past few days. It will be nice to finish on a Thursday as I don't leave for the coast (Watamu) until Friday evening so I will have time to get little things done like buy more gifts and upload the rest of my photos to flickr (FINALLY!).

This week has been great with seeing everyone and going out for "one last dinner" at all my favourite places. But it is also depressing and sometimes I don't even want to go out and see my friends because it just makes me feel sad because I have to say goodbye to more people each day. Monday will not be fun.

Sunblock, Ace of Base and the End of an Era

2006-03-13T14:00:00.000+02:00

I have to buy sunblock for this upcoming weekend (final trip to the coast) and was thinking about getting sunburnt and how when you are a kid sometimes it is kind of funny to get a sunburn and you are kind of excited about it – because it is something new and different from the norm. Maybe it gets you some extra attention from your friends or parents. Now if you get a sunburn you only really concentrate on the fact that you are in pain and you are ruining your skin. Nothing fun or exciting.

This is the best way to explain my experiences in the really typical Kenyan bars here. Not that they are as enjoyable as getting a sunburn but rather that because it is a new and interesting environment, they are far more enjoyable and interesting (fun) than they would be if you had gone to them for years. I guess it is just all in your perspective and it turns into a cultural experience so the little things that could be seen as irritating or silly are actually quite fun and interesting.

We went to 2 bars this weekend – on Friday at Winkers – EVERYONE in the club was dancing (except for us – the table of mzungus). One guy was standing in front of the tv and dancing and pointing to the tv along to the music. Someone was dancing with a chair. I don't think that it was necessarily the alcohol that inspired this, but rather just that Kenyans love to dance. It was hilarious and fun despite the bad music and dark, dingy atmosphere. We were even inspired to chair dance due to the high energy of the other patrons. On Saturday at Club Soundd there was a live band playing covers (they were pretty good) and then when they took their break the music played was completely cheesy but everyone, including us, were completely into it. I am telling you, Kenyans LOVE Ace of Base.

Today Lauren leaves to go back to Canada (via France). Very, very sad. Last night we went for dinner and then to play pool at the Crooked Q one last time. Chokey McPhee and the Elephant completely obliterated Red-Rum and the Janitor (these are our pool playing aliases). Although we just let Lauren win because she is leaving and wanted to be nice to her as a going away present.

I can't believe she is leaving today and I leave in one week. It is the end of an era. (Or nine months - if you want to be technical.)

Just your average day in Nairobi

2006-03-10T15:28:00.000+02:00

A few things I have seen over the past couple of days that I realize don't even faze me anymore: Yesterday, driving to Indian food - there were a bunch of kids paying soccer. The thing that made it interesting was that it was 8pm, dark out, they were street kids and they all had bottles in their mouths with glue in them so they could inhale the glue fumes while playing soccer. Wow, great way to multi-task!

Today was another protest downtown Nairobi - of all the protests that go on in this city this is the first one I have encountered while on foot walking into town (to meet some friends for lunch). It was to protest the police raid of the newspaper and TV station and promote free speech. Despite the large number of people it was very peaceful and seemed well organized. I was tempted to join the march but figure it might be a bad idea - seeing as many of these protests usually end in someone getting shot "accidentally" by the police.

Because of the protest, the traffic was particularly bad. The matatus took matters into their own hands and drove on the sidewalks instead of the road. I'm telling you, these Kenyan matatu drivers are innovative. They think outside the box.

Shipping Woes

2006-03-09T16:31:00.000+02:00

I am trying to ship something home. There is no such thing here. To ship something from Nairobi costs as much as it does to courier it. It all has to do with corruption. Let me explain.

The roads here are so bad that it costs as much to ship (drive) something from Nairobi to Mombasa as it does to put something on a boat from Mombasa to Europe. THE SAME. INSANE.

There is plenty of money allocated for roads that never seem to get fixed. Yet the government keeps getting richer, corruption scandals emerge, nothing is done about them, the roads are still bad.

I mean, just think of the business possibilities for the country if the roads were improved and shipping costs could go down. The cost to export things would go down so much. More jobs could be had. People would have more money and live better lives. All from decent roads. Imagine.

This packing thing is stressing me out. I have a lot of stuff. And I want to bring things home for gifts but they take up so much space. There is so much cool stuff here. I would start an export business if the roads weren't so bad.

There are these 2 restaurants that I really love in Nairobi that I want to tell you about so that if you ever come here you can visit them. I have already told you how I love Nyama Choma (roasted goat) so if you went to any Nyama Choma place that would be sufficient. They are all pretty good. But if you want GREAT, cheap, authentic indian food there is Open House which is in Westlands across from Steers and while the food is great the atmosphere is pretty terrible (it looks like a food court). Still, you can't beat the quality and the price so that is why I love it.

The second place is called Habesha on Argwings Kodheck which has a great atmosphere - lots of gazebo little tables and outdoor stoves all over the place and unbelievable Ethiopian food. If you don't like ingera (the sponge-like bread thing that comes with Ethiopian food) because it is too sour - this place is for you - the ingera is milder than most places and it is also dirt cheap. Tej (Ethiopian honey wine) is $2 a bottle (brewed on site) and you get a huge veg or meat platter for $2 and that is enough for 3 people easily. Their goat is also the best in the city.

Droughts, rain, mountains and rivers

2006-03-06T16:28:00.000+02:00

On Sunday I joined 4 friends in climbing Mount Longenot – a dormant volcano in the Rift Valley. It was a bit of a tough uphill climb for the first hour and then got quite easy as we made our way along the rim of the volcano. It was beautiful. The view was amazing. Around the time we were at the highest peak we started to hear the rumble of thunder and noticed the dark clouds surrounding the mountain. We were still had half way to go. We could see the rain moving closer to the mountain and lightning and the thunder was coming closer. I guess hiking along the highest peak in a mountain during a thunderstorm isn't the smartest thing to do but we had to stay on the path in order to get back to where we were being picked up. Luckily when it did start raining we weren't struck by lightning. We only got a little wet and made our way around the rim to the path down to the gate of the park. It had apparently REALLY rained at the bottom of the mountain where the dirt road out of the park was now a river. We ploughed through the deep water in the car and somehow made it to the highway. Some parts of the highway were completely submerged in water as well but due to the talent of our driver Robinson – we made it through...

There has been a drought in most parts of Kenya and East Africa) for the past months and many people are on the brink of starvation. One of the guys I went to Mount Longenot with works for the World Food Program and was recently in Northern Kenya where he said the landscape was littered with dead livestock – starved and parched from lack of water and food. The people haven't started dying yet but it is now just a matter of time. For those who don't parish during this drought their livelihoods have been completely destroyed with the death of their cattle, goats and crops.

The Nairobi area has seen heavy rain all week (probably because of the monsoon off Reunion and Madagascar) and the difference it has made is unbelievable. Just since last week the city and surrounding area have gone from parched and dry to green and lush. The cattle, goats and donkeys have bellies again (rather than looking emaciated) and I have witnessed people dancing in celebration of the rain and praising God for its arrival. The rains have made traffic a nightmare as some busy roads and intersections flood every time it rains. Did I mention that this place is crazy??

2 weeks until I leave for London.

Hockey Night in Kenya

2006-03-03T12:58:00.000+02:00

Last night I played ice hockey for the first time in my life – and it was in Kenya. How messed up is that!?! It started a few weeks ago when a group of researchers from Winnipeg were coming to complete some work in Nairobi and an American architect (who has lived in Kenya for 10 years) who works with them decided to organize a game at the new PanAfric Hotel Ice Skating Rink! The Winnipegger's brought some sticks and pucks and a local carpenter made a few as well. You can read a news article about the first game here.

The visitors from Winnipeg are back in Canada now but some Canadians, Americans and Europeans still gather every second week to play. I was the only girl who showed up this week and although I was far from great, I don't think I embarrassed myself too badly (then again, I had low expectations of my skill level!). Some of the players are absolutely great and it was just so much fun to be on the ice and playing hockey! I think I will try and take it up when I get back to Canada.

I fell a few times and have huge welts on both of my knees but I'm proud of the battle scars and hoping that there is at least one more game that I can attend and play before I leave.

Free Press???

2006-03-02T13:11:00.000+02:00

Read this.

Once again Kenya's government has illustrated how unbelievably corrupt and messed up they are. There was a police raid on a major Kenyan newspaper and a tv station and arrests and interrogation of journalists early this morning after the government didn't like how the media covered a story this past weekend. 3 journalists are in jail. Computers and broadcasting equipment have been detained or destroyed. Holy Crap!

The worst part of this is that in my online searching this morning and watching the CNN and BBC International news there is little to no coverage of this in the international press! So who is going to put the pressure on the Kenyan government to stop these kind of atrocities? Apparently the trial of Gary Glitter is far more important.

This place is absolutely insane. Yesterday I was helping Lauren move out and her landlord was trying to get out of giving her back her deposit. Lauren has a signed contract stating that she should get that money back and the landlord was trying to say that because of a miscommunication the money went to an agent and she might not be able to get it back. Lauren said, "But I have a legal document stating that I will get this money back" and the landlady said "Well, I can make a new legal document!"

No wonder the locals have no respect or understanding of the law! The government has a complete disregard for the law and people's rights!!!

ANYWAY... I need to calm down. Things are NEVER boring here. NEVER. That isn't always a good thing.

Dreamz

2006-03-02T12:49:00.000+02:00

I have been having these weird nightmares lately that a black or a green mamba (venomous snakes) are going to bite me in my sleep. It is strange. Mostly I wake up in the night, still half asleep and check under my bed to see if there are any snakes there. Then I usually am so tired that I decide just to go to sleep as to stay away looking for them would be more irritating than it would if I just go to sleep and allow myself to be bitten. I blame this Roald Dahl autobiography (Going Solo) that I recently read about his time working in East Africa and his traumatizing experiences with a black and a green mamba snake. It is a great book and I would highly recommend it.

These dreams are most likely the result of the anti-malaria medication that I am taking which warns that side effects may include psychotic episodes, vivid dreams, hallucinations, and depression. Other than the vivid dreams I don't think I have experienced any of the other symptoms (other than my usual psychoticness).

A terribly funny thing happened on my trip in Botswana We had been sleeping in wet tents on wet sleeping mats for a few days and some of us decided to rent a cabin at the next campsite to have some luxury for one night. There were 4 girls in my cabin and Nicola (from the UK) was sleeping in the bed next to me – both of us had mosquito nets over our beds. That night I was woken up to Nicola sitting up in her bed shouting “Somebody help me! Somebody help me!”. I was still completely groggy but I sat up in my bed and looked at her through the mosquito net and asked her what was wrong. She pointed and said “They're getting in! The lions are getting in!” I was having a hard time seeing in the dark through the mosquito net to where she was pointing, plus I had NO idea what she was talking about so I started to look around for the lions and asked her where they were. It was then I think she totally woke up and quietly said “never mind, I was just dreaming” and rolled over and went back to sleep. I took one last look to make sure the lions weren't there and then went back to sleep.

Apparently one of the other girls had woken up when Nicola started yelling and witnessed the whole bizarre incident and thought we were both nuts. Anti-malaria medication is fun.

20 days

2006-02-28T12:41:00.000+02:00

I am a bit in shock that I am leaving in 20 days. I can't get over how quickly these past 8 months have gone. I am sad to be getting ready to leave but it has helped that Lauren, who arrived to start her internship a week after I did, is getting ready to leave too. I am starting to get excited to see everyone again. I think I kind of deal with being away by not thinking about home very much and just concentrating on where I am so that I don't miss people and places. But now I am curious to see how people/things have changed and how my perspective has changed.

It is hard to get annoyed with things here because I know I will miss them soon. The smell of burning garbage. People asking me if I want a taxi every 5 seconds. Having dusty, dirty shoes & feet every day. Street kids following me around. The way that everything runs on “African time” here (very very late). Fighting with taxi drivers over how much my ride should cost. HOW AM I GOING TO LIVE WITHOUT THESE THINGS??

Lisa, it's your birthday, happy birthday, Lisa

2006-02-26T13:25:00.000+02:00

Do you remember the Simpson's episode where the crazy man thinks he's Michael Jackson and Bart gets him to sing to Lisa for her birthday? I always have that song stuck in my head when it's my birthday. Or Birthday by the Beatles.

So yesterday was my birthday and it was quite fun. I did relax for most of the day and got some phone calls from home (which was nice despite the bad connection). Lauren and Jill came over to help me prepare (and go swimming) in the afternoon and that night about 20 people descended on Alla's apartment to celebrate my birthday and drink Long Island Iced Tea and eat chicken kebabs with peanut sauce. It was quite the night. We made it to a bar nearby for more drinks (although sadly the dancing sucked so it was more of a chatting evening than a dancing one).

One thing that put a damper on the evening was when we were entering the club 2 of my Kenyan friends were hassled at the door and told they couldn't' come in because they didn't have proper i.d. They were the only 2 Kenyans with us and were the only 2 stopped and I had to go outside and scream at the bouncer for a while before they were let in and apologized to. This is a problem in many bars in Nairobi and it has lead to many of them being boycotted by a lot of people. Basically, because places want to keep prostitutes out of their clubs, they don't allow black females into their clubs without a guy or mzungu bringing them in. It is an unofficial policy and it is really stupid for them to assume that all African females going into a club without male or mzungu (foreigner) accompaniment are going to prostitute themselves. I was furious and upset. My friends were furious and upset. We won't be going back there but we tried to make the most of the night despite the stupid staff there.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes...

Biting the head off a maggot

2006-02-23T12:35:00.000+02:00

I went to a dinner party last night and it was quite lovely. I felt very adult sitting around, drinking wine and chatting. Luckily as dinner ended the conversation quickly went back down to my maturity level when we somehow started talking about the most disgusting things we've ever eaten. I wasn't the one who bit head off the live maggot but let me tell you, I will never forget the detailed description of the experience that the guy gave us. I will spare you the details.

Today there is no power at work (they forgot to pay the bill) so I had time to come to the internet cafe and catch up on my blogs.

2 days until my BIRTHDAY! Whoo hoo! Wait - why am I excited again? Oh yeah, I will get lots of attention and free drinks. THAT's WHY. And my big plans for the day are sitting by the pool, relaxing, meeting some friends for appetizers & drinks, then going DANCIN'. I put almost no effort into the planning (compared to last year's "AMAZING BIRTHDAY RACE") so it will hopefully be a pretty stress-free birthday. We'll see.

Work shmurk...

2006-02-23T12:28:00.000+02:00

My return to work was a bit irritating. For starters the office manager (who I get the feeling doesn't like me) claims to have never known I was going away for a month (despite the fact that I wrote down my vacation dates for her before I left) and went on and on about how worried she was that I was dead somewhere having not heard from me in a month. Funny she thought I was dead but didn't think to call or email me or even just ask the director or my co-workers if they knew where I was. Whatever. Another co-worker greeted me with “Did you bring us presents?”. 2 others told me that I looked like I had gained weight. The rest were OK and seemed genuinely glad to see me back. I guess 4 out of 8 isn't bad.

Otherwise things haven't changed much. Some of the street vendors asked me where I was. I thought that was funny that they missed me! My taxi drivers also said they were glad to have me back. Aww!

Buy a flight - get a sauna for free!

2006-02-18T13:36:00.000+02:00

My remaining time in Zanzibar was spent on the beach, reading a crappy novel that I borrowed from the hostel library, and going swimming every 45 minutes or so. I had sunset cocktails (referred to as "sundowner's" in east Africa) with 2 girls I met who are also travelling solo. The banana daiquiris were superb.

On Friday, I took the bus back to Stone Town and head to the airport. It was cooler weather and even a bit rainy so it made it easier to leave. But once I got to the airport it was just hot and humid. I was hoping the airport would be air conditioned. It wasn't. So I was sitting there sweating (and when I say sweating I mean that my face was dripping with perspiration) and I was thinking - at least it will be nice and cool on the plane. No. No air conditioning on the plane. And the little blowy fan things didn't work either. It was hotter on the plane than it was outside. I wanted to suggest opening a window but thought no one would appreciate my humor in the situation. It was a very long and tortuous ride. One great thing was that we flew over Mount Kilimanjaro. It was beautiful and mostly clear at the top so we got a great view. One day I'll climb it. One day...

When I got back to Nairobi I was so relieved. It was so nice to have cell phone service and be able to negotiate with the taxi drivers for a price that I KNEW was fair. And to talk about the recent developments in Kenyan politics with the cab driver on the way back. I was just so glad to be back. I really missed the place.

I'm staying with my friend Alla this week. She is actually leaving for Swaziland tomorrow (I think she is hoping to seduce the king and become wife #11) so I will have her place while she is gone. After that, I am not sure who or where I am staying but something will work itself out I am sure. For now, I am just happy to be back, see my friends again, and have a clean toilet and shower to use.

Photos will be uploaded hopefully sometime this week. There are a lot of them. Brace yourself!

In other East Africa news - PLEASE read Becca's post on a recent news article published in the Kampala newspaper. It really is just another world here.

Floating in turquoise

2006-02-16T11:38:00.000+02:00

The beaches here in Nungwi are amazing. White sand, turquoise water. It is nice too because it is fairly deep so you can swim for most of the day, even when the tide it out. It is strange that it seems fake? Like it is too lovely to be real. I keep thinking I am swimming in a pool, not the ocean.

I went to a full moon party that was held in conjunction with a music festival as well as Valentines day. I ran into 2 Canadians I had met initially in Nairobi and we arranged transport by boat to head about 5km down the beach where the party was. I had seen other people piling into these boats and heading over but I wasn't prepared for the utter terror that was to unfold as we head off on our journey. First of all, they completely overloaded the boat. There were people on all sides, on the roof, hanging off the mast. So we were sinking and tipping into the water right from the get-go. This didn't bother me much though because it was quite shallow where we were and it would have been quite easy to swim to shore if the boat sank or something. Easy. The thing that worried me was the smell of gasoline and the number of people smoking! Seriously people - when do petrol and fire ever mix nicely?? I mentioned it to the driver and he actually cleared all the drunken smokers away from the rear of the boat where the jerry-cans of gas were sitting. I mean, it may have just been diesel... I hear that diesel only burns, it doesn't explode...

In the end there were no fireworks display on the boat and we got there fine and enjoyed a concert and lots of dancing. On the way back we were lucky to find a boat that was just heading back empty (there were only 4 of us as passengers instead of 25 as on the other boat) and the only incident was the poor Canadian girl puking over the side of the boat as her boyfriend held her hair back. Happy Valentines Day indeed!

I stay one more day here on the beach and fly back to Nairobi tomorrow evening. I am actually excited to go back. Can it be that I am all holiday'd out?

Zanzibar

2006-02-13T16:15:00.000+02:00

It is quite lovely here. I am enjoying Stone Town - wandering the streets, drinking fresh fruit juice and getting even darker than I was. The people are pretty laid back here. You have to be - it is too hot to get excited about anything. That makes harassment less of a problem. You just stroll down the streets at a leisurly pace and watch the world go by. I went swimming 4 times today (and I want to go again). This place is amazing and I recommend that you all check it out.

Tomorrow I head up north to the beaches of Nungwi. More swimming. More sun. Hopefully more juice and seafood. I could get used to this.

I hear the train a comin'

2006-02-12T19:01:00.000+02:00

My second bus ride up to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia to catch the train was fairly uneventful unless you count the guy who was sitting across the aisle from me throwing up about once an hour. Just all over himself and on the floor and not wiping it up. It was GROSS. Luckily it didn't smell.

The train was a whole other ballgame. What an adventure. I am trying to describe it that way because for the first 24 hours of the 44 hour train ride I was writing this post in my head and describing it as some kind of prison hell. I had a second class ticket which meant a 6-person berth sharing with 5 other girls. I don't even know how to describe this. It was SMALL. When the beds were down then you coudln't even sit up in your bed, you could only lie there with about a food of head space to the next bed above you. And it was HOT. And there was no water. And squat toilets.

But after the first day I got used to it and kind of liked it. I met a few people and got used to the heat and cramped quarters. Today as we were going through a game park I saw tons of wildlife through the window and it just felt so good to be where I was. I really felt free.

Once in Dar Es Salaam, I decided that there was no need to stick around the city and rather head straight to Zanzibar. After not showering and sweating profusely for close to 3 days, I was looking and feeling pretty terrible and decided to treat myself to a nice hotel in Stone Town for a couple of nights before i head to the north beach. What a room! With a 4-post bed and AIR CONDITIONING! And a sit down tiled shower and a NICE pool! I am in heaven! Bad website but to get an idea what it looks like it is www.tembohotel.com

I figured out a way to get the beachboys to leave you alone when you first arrive in a new place. Just tell them that you are staying at the fanciest hotel and they will walk away. It is because they only recieve commission from the smaller hostels and hotels and if you go to an expensive place they don't get anything so see you as a waste of time. Live and learn.

The beachboys here are annoying. I have had a really hard time about getting ripped off since I came to Zambia and Tanzania. In Zambia, looking back at my reciept, I was charged $20 too much for my Zambia visitor visa. Then on the train they tried to short-change me TWICE! The same guy. Either that or he just can't count. Then in Tanzania I bought my ferry ticket and once on the boat looking closely at the ticket I saw that I was charged $5 more than was printed on the ticket. I think that was a commission for the guy who brought me to the ticket seller. Things like this are starting to get to me. MAKES ME CRAZY!

On the Road Again

2006-02-09T17:59:00.000+02:00

I am now in Lusaka, Zambia. This morning I woke up before everyone else and slipped out to begin the next solo part of my journey. I took a cab to the border, left Zimbabwe, walked across the bridge over the Zambezi river (it was really high and I really don't know how Ciaran had the guts to bungy off it), got my Zambia visa and head to Livingstone. I managed to just catch my bus in time (or so I thought). Once everyone was seated a man came on the bus and introduced himself. I thought it might be the driver. No, he was a preacher from a local church who had a deal with the bus company to preach the word of God to us for 45 minutes before we left on our trip and lead us in prayers. WOW. This is why I LOVE using local transport in Africa. It is always full of surprises and interesting things. He was quite the preacher - completely reminding me of the Samuel L. Jackson character from Pulp Fiction. Except it was a 45 minute speach, not a 2 minute movie monologue. Other than that the ride was rather uneventful and I am taking this evening to catch up on emails and journals and probably going to bed early. Tomorrow I will be attempting to catch the train to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and then onto the beaches of Zanzibar. Wish me luck.

Happy Clappy

2006-02-09T17:48:00.000+02:00

I really had a good time on my overland trip. I was initially sceptical about being on a "tour" and stuck with the same group of people for almost 3 weeks but I was really lucky. It was fun, full of adventure, and the people were great.

We head out of Botswana to our final destination of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It was raining as we arrived and that kind of deterred us from signing up for very many actvities (like rafting or riverboarding). Plus the prices were a bit ridiculous. Because it was Jodie's birthday we decided to go for a river cruise (with unlimited alcohol) and were lucky when the rain stopped in time for us to hop on the boat from 4 - 7. We saw hippos and crocs and impala and lots of drunk people (wait, that was us). The photos are highly entertaining and will be posted upon my return to Kenya.

It is funny that on the first night of the trip, 8 of us went out for dinner and drinks and really got along great and we all stayed friends throughout the trip. On the last night we even found the same 8 people heading out for one last dinner. Despite the vast age differences (25 - 72 age range) and that we were from all different parts of the world, we got along rather well and I hope I will see most of these people again one day in the future.

Elephants love Botswana

2006-02-06T17:23:00.000+02:00

There were a lot of elephants in Botswana. And spiders. Of all sorts and sizes. We were driving along the highway and something caught my eye on the side of the road and I saw a herd of about 40 elephants. It was unbelievable. And the worst part was that when I looked around the truck everyone else was alseep. So I was the only one to see it. It reminds me of when I was in Peru and we were driving to our starting point for the Inca trail early in the morning and suddenly in the middle of nowhere a marching band appeared walking down the side of the road (in full costume and with drums and everything). I looked at them in amazement and turned to share the moment with my fellow passengers only to see that they were all asleep. This is why I never sleep on buses! You miss all the good stuff.

Botswana was rainy. We went to the Okavanga Delta which is basically a big swamp with a national park around it and were paddled out there in mokoros (dug out canoes). Mine had a hole in it and kept taking in water but I made it there without getting eaten by a crocodile so it was ok in the end. That evening we went on a 3 hour hike through the Delta and went to the side of a marsh to check out some hippos. Our guide started making some sort of mating call or something to the hippos and they started snorting and growling and coming out of the water at us. For those of you who don't know, hippos are the most dangerous animal in Africa. They are vicious creatures. EVIL. So I was understandably terrified and ran away. I wasn't the only one. But we didn't get attacked. We just got soaked on the walk back to the camp. It was still raining the next day as we made our way back to our campsite in an open 4-wheel drive truck. It was a 2-hour drive that basically felt like someone was constantly throwing buckets of water on you while you went over huge potholes and through shallow rivers. At first it was fun, particularly because it felt like one of those amusement park rides where you pay a lot of money to get wet. But imagine being on one of those rides for 2 hours. And then all your stuff is soaked.

The next day we went to Chobe National Park and saw a LOT more elephants and some hippos (on a boat safari). Guess what happened then? It started to rain! Was the boat enclosed? NO! Then what happened? It started thundering and lightning. And we ran out of gas! I am serious. With crocs and hippos all around us we couldn't stop laughing at the dire situation. Luckily the captain found some more fuel and we made it back to the camp in one piece (albeit soaked).

OH BOTSWANA. Do you ever stop raining??

Disaster Zone

2006-02-02T12:00:00.000+02:00

We have had one number of adventures after another on this trip. I am running out of internet time so this is a quick list:

1) We encounter a sandstorm while entering Sousoufflei (not fun when setting up tents)
2) It starts to rain and the entire area floods, roads turn into rivers, washing our tents away and soaking our sleeping bags/mats
3) Johanna (Sweden) gets her debit card stolen in Swakopmund.
4) Our bus loses a tire as we are heading out of Swakopmund. We nearly tip over. We are stranded by the side of the road in the blazing sun for 3 hours. We pass the time playing frisbee.
5) We are driving through Etosha National Park (encountering many lions) and our truck wheel slides into mud. Stuck. VERY STUCK. You aren't supposed to get out of vehicles but we have no choice. Once again our truck nearly tips over the truck is at such a strange angle. This time we play word games while we wait for the park rangers to get a tractor to pull us out of the mud. We also try and make lots of noise to keep the lions at bay.

Our tour leaders seem to be impressed with our group. No one freaks out. No one gets mad at them or the situation. It is a good group. Very calm. Very Hakuna Matata...

It is terribly disorienting for me to be here in Southern Africa. I thought that I would only be shocked by Cape Town but I am sitting here in Windhoek and still feeling like this is a strange place that can't be Africa. It seems quite modern. And here I was thinking that Nairobi was so modern just because there are some shopping malls and you can get a decent cappuchino. WHat a difference nicely paved roads make. But on the other hand, the abundance of stores and advertisements and obvious western influence is a bit strange considering that Namibia is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Tomorrow we head into Botswana. We have had rain for the past 3 days... I expect it to continue until the end of the trip.

Free Falling

2006-01-29T08:26:00.000+02:00

AHHHHHhhh (from 10000 feet), originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Some things I realized I forgot to mention in the last post...

Our first days in Namibia in Sossuflei (I think that is how you spell it) which is in the Kalahari Desert, we experienced a sand storm. It was amazing but quite annoying as we had to put our tents up in it and everything was covered in sand. Then the next day there was a downpour of rain and everything flooded. There was rivers where there used to be roads. Our tents nearly all got washed away. The weather in Namibia changes every 5 seconds it seems. All very extreme. It is amazing.

Did you hear me scream?? Part 2

2006-01-28T17:14:00.000+02:00

(Read the next post called "Did you hear me scream??" FIRST - blogger is not allowing me to put such a long post)

I had so much fun that I did it again TODAY! Oh no - I think I am addicted. This time I got a discount, but also we did more tricks. For example, we did 3 somersaults when we tumbled out of the plane. Then we did some tricks while freefalling, like spinning & going sideways. Once the shoot was up we did more spins and also things like where you stop falling for a second and so you get that feeling in your stomach where you are falling. We did that on a cloud so it was like we were standing on it and then we basically fell right through it. Sorry this is so scattered but I just came back from the second jump and I am still on a high! SO MUCH FUN.

I like Namibia. South Africa is amazing but it was too modern and commercialized for me. Although Swakopmund is pretty commercial as well. There is a KFC here too. I don't know why that bothers me so much but it really does. Especially when you are driving through districts of slums and shack housing and then you see a mini mall and a KFC just a few minutes drive away.

The desert is nice. I went Quad-biking today. It is like on a 4-wheeler bike thing? Like in Napoleon Dynamite what his grandma was doing when she got hurt? We did that over the dunes. It was great! One of the Korean guys flipped his bike but he said it was fun.

I will update again once I am in Victoria Falls. In about 2 weeks I think?

By the way, I heard about the election. You understand now why I am jumping out of planes??

Did you hear me scream??

2006-01-28T17:03:00.000+02:00

Where to even begin...

First of all, I am in Swakopmund, Namibia, a gorgeous town on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Namib Desert. Amazing.The past 7 (?) days have been great. The group of people I am with are from all over the place, 5 Germans, 3 Aussies, 3 Swedes, 2 Dutch, 2 Koreans, 2 Scots, an Irish bloke and a British girl, and me! We have a good group and have been having a lot of fun. Long days on the road with great views, usually ending up with us in the nearest ocean, river or pool at the campsite and then a trip to the bar. Not bad.

We did some dune hiking and exploring of the Kalahari Desert a few days ago. We hiked around Fish River Canyon and saw a lovely sun set. We spent some time at Walbert's Bay and played in the FREEZING but very wavy ocean. I managed to lose my sunglasses in the current as the waves crashed over me. It was worth it.Yesterday we arrived in Swakopmund and went to an activity centre where we could sign up for what we wanted to do the next 2 days. I head straight for the counter and signed up for sky diving. And not only that, the previous 6 days I had managed to convince 6 others from our group to try it out as well. We went right away that afternoon. I was up third. They basically give you a brief run-through of what is going to happen and then you are up in the plane for a 20-minute scenic flight before you plunge...I have to say I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be. Having other people around doing the same thing really helped. When we jumped out of the plane (at 10000 feet) it was amazing! You get that falling feeling in your stomach for only the first second but then you just feel like you are flying! Then after about 6 seconds of freefall(falling 5000 feet) your shoot opens and you just float down and everything is really quiet and beautiful. The view was of the ocean and the white desert. Although it was a little cloudy. We passed through the clouds and landed VERY softly. I HIGHLY recommend it. HIGHLY. Best thing EVER.

I had so much fun that I did it again TODAY! Oh no - I think I am addicted. This time I got a discount, but also we did more tricks. For example, we did 3 sommersaults when we tumbled out of the plane. Then we did some tricks while freefalling, like spinning & going sideways.Once the shoot was up we did more spins and also things like where you stop falling for a second and so you get that feeling in your stomach where you are falling. We did that on a cloud so it was like we were standing on it and then we basically fell right through it. Sorry this is so scattered but I just came back from the second jump and I am still on a high! SO MUCH FUN.

I like Namibia. South Africa is amazing but it was too modern and commercialized for me. Although Swakopmund is pretty commercial as well. There is a KFC here too. I don't know why that bothers me so much but it really does. Especially when you are driving through districts of slums and shack housing and then you see a mini mall and a KFC just a few minutes drive away.

The desert is nice. I went Quad-biking today. It is like on a 4-wheeler bike thing? Like in Napolean Dynamite what his grandma was doing when she got hurt? We did that over the dunes. It was great! One of the Korean guys flipped his bike but he said it was fun. I will update again once I am in Victoria Falls. In about 2 weeks I think?

By the way, I heard about the election. You understand now why I am jumping out of planes??

Intense gooseberry, green peppers and fig aromas.

2006-01-20T23:48:00.000+02:00

There was some confusion over my tour. Apparently it is not starting until Sunday. Not what the instructions sent to me said, but I guess things change. Too bad I went a day early today for a meeting with my group only to find I wasted cab fare for nothing. But it all worked itself out. And now I have an extra day in Cape Town. What to do tomorrow?

Today I spent my time riding around in a minivan with a bunch of Americans, Aussies, and Brits to 3 different wine regions for tastings and tours. We also got to try different cheeses and chocolates and go swimming. A nice day. And great wines. So cheap too! I wish I wasn't going backpacking for the next 4 weeks, otherwise I would have bought a bunch.

The wineries we went to (in case any connoisseurs (DAD) are interested)... Fairview (also home to Goats do Roam and Agostinelli and Spice Route), Villiera, and one in Stellenboesch that I lost the sheet for.

The power in Cape Town was out upon our return and after I found out that I didn't have to meet up with my group tonight I was going to walk home and just write in my journal by candlelight but then the power came back on. So I went and watched another film. Walk the Line. WOW I loved that one too! So good. Great music. I'm glad I got to see it. I like watching movies every night. I'm not a hermit - I just like movies...

(Not) Helpful

2006-01-19T21:55:00.000+02:00

Not Helpful: Stupid FOREX exchange people who were rude and slow and took ONE HOUR out of my day just to change my traveller's cheques. I don't want to get into it. IDIOTS!! I had to keep reminding myself to be zen. That my anger only upsets ME and wouldn't make anything happen faster... They were so bloody RUDE!

Helpful: People at the Holiday Inn who when I asked if I could pay a daily membership fee or something in order to use and lounge by their pool just told me that I could go ahead and use it for free as long as I didn't cause a "ruckus". Me? Cause a ruckus? NEVER! The sun and the swim and my iPod took any tension the FOREX idiots put in my muscles. Oh, and the Castle Lager. Good stuff - tastes kind of like Carlsberg...

Not Helpful: Kulula.com and redenvelope.co.za who I booked my biking wine tour through whom I have had to chase down and call about 8 times (no exaggeration) to try and get them to tell me if I was doing a tour or not. I ended up giving them a piece of my mind on their poor organizational skills and customer service and booked a different tour through someone else - no biking unfortunately but I guess that is safer for all involved. Tomorrow I get to see WINE COUNTRY!

Helpful: The people who suggested to see The Constant Gardener. What a good movie! THAT is Kenya. Not the murder and the intrigue (well, that happens too) but the people and the kids shouting and crowding you and the scenery and the music! It was great. I loved it. But what a sad movie!

Cape of... (fill in the blank)

2006-01-18T22:03:00.000+02:00

Cape of Beautiful Scenery - Wow it is gorgeous here. Did I mention that yesterday? The drive to Cape of Good Hope with the 12 Apostles on one side and the Atlantic on the other... unbelievable. The pictures won't do it justice.

Cape of Vomit - I ended up joining a mini-bus of other tourists to head down the cape to check out Simon's Town and the place where to 2 oceans meet. A great experience marred only by the constant vomiting and crying of a 2 year old sitting in front of me. The smell, the horrible smell. WHY!?!? The pictures won't do it justice.

Cape of Dancing Germans - There are a lot of Germans here. And when we were checking out the Penguins I seemed to be surrounded by Germans who smelled like alcohol and were dancing around imitating the penguins. I am not stereotyping them. I am just stating what I saw. Maybe they were Austrian. I'm not very good with the accents. I'm sorry I didn't take any pictures. I was in awe.

Cape of ... movies? - Ok, that one was a little weak. Travelling on my own has allowed me to spend the last 2 nights treating myself to a movie at the cinema. Yesterday was the Bill Murray/Jim Jarmusch film Broken Flowers. Today was a little more cheesy with The Family Stone. Any suggestions for tomorrow? Anyone see anything good lately? Emails or comments are always appreciated. JUST A REMINDER. hint hint.

More Europe than Africa

2006-01-18T09:06:00.000+02:00

I am in Cape Town. It is a beautiful, modern city. But it is freaking me out. It really doesn't feel like Africa. The Nike store is across from the KFC. The computers are fast. There are no dirt roads or people pushing carts down the streets or ladies balancing impossibly huge bundles on their heads as they walk down the sidewalk. There are nice cars here and even a Camper shoe store. I am feeling conflicted about the amount of consumerism here. I forgot what it was like. I think I will have a harder time adapting to the western world than I thought. At first I was excited about all the stores with the pretty things in them. CHOICE! VARIETY! Nice smells, textures! But it just seems wrong. Unnecessary. Everything I thought I missed about big cities is here but I realize I don't really miss it that much.

Regardless, it is a gorgeous city. Table Mountain looming over the city is breathtaking. I went to Robben Island yesterday (the jail island where Nelson Mandela was held) and hung out at the waterfront and walked around the city (they even have a pedestrian shopping street). I can see why this place is named as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If I wasn't suffering from culture shock coming from Nairobi I probably wouldn't want to leave. It reminds me a lot of Vancouver or San Francisco or even Barcelona.

I saw penguins yesterday at Robben Island. This too seems out of place. It is amazing, gorgeous weather and the penguins were lounging by the water or sunning themselves in the sand! I really feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. A really beautiful, fun Twilight Zone.

Jo'burg

2006-01-16T13:24:00.000+02:00

I made it to South Africa. I am in the airport in Johannesburg waiting for my flight to Cape Town. Things seem very modern here - there is even a KFC (first sign of western fast-food in 6 months). There are also a lot more white people here. It is strange. It also seems quite expensive (although just staying in the airport is a bad way to gage it). But the internet is FAST!

I am happy to say that once my bags were delivered to Lauren's place, my stress disappeared. There are some "baggage" analogies/puns that I could make here but I got up at 4am this morning so I don't think I'm quite up for it.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon gnawing on nyama choma (Desmond's suggestion was that they add seasoning to the meat) and pretty much just making it an early night.

Going, Going...

2006-01-15T09:07:00.000+02:00

Leaving early tomorrow morning. I am still stressed about packing things up and clearing out of my place. I thought it would be easier. I thought I had less stuff!

I will try my best to do updates while I am away but once I am out of Cape Town it could be difficult.

DESMOND's INSIGHTS ABOUT KENYA (excerpt taken from his online journal)

Day 3 - 3L of beer and not much water afterwards causes headaches in the morning. i and the guy i hung out with last night took a matatu (a really packed minibus) to a giraffe centre. the drive on the matatu was alone an interesting experience as it brought us close to death many times. on the bus, we met a young man campaigning to be the future president of Africa. he was very annoying, but stayed with us the whole day and acted as a guide. he walked us to the giraffe place, and brought us to an orphanage near the place. it was pretty depressing seeing the children there, many of them HIV positive. the place was also a school, so at nights, the children sleep (in horrible conditions) on the floor and the place converts into a classroom during the days. on the bus home, an argument erupted between the ticket guy and a drunk passenger who didn't want to pay. we were sitting in between the fight. an interesting day - the future president of kenya being my guide and escaping death. i wonder what tomorrow brings.

Packin'

2006-01-11T19:59:00.000+02:00

Kids playing soccer in Mombasa, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Ok - a heck of a lot of photos have been uploaded - check them out.

I am trying to prepare myself for my 35-day journey from Cape Town to Nairobi. Packing for the trip. Packing up my apartment (my things will be kept in storage at a friend's house). Making hostel reservations. Trying to see everyone this week. It is a bit stressful. I am wondering how I will get everything done by Sunday evening.

But at the same time I am getting really excited about Cape Town. I can't wait to see the penguins!

For those of you who are wondering – this is what I will be up to over the next few weeks:

Monday Jan 16 – Saturday Jan 21st – Cape Town, South Africa.
Saturday Jan 21st - I join up with an overland bus to travel through Namibia (Fish River Canyon, Namib Naukluft National Park, Swakopmund, Etosha National Park, Waterberg Plateau National Park) and Botswana (Maun, Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park) and ending up in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on Feb 8th.
Thursday Feb 9th – Sunday Feb 12th – I set off solo for Lusaka, Zambia and then head up to Kipiri Mposhi, Zambia to catch a train (TAZARA) which will take me north up to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania over a 45-hour scenic journey!
Monday, Feb 13th – I take the ferry to Zanzibar (hopefully meeting up with a friend from Nairobi) where I will spend a week on the beaches of this beautiful island! I will then take the bus back to Nairobi (across northern Tanzania and past Mount Kilimanjaro) on Saturday Feb 18th.

I am overwhelmed at the thought of all that travel right now so right now I am just concentrating on how much fun I will have in Cape Town. Apparently you can do wine tours by BIKE! That could be dangerous!

Climb Every Mountain

2006-01-09T23:15:00.000+02:00

Kenya 093, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

I just got back from climbing Mount Kenya. My feet are covered in blisters and sores. I can hardly walk. It was fun.

It was basically a 4-day journey with 13 other Mountain Club of Kenya people. We organized it ourselves rather than going through a tour operator (although knowing the hassles we went through I think I would recommend going through an operator). We took the Naro Moro route (the shortest but steepest) hiking through a bamboo forest and spending one night at Met Station Huts (3000 metres altitude), then hiking up the “vertical bog” (a very steep swampy section) with stunning views of the rift valley. We crossed over one peak and into a valley with a strange desert-type landscape with labalias and cactus littering the mountain side and the summit of Mount Kenya peaking through the clouds as we approached the hut where we spent our second night – McKinder's Hut (4200 metres altitude).

That morning at 1:30am, 7 of us woke up, put on all the clothes that we had with us (it was below zero at this point) and head up the mountain with a porter to guide us in the dark. It was very cold and very difficult. By the time we reached the highest hut (Austrian Hut – 4800 metres altitude) I could hardly walk and decided to view the sunrise from there rather than scrambled up the rocks to see the view from Point Lenana (4900 metres altitude) with some of the others. The sunrise was clear and amazing and when looking directly south you could see Mount Kilimanjaro peaking out of the top of the distant clouds.

Each of us nursing some side-effect from the altitude, 4 of us head down the mountain slope back to the camp while the other 3 went with the guide to do the circuit around the highest peaks of the mountain. It was a gorgeous sunny day but that didn't stop us from heading directly back to bed once we were back at camp. We played cards and ate dehydrated food and tried to stay warm. Remember how I said I missed winter? Well, I take it back!!! Using an outdoor toilet in -10'C weather will make you appreciate warm weather!

The walk down the mountain gave me blisters on the tips of my toes. I was happy to get back into that matatu and head back to Nairobi. It was a great journey but an exhausting one and it made me ready to go back to work.

Total distanced hiked: 56kms. Total altitude ascended: 2kms.
Total photos taken: 115 (I will upload some soon!!)

Six Months

2006-01-09T22:58:00.000+02:00

More Swahili essentials:

Poa – cool
Pole (po -lay) – sorry
Pole Pole – careful / slowly!
Sawa – ok?!

Sawa is the Kenyan equivalent to the Canadian “Eh!” and is basically added on to the end of most sentences. It is hard to avoid this one. I even find myself using “sawa” in text messages and emails.

A verb used by Kenyans a lot is “imagine”. Or you might just say the word “imagine” if someone is explaining something to you. John Lennon would be proud.

Top 3 things that I talk about on this blog:

I have another friend visiting. This time it is Desmond taking time off from his copywriting job in Toronto to come check out Kenya for 10 days before heading back to Canada via a stopover in Amsterdam. He did very well on his own those first couple of days while I was up Mount Kenya. He took a matatu, didn't get robbed, saw the Giraffe Centre, walked around the city, went to a bar and got drunk with another Canadian he met, visited a school, and observed that Kenyans don't smile very much. It's true but you have to talk to them first and then they will smile. They may seem standoffish initially but once you ask them something they will be almost overly friendly and go out of their way to help you out.

I think Dez is going to Maasai Mara this week and we are trying to find him a cheap ticket to Lamu as well. I think if you do one thing in Kenya – you should go to the Maasai Mara. And if you do two, the second should be to see Lamu.

Hakuna Matata. You have no idea how often this song from the Lion King is stuck in my head. I still find the song very cheesy and irritating but you have to adopt the attitude of it's meaning in order to survive in Kenya. In case you don't know, it means “no worries” in Swahili. People here say it with a shrug and a smile when something that should be frustrating happens. This is a good approach because so many potentially frustrating things happen here that you have to shrug most of them off. Although I keep thinking about how unsuccessful George and his “serenity now” mantra was in Seinfeld and worry that my “hakuna matatas” will eventually lead to a complete flip out. Only time will tell.

Holiday. Celebrate.

2006-01-04T22:16:00.000+02:00

The sand was so white it hurt your eyes, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Continuation of my time at the coast for the holidays. After I did my last update we hired a dhow (an old swahili sailboat) to take us to the beach (a 30 minute ride). I was actually freaked out when the dhow started to tip (as all sailboats do) as I associated it with white water rafting and assumed we were going to tip! Could it be that white water rafting has scarred me for life? I hope not. I will have to take more boat rides and see what happens.

From Lamu we head south again to Watamu. This time there were no chickens in the bus but still a constant soundtrack of Islamic hits were broadcast over the bus’s speakers for the duration of the journey. About 90% of the coastal residents (particularly those in Lamu) are Muslim and it is not uncommon to see women walking around in the FULL burqa (head to toe in black with only eyes showing and sometimes even a veil over the eyes). This was a stark contrast to those handful of tourists (myself included) who were obviously wearing a lot less at the beach.

In Watamu we met up with my friend Lauren & her boyfriend and saw the Gedi Ruins and lots of time on the beach. We did a bit of snorkeling at a reef in the Marine Reserve there and saw thousands of beautiful, brightly coloured fish and coral. I should have bought one of those underwater cameras but didn’t think of it in time. Watamu was nice but didn’t have as much fresh fruit juices or cheap seafood available so we decided that Lamu is officially better. Although I can’t say that we suffered very much in Watamu!

As we head to Mombasa on Dec 31st, Karen and I said our good-bye’s as she head back to Nairobi and then Canada that night. I think Karen took the New Year’s flight just for the free champagne.

I went hopped on the matatu and head south to Tiwi Beach to meet up with 25 friends (most Mountain Club of Kenya members) for New Year’s on the beach. We had a nice grilled fish dinner at our ocean-view cottages (keep in mind they cost us only about $15 a night) and then head to a HUGE party with 4 djs and about 500 people. It was at a club on the beach and we danced all night. When we weren’t dancing we went and hung out on the beach and I chased crabs. It was a lovely, lovely night. The crabs didn’t think so.

We spend 2 more days there and now I’m back in Nairobi. I’m a little stressed because I am leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to go and climb MOUNT KENYA! Huzzah! Africa’s 2nd highest peak after Kilimanjaro! And somehow I got finagled into being one of the coordinators. Responsible for 15 people trekking up the mountain. What? Regardless, I am VERY excited to do this and it is a great group going so we should have a lot of fun if the altitude doesn’t ruin too much of the fun. I will hopefully be up at about 5000 metres sometime on Saturday! Wish me luck.

More photos will be posted upon my return. Sorry so slow - it’s been hectic!

Happy New Year

2006-01-03T22:32:00.000+02:00

Kids in Lamu, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

I'm back from the coast. I am tanned, relaxed and happy. Details to follow after I get a good night's sleep in Nairobi's soothing cooler climate.

Feathers between my toes

2005-12-28T10:43:00.000+02:00

Our Christmas celebration was on Christmas Eve as 15 of us gathered at a friend's house and had a huge feast and lots of drinks. Kenyans, Canadians, Americans, a Russian, an Egyptian, a Frenchman and a Mexican were in attendance. It was quite the party and we ate a lot although I think what filled me up the most was the Mexican Eggnog made by Perla with 12 eggs in it (in a 1 litre jug)! And the recipe called for 26!!! It was good though. Christmas morning Karen and I set off on the bus for Mombasa. It was a long, hot, bumpy busride but we made it in one piece and still managed to have time to check out much of the laid-back coastal city. That night we dined at an amazing waterfront restaurant and had crab for Christmas dinner. I was SO HAPPY.

The next morning we set off for Lamu. This bus is less used by tourists (most people fly) and we were in the very back of the bus sharing the back row with 4 other people. Tight fit. Thing got even tighter as we picked up cargo to bring to Lamu - which eventually included about 30 chickens, with their feet bound to one another in pairs and thrown into the back of the bus (meaning on and under our seats). I must have had 4 chickens on my feet and some under my chair. The ones sitting under Karen kept squacking and flapping its wings and scaring the hell out of Karen. It was a VERY interesting ride. Poor chickens. From there we took the ferry to Lamu and have been here ever since.

This place is breathtakingly beautiful and the atmosphere is so laid-back and charming and the architecture is so interesting. I dont' want to leave. Did I mention there is very cheap seafood? We had lobster last night and have had prawns for lunch every day. The fresh juices come in pint glasses and cost 50cents. My favourite combos so far are banana passion, avocado banana, mango pineapple... the list goes on - I have a goal to drink 3 pints a day minimum.

Ok, long enough post... time to hit the beach! My tan is coming along nicely. Pictures won't be able to be posted until after Jan 2nd when I'm back in Nairobi. From here we head to Watamu tomorrow (checking out Gedi Ruins and going snorkeling) and then Karen leaves and I meet up with friends in Tiwi Beach for a big New Years Party.

24 Hours in Ethiopia

2005-12-28T10:29:00.000+02:00

Slightly delayed posting but things have been busy. Yes, I was in Ethiopian briefly. How it all went down was that I went to renew my Kenyan visa for an extra 10 days (it expires while I am away hiking Mount Kenya and 10 days before I leave for South Africa. I figured it wouldn't be a very big deal. I was wrong. Apparently you cannot extend your visa past 6 months. Ever. Or so says the senior immigration official. And that you have to leave East Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania) to renew it. WHAT? Ok, seeing as I have 2 days free before I head to the coast I think I had better do something about this. I head to a few travel agencies and they managed to find me a fairly cheap flight to Addis Ababa - the capital of Ethiopia.

I payed for the ticket, packed, gave Karen some emergency numbers in case she needed any help from my friends, and the next day I was on the plane to Addis. What a beautiful city! It has lots of really nice highrises, the streets are in great condition and it seems somewhat less chaotic than Nairobi or Kampala.

I spent most of the day wandering around the Merkato (the largest open-air market in Africa) and bartering for silver objects. Most things were actually quite a bit more expensive than Kenya. The people were sweet and interesting with most of the men greeting you with a "You look beautiful today". Not bad for my ego.

I treated myself to my favourite meal (Ethiopian or otherwise) of Shiro (tasty bean paste stuff) and Tej (Ethiopian honey wine) and head back to the airport for my flight back to Nairobi. It was a good little adventure. I want to go back and see more of the country but I guess that will have to wait for next time!

Watch your step

2005-12-21T22:59:00.000+02:00

There are a lot of holes in the ground here. I'm talking more than potholes. I'm talking open sewers, 2-foot deep moats between street and sidewalk and just random holes that are deep and rather dangerous. To add to this obstacle course, you have the objects that stick out of the ground. Like poles that aren't removed completely, but rather sawed off leaving a sharp metal pole sticking up 1/2 foot out of the ground. Perfect for stubbing and injuring toes if you are not careful. I was rather un-careful and did just that last week and my toe swelled up to TWICE it's size. It is ok now. But it did cause me to miss a day of climbing.

Karen is doing well considering she is usually the one to fall into such things as open sewers - ok, it hasn't happened before but I can totally picture it! I think she has been suffering a bit from the heat though. It is a really strong sun and quite hot in the daytime now, although it still gets chilly at night.

Walking around town you hear Christmas songs and it seems surreal. It seems more like summer vacation than Christmas to me. But I have a couple of little presents to open on the 25th, and a big dinner with Lauren & friends on the 24th should also be nice. I wonder if they would be up for singing carols?? The 25th we will be travelling to Mombasa but have made reservations at one of Kenya's premier establishments - Tamarind - a seafood restaurant that is quite famous around here. I am SO excited! One thing that keeps me awake at night though - crab or lobster?? BIG DECISION!

Spotted!

2005-12-20T18:07:00.000+02:00

Karen & Kat - Lake Nakuru Safari, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Karen and I got back from a quick safari to Nakuru, Kenya's 4th largest city. We did a hike up Menengai Crater, spent the night in Nakuru, then today woke up bright and early for a 6-hour drive around the nearby National Park. The park is famous for it's 800,000+ population of flamingos as well as the white rhinos that you are pretty much guaranteed a good look at (this is not the case in most other parks). But the highlite of the trip for me was a quick but great encounter with a leopard! I finally saw one! She jumped in front of our van and ran into some shrubs. I managed to get a photo of some tail and leopard butt. But leopards are so elusive (a friend here hasn't seen one in the 10 years he has lived here). I feel quite lucky. That means I have seen all of the "Big Five" game in Africa - Rhinos, Elephants, Buffalo, Lions and Leopards! It was a good trip although I think we are both a little tuckered out. Photos to be uploaded on flickr soon.

A Day at the Races

2005-12-18T22:03:00.000+02:00

Run Horse Run, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

We went to check out the Ngong Racecourse horse races today. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and the laid-back races were a great way to spend the day after a late night at a going-away party for friends. The line-ups for bets went extremely slowly due to old, misfunctioning betting machines. There were no television screens to see the race as it progressed. You had to, GASP, watch using just your own eyes! It was a kind of step back in time as well to the old colonial times. The majority of the people attending were black Kenyans but there were a few die hard "Kenya Cowboys" or white Kenyans. The Kenya Cowboy title confused me a bit when I heard friends referring to them, but many of them actually do wear cowboy hats (with their top of the line designer clothes). This obviously doesn't refer to all white Kenyans, but there is a very distinct group who tend to stick out quite a bit and kind of gives them all a certain stereotypical image. I find it all a bit strange.

We did very well, all of us winning at one point in the day, excited despite the low payouts. A lovely, fun day.

Promotion to Glory

2005-12-17T18:17:00.000+02:00

It has been another busy week. Karen went on Safari to Amboseli National Park and saw lots of elephants and stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro. I have finished up my last week of work before the holidays. YEAH! 3 weeks off! The office closes for 2 and a half weeks but I took of an extra couple of days so that Karen and I can do some travelling to different parts of the country. This week Nakuru and Rift Valley. Next week Lamu, Watamu, and Mombasa (aka 'The Coast!')

Karen wrote a section about Licence Plates. I wrote a section about Death Announcements. More INTERESTING and FUN cultural info and differences about Kenya to come!

1) License Plates

License plates are colour coded and pretty interesting. A yellow license plate is the standard issue. Most of the alphanumeric strings seem to start with 'K' for Kenya. A blue license plate has something to do with the Kenyan government. This fact came courtesy of Frederick, Karen's safari guide in Amboseli.

A red license plate means a diplomatic vehicle. The codes on the plates include 'UN' for the UN or 'CD' for general diplomatic missions. If you are in downtown Nairobi you literally see a diplomatic plate every two minutes. At a nice restaurant you see even more. Jokes aside, there are lots of UN vehicles in Nairobi because much of the work in the Sudan and Somalia is headquartered here.

2) Death Announcements

Death announcements here are quite different than those in North America. First of all, the death announcements don't necessarily happen right after the death because often times the family has to save up enough money to transport the body to the part of the country where the family is from and save for funeral and burial costs, so you will often see a death announcement several weeks after the person has actually died. Secondly, (Karen reminded me of this difference that I am now used to) is the way that the announcements are placed. They are usually several pages in each day's newspaper and in full colour with a large announcement and photo of the person. They are a very well-read section of the newspaper. Below is a scan of a typical announcement. The Promotion to Glory thing confused me at first – thinking it was a job promotion or something... I guess it could be seen as that!

Cheetahs and Traffic Violations

2005-12-13T18:13:00.000+02:00

Our weekend was great. I have to say that if any of you come to Kenya and want to see wildlife – go to the Maasai Mara. It is gorgeous and it is unbelievable the number and variety of animals that you see.

We drove down with Ally and Don on Saturday morning. It took just under 5 hours to get there even with one breakdown. If you live in Kenya and plan to have a car – you have to be prepared for breakdowns. First of all, the roads are terrible – huge crater-sized holes even on major highways – and those are the PAVED roads. With the sun being so strong and such terrible driving conditions, overheating is as common as the blown tires and cracked windshields that you will most likely encounter. So most of the people here know a good deal about fixing cars and have 2 spare tires on them at all times.

The park was amazing as always. Animals we saw: serval cat (looks like small cheetah with tall pointy ears), lions, giraffes, zebra, impala, eland, hyena, crocodile, hippo, elephant, dik-dik, ostrich, vultures, baboons & buffalo. Plus a ton of other stuff. That night was dinner and a concert just outside of the park and we were up early the next morning to drive around some more before heading home in the late afternoon. That day we saw much of what we saw the day before but also were lucky to see a mother cheetah and her 2 cubs just after they had a feast on a kill of a gazelle. I saw a mother cheetah and 6 cubs here 4 months ago and I'm thinking these could be the same ones only more grown up. They were so cute. They had really laboured breathing from all the food that was visibly in their bellies.

We made our way back across the lovely countryside and as Don (who we got a ride with) was turning onto the stretch of highway that would take us into Nairobi, we were waved over by the police stationed near the turn. There were several other cars and trucks pulled to the side. The officer approached the car:

Cop: did you see the stop sign?
Don: yes, I stopped at it.
Cop: Well, I don't think you saw it – it has a sign on it that says “stay left” and you turned right. And now you are ARRESTED!
Don: What? Arrested? For what?
Cop: You are arrested! You are in BIG TROUBLE. It said stay left! Give me your licence and wait in the car.

First of all, if there even WAS a sign, it was probably hand-written on a piece of paper because no one saw it. At this point more and more people were being pulled over (because the turn was where people normally turned to get to the main highway). A large crowd had gathered around the police officer who kept shouting that everyone was arrested and screaming “IT SAID KEEP LEFT!”. A few people offered the cop money and were able to leave quickly while the rest waited to call his bluff and to be let free without having to give any 'chai' (bribes). As expected, Don and the others were let go with a 'warning' shortly after. This is so common here – inventing of fake offences in order to delay you to the point where you just pay a bribe to get out of the situation. I am so glad I don't drive here – that allows you to pretty much avoid that whole side of things. But despite the delay and frustration we all couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. This place is officially INSANE.

The Biggest Sky in the Whole Wide World

2005-12-11T22:14:00.000+02:00

The Biggest Sky in the World, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

We just got back from the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. It was amazing as always. More to come...

Attack of the Giraffes

2005-12-09T23:12:00.000+02:00

Looking back at these photos I think I get a LITTLE too excited when I get to play with the giraffes. I haven't quite mastered looking glamourous when posing with wildlife. I think Karen pulls it off quite nicely. This is at the AFEW Giraffe Centre.

Christmas Spirit

2005-12-09T21:37:00.000+02:00

I am having such a hard time grasping the concept that Christmas is coming soon. I mean, there are decorations all over the place here, Christmas music playing, everyone is talking about what they will be doing over the holidays... but the weather.. it is sunny and warm and nice – it messes with my head. I really don't feel Christmassy! Even Christmas parties and mulled wine haven't put me in the Christmas spirit. I would try eggnog but that is one thing I haven't seen here!

Last night at a Scandinavian Christmas party a bunch of us were sitting around talking about the opportunities that you have in Kenya that you have in so few other places. As there is a long weekend coming up everyone was discussing their plans. 2 people were going to the coast to go diving, a handful of people were going to the Maasai Mara for safari, another couple were going to Ethiopia and someone else was going hiking near Mount Kenya. There are limitless things that you can do here – all for very little money. Particularly for the people like me who are only in Kenya temporarily – you feel like you have to take as much advantage of these opportunities as possible – a weekend wasted is a complete CRIME here when you may have missed an incredible opportunity.

Karen seems to be adapting nicely. She is venturing out on her own and honing her bartering skills in the market. This weekend we are off to the Maasai Mara National Park for a game drive and for a concert.

I went to see Harry Potter last weekend. Have I mentioned that in the movies here they play the national anthem before the film? Also, most films have an intermission half-way through if it is 2 hours long or more. I always forget they do this and when the movie suddenly freezes on the screen I think the film has broken or something and get really angry until I realize it is just a break.

And in Kenya news – President Kibaki fired his entire cabinet 2 weeks ago after his humiliating defeat when the proposed new constitution was not passed. Yesterday he announced his new cabinet and 19 ministers refused their postings. The government is in limbo now as from what I understand they are in recess until after the holidays. The masses are very much against Kibaki (as is much of his own party). What will happen now is anyone's guess.

9 Months

2005-12-06T17:26:00.000+02:00

Big News... Very exciting stuff.

I have extended my contract! I am staying for an extra month! I will be here 9 months instead of 8! I will still be leaving work on Jan 13th and travelling throughout Africa for an month and a half but then returning to Nairobi in late February to start up work again for a month before returning to Canada (via London) in late March. YEAH!!!

Also in the news... Karen arrived last night. Today I showed her around Westlands and took her to the Maasai Market. Tonight I will take her to the Mountain Club of Kenya meeting. I think I scared her a little when I showed her the list of things we will do while she is here. It is a big list! But I'm sure she's up for it. (I'll ask her when she wakes up from her nap... LIGHTWEIGHT!!!)

Helen's Magic Hair-dryer

2005-12-04T18:55:00.000+02:00

Saturday morning I decided that I would bite the bullet and go and get my first haircut since arriving in Kenya 5 months ago. My hair was getting fairly long plus Saturday night was also the Mountain Club of Kenya Christmas Party so I figured the timing was right. I was taking a chance when I just picked up a phone book and tried to find the nearest hair salon. I made my appointment at Salon Narcisse and head over to see what I was in store for. Walking up to the salon I got a little nervous. Upon first glance I found that I was the only white person there! Would I be walking out of the place in a few hours with a weave instead of a haircut? Because that is what almost everyone else in there was getting...

I met my stylist Helen and after having my hair washed, I was offered a beverage and was given a 15 minute shoulder and upper back massage. NICE! Then, after I explained what I wanted she got right to it and did a great job. Then came the stressful part. No matter who I go to for a haircut, unless I get my hair dried straight, they ALWAYS butcher my hair and make it as large, frizzy and poofy as humanly possible. Wanting to avoid this (especially since the party was that night) I asked her to dry my hair straight. This is the amazing part (especially for anyone with curly hair). She perfectly straightened my hair using just a brush and a hair dryer. No product! No straightening irons! No rollers! I was in awe! All I could think was... NO PRODUCT!? Could it be that in the western world we have been duped into thinking that such things were necessary as a grand marketing ploy? Most likely. What a great haircut - and for very cheap!

The party itself was great. I somehow managed to be talked into playing a part in the ‘skit’. Then there was much dining and drinking and dancing until dawn. But that didn’t stop me from getting up this morning to go and see Harry Potter.

Special guest Karen arrives tomorrow night! Also, more exciting news announcements to come... stay tuned.

The Italians

2005-12-01T21:24:00.000+02:00

My apartment building is full of Italian families. Many of them are youngish married couples who work in Kenya and have adopted Kenyan orphans. There are so many cases like this in this building. It is so adorable to hear the little Kenyan kids (who are like 2 or 3 years old) speaking Italian to their parents. They also speak Swahili. Some have one or two birth kids already but have adopted one or two orphans as well. I hope the pool is fixed soon so that I can hang out with them again.

Tonight went indoor climbing and tried lead climbing. I ended up falling but it wasn't bad (didn't hit the ground - just fell a ways through the air before the rope caught me). Wasn't scary - actually a little fun (except that I almost landed on someone's head!)

News from Canada

2005-11-30T07:30:00.000+02:00

Election called for Jan 23rd. If Stephen Harper and his Conservatives win then I'm not coming home!

Climb Every Mountain...

2005-11-28T21:22:00.000+02:00

Ok, I think I'm addicted to climbing! It is so fun and challenging! After going out on Saturday night to camp with a bunch of Mountain Club people- we got an early start Sunday morning. Elise (my best climbing buddy) and I were excited because we were promised more "intermediate" climbs and that we would get to learn a lot more today. We were kind of thrown in the deep end when Jason and Langdon (2 really experienced climbers - Langdon is actually the owner/instructor of a climbing gym & team-building enterprise here in Kenya) invited us to do a longer 2-stage climb early on Sunday morning. We head out at 7 and started up the mountain around 8. It was huge! The first part was fairly do-able and then we reached half-way about 55 metres up and were all standing on a 1 metre little ledge attached to some ropes while Landgon and Jason tried to figure out the best way to get the rest of the way up. After Jason lead climbed (basically just climbing with little protection - you put the nuts/bolts in the mountain as you climb it so that if you fall you have something to hold you up) and once he was up there and secured the rope at the top it was our turn. This was a really tough climb and I fell once (but that is what the person who is belaying you is for) and my arms were killing but I managed to get about a metre from the top before my arms started to cramp up and I went down. I wasn't even afraid of the heights and we were a good 100 metres up barely hanging onto anything!

We climbed a bit more that day and I felt SO good! I really feel like I have improved a lot. It is such a fun sport and what a place to be doing it! Surrounded by giraffes, eland, impala, gazelles, baboons...

Mutumba

2005-11-27T20:51:00.000+02:00

I am quite frustrated. Mutumba is the used clothing market that I have referred to in past posts where there are close to 100 stalls set up by locals selling used and/or donated clothing, shoes, toys, etc. I was so happy to discover this place because it allowed me to buy fairly nice clothes for an affordable price (a definite challenge here). But over the months I have started going there on a weekly basis. I have gotten to know certain stall owners who find it hilarious that a muzungu (foreigner) shops there and just because they are friendly. And some of the stalls, despite the fact that they are fashioned using tarps and found wood were even outfitted with change stalls and mirrors.

There has been a recent initiative in Nairobi to "clean up" the streets which has resulted in painting the lines on the streets and curbs, more garbage cans around the city and the latest aspect of this has been the removal of stalls. They went into the HUGE area that Mutumba occupies late last night and flattened the whole thing.

I UNDERSTAND that they are illegal means of generating income, that they don't OWN the land on which they have the stalls. But I can't get over the people who worked there. What are they supposed to do now? Where are many of the locals going to be able to buy such inexpensive clothes - the market was always packed and most of the people I knew shopped there? Why couldn’t they have just set up a licensing system or something so that they government can get their cut and then these people can still keep their livelihoods rather than join the other 35% of the population here that is unemployed. Or maybe they could actually patrol for the vast number of car-jackers instead of regular people selling clothes. I know to some extent that I am being irrational and overly emotional about this but there just has to be a better way.

Sorry. Long post about something most of you are uninterested in. Tomorrow I'll write about my GREAT climbing day that I had today. Elise and I kicked ASS on the mountain and did some REALLY hard climbs.

Alternate Universe

2005-11-23T20:48:00.000+02:00

Sometimes it is easy to forget that I am in Africa. Last night I was convinced to go to Karaoke with a few friends. Ok, so it didn't take much convincing. Jacqueline and I ended up belting out “Livin' on a Prayer” in front of a delighted/horrified audience at the hotel bar we were at. It was mostly locals who were brave enough to go on stage but there were quite a few foreign hotel guest who were enjoying the show. I will have to go again.

The orange (NO) team won the referendum. No new constitution for you Kenya – not yet anyway! Back to the drawing board.

Cell Phone Etiquette in Kenya: There is none. If you are at a conference having a round table discussion you will often find people's cell phones ringing and them leaving to answer the calls. Or even worse sometimes people will remain at the table and talk. We have been in the middle of several staff meetings where at some point in the meeting almost half of the staff is off talking on their cell phones while the meeting continues without them. Obviously this is just a cultural difference that I am not used to but it still shocks me when people do that here.

Breaking News: Kenyan President Kibaki has just fired his entire cabinet. Maybe he is a little pissed that he lost the referendum (and that many in his cabinet didn't support his new constitution)? This could lead to some reaction from the people. I wonder what will happen...

Weekend of Eggs and Movies

2005-11-21T23:17:00.000+02:00

I said that I was going to spend this weekend in town to relax and I stuck to my plan. I think I have watched about 12 movies in the past 3 days on my new cable tv channels (everything from Steel Magnolias to a GREAT South African film called the Wooden Camera). To take a break from holing myself up in my apartment I managed to get to 2 parties and the Mau Mau Film Festival which featured films about revolution (I saw a documentary about Malcolm X). Then today, in honour of having the day off (for the referendum) I hosted “Referendum Brunch 2005". We ate lots of eggs, french toast and mimosas while attempting to watch the coverage on the vote today. It was the worst coverage that you could imagine. At one point there was live coverage of former President Moi voting (and you could even see who he voted for). Slightly dry coverage for such a contentious issue.

It has been an interesting weekend here with the preparation for today’s vote. On Saturday there were 2 rallies in Nairobi (the Yes - banana and No - orange camps) that were smartly placed at a reasonable distance from each other and heavily policed. There have been clashes in past rallies where hundreds of people were injured and 7 people killed. Being downtown during this was strange because it was completely deserted. This could have something to do with the fact that the police would arrest you if you were in a “large group” which I heard could be as few as 6 people. Car dealerships and many shops were emptied out and some even boarded up for fear of looting and riots. Surprisingly, nothing has happened - yet. I think sometime tonight they will announce the results. Interesting times here.

Unexpected Weekend in Town

2005-11-17T22:42:00.000+02:00

I was under the impression that I was to accompany Rosemarie (my boss) to Western Kenya to visit the field this weekend but it has been cancelled. My backup plan was a Mountain Club trip to the Aberdare National Park. But last minute I realized I was just really in the mood to stick around town this weekend and take it easy! One problem with having so many fun things to do is that you get a little burnt out. I haven't slept in for 3 weeks and I think I'm due!

This is actually a long weekend here because on Monday there is the vote for the new Constitution! So far there have been 4 deaths due to the rallies for or against the new constitution with fruit being the symbols of the sides that you can vote for (Bananas = Yes, Oranges = No). This is about the most bizarre thing I've ever heard of. Not only that but apparently it has had a real impact on the banana and orange market in Kenya.

I am just looking forward to it being over and done with and hope that there are no more casualties due to the rallies. I am just avoiding the downtown core on Monday. I might host a referendum brunch on Monday so we can eat delicious breakfast foods and watch the news to see what is happening in this crazy country!

Scattered Thoughts

2005-11-14T23:19:00.000+02:00

Culture in Kenya - initially it seemed as though it would be difficult to find an outlet to take in contemporary art, theatre etc. It turns out that if you look hard enough - Nairobi has a great amount of such things to do/experience. Tonight I attended a screening of the Australian film Rabbit-Proof Fence and the director was even on hand to answer questions after the screening. This is a monthly initiative focusing mainly on African films but this happened to be an exception. It was kind of like being at the film festival - although not as many film snobs. The movie was great. It is about 2 years old - I would highly recommend it if you haven't seen it.

"I smell burnt Kat" - I am feeling a little burnt out lately. I have a hard time saying "no" to invitations to go out and do fun things. When I was a Rotary Exchange student back 10 years ago we were told that the best way to have a great experience in another culture is to always try new things and accept as many invitations as possible. Don't get me wrong - I am having a complete blast - I am just exhausted. Good thing my job doesn't require any kind of operation of heavy machinery.

Passion! - I love passion fruit. I eat at least one a day. The fruit here is so bloody good. A few months ago it was mangos (now they are out of season) and bananas (I am holding off on those until after the referendum next week because they hold too much political significance).

Sailing Fireballs

2005-11-13T22:01:00.000+02:00

Another weekend out of town - this time to Lake Naivasha to the Naivasha Yacht Club for an open house for the MCK (Mountain Club of Kenya) people who wanted to come check out the club and do a little sailing. Who am I to say no to something like this?

First of all, it was gorgeous out there - and wildlife kept wandering onto the property and walking around us as if we weren’t there. Secondly, sailing is fun! We did training on and about a 45 minute sail (acting as a one-man crew for a more experienced sailor) on 2-man Fireball sailboats and got to use the trapeze contraption things where you are strapped to the boat and get to hang off the side of it in order to balance out the boat! Seeing as it has been 15 years (calculating this made me feel really old) since I last took lessons I was initially a little unsure but it is such an exhilarating and yet relaxing experience (very different sensations than the rafting I did last weekend).

That evening we had a huge barbeque and sat around the clubhouse playing cards and drinking beer before we retired to our tents out in the field. Can you see why I love my life here so much??

Remember the Day

2005-11-11T17:41:00.000+02:00

Happy Birthday Dad!!! I hope you have a good one!!

Something I forgot to mention about Uganda:

Country Music – they love it there! Walking down the street upon my arrival I was met with the voice of Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson and Shania was all over the place. I must have heard 'The Gambler' three or four times when I was there – just being played in a matatu or blasted from speakers in a store to benefit those walking by on the street.

What will happen to Kat in Kenya??

2005-11-09T23:39:00.000+02:00

Whoa. I just panicked. For a minute there I thought that I have been here for 5 months. But it is only 4. So that means I still have 4 months before my ominous return.

I don't know what to write about. Too many thoughts in my head. As much as I want to I am unable to completely share my experiences. I am glad that Karen (and possibly Dez) are coming to visit! It will be nice to have someone KIND OF understand what it was like here once I am back in the big country. Although I am kind of afraid to see their reactions because I want them to love it like I do.

I wonder sometimes if I like things here a little too much - like I am just really excitable and am just getting wrapped up in Kenya like I would a hockey team or something - for the sake of it rather than for good reason. You know what I mean?? I mean, usually people only really like things this much in retrospect right? When you look at the glossy photos and can't experience the pollution burning your lungs and the people harassing you and the fact that you can't walk around once it's dark out?

Uganda for the weekend.

2005-11-07T23:57:00.000+02:00

Kampala Old Taxi Park (Matatu Park), originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Friday
After arriving into town early in the morning by bus my first task was to find my way to Dominik's office. This required me navigating my way through down town Kampala (which I noticed was very clean and less busy/more spacious than Nairobi). There were lots of vendors selling bibles and rosaries on the side of the road. Interesting. Made it to the taxi park (pictured above). In Uganda they really like to screw you up by calling a matatu a 'taxi' and if you want to take a taxi then it is called a 'special'. The taxi parks are also much more insane than Nairobi because first of all the taxis don't list where they are going on the side of them. There are no numbered routes. You just have hundreds of similar looking vehicles and you have to figure out which one will take you to the right place. The payment system also seems a little more flexible – which means the mazungu (that's what they call foreigners here too) usually pays more than the locals. I have to say this was the one thing about Uganda/Kampala that really frustrated me. But the city itself is gorgeous – it is situated on 7 hills and is lush and green. Finally arriving at Dominik's office I dropped off my bag and we went for Eritrean food in a nearby stall (made from an old billboard). Then we went to check out the Baha'i temple (one of only 8 in the world). At dinner we met up with Rebecca and enjoyed some Ugandan food including matoke (a type of bananas that is unripe and mashed) with g-nut sauce (ground nuts), pumpkin stew, chicken, chipatis, and Ugandan beer (Nile Special). Good stuff. I head to Rebecca's to spend the night and get a good sleep for Saturday's adventure.

Saturday
We were picked up at 7:30 and head 2 hours east into Jinja – the source of the mighty Nile where we would spend the day white water rafting! There were only 5 of us in the boat (plus the 2 guides) and we set off after a brief intro – most of what we needed to know they showed us on the water. Then we set off to hit the first of 12 rapids! Jinja is supposed to be one of the best places in the world to go rafting – there are 4 level 5 rapids (6 being the highest) but it is nice and deep so you don't have to worry about rocks as much as many other places in the world. We cleared the first few rapids fine but on the first level 5 rapid (Total Gunga) we flipped and it was crazy – I was under water for about 15 seconds and when I came up I was under the boat – then I was sucked under again and came up and the guides were there to help me up on the boat. It was scary but fun. We hit a bunch more rapids that morning and also just jumped in and floated up the Nile in our life jackets for about 2km as well. It was amazing because there were birds diving into the water to go fishing within just metres of us. Just after lunch we managed to get through two more level 5 rapids uneventfully (other than almost flipping on both of them) and on a level four the guides asked us if we wanted to flip on purpose on the next one – so we did. It was a bit more fun to flip when you expect it but still scary. We got to the end of the day trip and there was one more class five rapid that was optional – aptly named 'THE BAD PLACE!' They told us that it was pretty much guaranteed that you will flip. The 2 other girls who were with us took the safety boat and so it was just me and the 2 guys and one guide. Never mind the fact that I was nervous but adding to my tension was the fact that I really had to go to the bathroom! I just wanted to get it over with! There was a large crowd of villagers at this point whose prime entertainment was to watch all the idiots go over the rapids and fall in. We swooped down into the rapid and as a huge wave hit us we tipped completely sideways and just when I was about to let go of the rope to let myself fall in we tipped back the right way – we made it!! But our guide's paddle didn't – he was screaming for us to pass him one of our paddles as we drift into another rapid (that we weren't supposed to hit) – too late – we hit it and once again tipped – this time I was sure we were all going in – I saw one guy fall in and as the boat once again landed flat in the water I panicked – initially thinking that I was the only one left in the boat! But the other two appeared and we paddled to the side – picking up our lost passenger along the way. WHAT A RUSH! That was so much fun. Some beer and food later we head home to collapse. I want to go again!

Sunday
Rebecca and I went to a craft market and met Dominik for lunch before I left on my bus ride. I don't want to get into it but it was such a terrible ride. What was supposed to be a 12 hour ride turned into over 16 hours of hell! Our bus broke down TWICE – once just past the border and then again in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere! I was so happy to get home at 4:30am and collapse into bed. Still recovering...

Indian food and blackouts

2005-11-02T22:43:00.000+02:00

The power has been out at work for the past few days. Once 11am hits, the power goes out and we are unable to do work for the rest of the day because we don't have a backup generator. So I've been very productive (and leaving work extra early). I got my Ugandan visa and my alien card yesterday. Today I helped out a friend by picking up some Indian desserts & candy for her Diwali dinner party tonight (where I also got to let off fireworks). Oh the food. Let me tell you - if I could only eat one type of food for the rest of my life - it would be Indian food. I would be fat and happy, oh yes.

Speaking of parties I have to say that these past few months I think my social life has probably been better than it has been my whole life. I have this group of friends through the Mountain Club and their surrounding group of friends. I'm not used to this. Usually it is just me and few close friends and if they are busy then I stay home. Now, if I wanted to, I would be at a party every night. Yesterday a new Canadian intern came with me to the Mountain Club meeting and he reminded me of something else that I am used to that I don't think about any more and that is the air kisses. EVERY time you see people (or are leaving people) you do the double air kiss (or triple if they are Dutch for some reason). This is not something I am used to. Initially I found it a bit pretentious but am starting to not think about it anymore. Yes, I think the reverse culture shock will be much more of an adjustment than it was for me to get used to this place.

Tomorrow night I leave for UGANDA!!! Expect lots of photos on Monday!

I'm an Alien!

2005-11-01T23:01:00.000+02:00

I look really serious in this photo. What I am thinking in case you are wondering is "Take me to your leader!!!"

Now I'm ready to head to Uganda for the weekend. Star Trek Conference. Just kidding - rafting and visiting Kampala and friends.

Happy Halloween/Diwali

2005-10-31T22:41:00.000+02:00

Sitting here watching a movie tonight listening to the sound of fireworks all night. It was the same yesterday. It's to celebrate Diwali – the five-day Hindu festival that is their equivalent to Christian's Christmas. Houses are strung with marigolds and lanterns and fireworks are let off. It is also a time of major gift-giving which makes the bombing attacks in the Indian markets even more disgusting – imagine someone bombing a shopping mall 3 days before Christmas in North America.

I even got a card from my apartment compound wishing me a Happy Diwali. Combined with the warm weather and nothing that is even remotely fall-like it makes Halloween, which is usually one of my favourite times of year, seem all the more removed. Although this weekend I went to a Halloween party held by one of the American expats here. There were over 150 people at his place. It was a pretty amazing set-up, African drummers, huge firepit, DJ, dry ice, costume prizes... Obviously as someone who has lived in Kenya for over 10 years, he misses Halloween too!

But despite missing these little events and family and friends, when I think that time is going by so fast here I am already missing Kenya and my life here. This feeling of wistfulness keeps things in perspective for me when I am going a little crazy about work or the way things are here. It's a good way to live – prevents me from complaining too much.

The only ones who will be complaining are my poor family and friends who will have to endure years of slide shows and stories about my time here. I'm brimming with photos and stories – and I'm only half done!!! Suckers!!!

The play is the thing

2005-10-29T09:31:00.000+02:00

I went to see a Kenyan play Thursday night. Called 'Roll Play' – it dealt with issues of racial tension between the black, white, and Indian population in Kenya. The unique aspect was that the characters were played by actors of different races. How do I explain this – like for example the main character was an old black Kenyan man who is in his last days reflecting on his life – and he is played by a white actor – his wife and daughter are also played by white actors. There are white Kenyans and Indian Kenyans played by black actors. Is this making sense? It was a fairly dramatic piece with a lot of tensions and issues addressed. It was interesting to sit in an audience comprised of these 3 backgrounds and hear the different reactions. To hear who laughed at what.

I really enjoyed it. It was a bit strange to see theatre here. I completely forgot that I was in Kenya. There aren't many venues for this kind of thing in the country. But it was very well done.

After going out for drinks someone brought up the recent Corruption Perceptions Index rankings where Kenya was listed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. It has a similar score to D.R. Congo (formerly Zaire) and Sudan and has a worse score than places like Liberia and Iraq. (For the full list). Yikes. Oh Kenya, what are you doing? The worst part is that this ranking even comes amidst allegations that the Kenyan government has 'close ties' to the anti-corruption group and that their rating may not have been completely fair. Could Kenya have corrupt the anti-corruption squad? The people here deserve a better government than this.

The good news is.. I'm PSYCHIC!

2005-10-26T19:24:00.000+02:00

Long-lost relative, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

On Sunday night I had a dream that I lent my day pack that attaches to my big pack to Dominic and Rebecca (my Canadian friends visiting from Uganda) but that they never gave it back to me so I had nothing to attach to my big pack and I was disappointed.

The next day I went into work and they head down town to get some things done and check out a few of Nairobi's attractions. It turns out they went out for lunch at a Chicken & Chips place (very common around here) and that Dominic put the backpack he borrowed from me on the floor under his chair while he was eating and when they got up to leave it was gone. ARGH. Why do people come to this city and instantly get robbed? Yet anyone I know who lives here has never had any instances like this? How will I ever get people to believe that Nairobi is a great and safe (if you are somewhat street smart) place to be?

My first reaction when they told me the news was of excitement that my dream came true and that I really am psychic. Thoughts of supplementing my income by having my own psychic hotline filled my head. My second thoughts were of disappointment in that Rebecca and Dominic will forever remember Nairobi as the place they got 'robbed'. Thirdly I just wanted my backpack back. Turns out that Dominic was carrying the pack but most of the things lost were Rebecca's or mine. Nothing expensive – no cameras or passports or money – just her guidebook, her umbrella, his shirt, her Nalgene water bottle, and my backpack.

But at least we all know now that I can see into the future. Right?! I promise to use my powers for good and not evil.

Yesterday I took the day off work and the 3 of us did a morning drive through Nairobi National Park. There are so many animals in that park – which is shocking considering how close it is to the city. The afternoon we bartered our way through the Maasai market and got some good deals. There was no more thieving although Dominic says he wants a t-shirt that says "I got robbed in Nairobbery". I'm trying not to take it personally. I just feel so protective of the city and its terrible reputation. I don't know why.

A Different Perspective

2005-10-24T16:42:00.000+02:00

Friends from Canada are visiting. But they didn't have to journey very far to get here – they are in similar placements to mine but in Kampala, Uganda. It is so nice to see familiar faces from back home even though we only really met each other during our pre-departure training. I also love to hear their reactions to Nairobi and the comparisons to how they are getting on in Uganda. Even though I have been here for only 3 and a half months, I already don't even notice many of the things that go on around me any more.

Things they pointed out:

Sarit Centre – the mall where we met – they were surprised at the Western-style shopping mall and goods available. It is a big change from most of the rest of this part of Africa and most of Kenya as well – you normally would do your shopping in stalls on the side of the road, a market, or little shops in a commercial area.

Dorman's – a great little place to go for Starbucks or Second Cup substitutes – all kinds of coffees and cappuccinos – but they serve fairly good food as well. Nothing even remotely Kenyan about the food – although the coffee is from here. But it is strange to get freshly brewed coffee in Kenya. Believe it or not most locals drink the INSTANT sludge instead of brewed. Coffee is viewed as really expensive and most people just stick to the sweet milky tea.

My apartment compound – I hadn't pointed out which building I lived in yet when Dominic said – 'Is that a prison?!' and he was pointing to the compound I am in. I never really looked at it that way! But it has high walls surrounding it with barbed wire everywhere and the guards and the dog... OK, I guess the security is a little major but that is a necessity in Kenya. Uganda is much safer and they can even walk around at night there! They were also shocked at the rent prices – they pay about a quarter of what I do. But the fact that my apartment had a back up generator for the frequent power outages was seen as a bonus.

Security - They were quite surprised about all the security you have to go though in order to get into most buildings. Even when we went to Carnivore (the restaurant where you get to eat things like Crocodile and Camel and basically all the meat you can eat) – they were shocked when the driver had to open his trunk to check for bombs or hidden passengers in order to be allowed into the compound. I just shrug these things off because they happen so much (I get patted down and go through a metal detector before I am allowed into my French classes).

Another National Holiday!

2005-10-21T17:17:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was Kenyatta Day. Whoo hoo. Wednesday night I tried out a yoga class at the nearby Holiday Inn at the recommendations of a friend. It was insane! The teacher is this middle-aged, bearded, motorcycle-driving Indian guy who really throws you right in to the challenging stuff. Most of our class was spend on our heads doing head or handstands. That night I got another workout by dancing the night away. The stiffness and pain from these little exercise sessions didn't actually show up until today. That was good because Thursday was a full day as well.

On Thursday after not enough sleep I woke and head off to do a hike at Gatamayu Forest in the Aberdares National Park (about an hour north of Nairobi). We were a little delayed in getting there. And when I say a little delayed, I mean we got lost about 10 times. There were some tense moments when our directionally-challenged navigator almost got himself punched in the head a few times! But we finally arrived and it was really beautiful, sunny and lush. We hiked down some muddy slopes to the falls and then along the river. Other than some stinging nettles that burned a little it was a nice hike. I'm happy to say that we DIDN'T see any elephants (despite the steaming piles of evidence that they were in the vicinity) because although you wouldn't think it - they are very dangerous animals if you don't have a car around you to protect you from them.

Having a Thursday off was strange. I went to work today and kept thinking that it was Monday. Tomorrow and Sunday are going to seem like such a bonus!!

Big Thanks.

2005-10-17T22:06:00.000+02:00

Today I got a great little care package from Mariza and the Chateau Nice folks! Nothing like some illegal software to make my work a little easier and some tea for making my relaxing a little more pleasant! Asante sana!!

Quick question - I am going to a Halloween party on Oct 28th and the theme is the Seven Deadly Sins. Any ideas?? Keep in mind there aren't really any costume stores here (and I HIGHLY doubt there is any glitter hair spray - but I could be mistaken).

Belated Thanksgiving Weekend Festivities

2005-10-16T19:16:00.000+02:00

Oy I am tired. It's that kind of tired you get when you eat way too much and maybe have a few glasses of wine in the afternoon and suddenly it's 7pm and you can't keep your eyes open - turkey coma. Except we didn't have turkey. This afternoon was our belated Canadian Thanksgiving dinner at the home of a bunch of friends. They all work at the UN and thus have a really nice place with a big yard, perfect for bbq'ing chicken, playing frisbee and a hosting a small but successful badminton tournament. I assisted with the planning, and made the apple crisp with ice cream. Good turn out with about 25 people (about 8 Canadians and the rest from Africa and some Europeans). We even attempted to make Bloody Caesars! There is no clamato juice here but by combining some oyster sauce and tomato juice (with the tobasco sauce, worcestershire, and vodka) and it actually tasted pretty close. Trying to convince the others of it's greatness was a different story. I too am a little confused as to how they came up with the idea of mixing tomato and clam juice. That DOES sound disgusting. The drinks turned out well though.

Contributing to my exhaustion was another fun day of climbing on Saturday. It was a beginner climb so Elise and I were asked to help the organizers to help out showing the 'newbies' what to do. That was a bit strange! It was only a month ago that we were doing our first climbs. That night was a big party at a Mountain Club member's house. A late night of dancing and socializing.

I think I deserve to be able to go to bed at 8. I'll do my dishes in the morning.

Beans lots of beans lots of beans

2005-10-14T23:01:00.000+02:00

Beans lots of beans lots of beans, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Kenya grocery store Uchumi has a terrible selection (for better selection go to Nakumatt). But it's more convenient for me so I'm there all the time. You will find whole shelves (and sometimes almost half of a row of shelves) stocked with the same items (beans, maize flour, ketchup, beef stock, wheatabix and canned tuna all seem to be popular items at my Uchumi). But it makes for nice photos. Plus if you are ever in the mood for baked beans - you know where to go!!!

The World Starts With Me

2005-10-13T21:33:00.000+02:00

Workshop I attended, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Ok, not me - these kids actually. That is the title of the program they are working on. Today I was lucky enough to attend a workshop in which a bunch of students and teachers came in to test out and give feedback on a new program we will be coordinating. It works to give kids computer skills while teaching them about everything from self-esteem, women's rights, human rights, safe sexual practices, and planning for the future.

You know, sometimes the situation here is pretty bleak. Some days it feels like everything is negative here - from the government to the crime to the violence to people's attitudes towards women etc and it is hard not to get pessimistic thinking that this country is stuck in a bad place and will never get out of it. Sometimes all you seem to read in the papers and hear from people tends to be horror stories. But it was a nice change today - hearing these kids amazing attitudes and enthusiasm really made my day. Today was a nice reminder that there is hope for Kenya.

Glad to hear most of you got your postcards. A few more will be sent out this week (sorry for the delay - it has been a busy couple of weeks).

A Coasty Time

2005-10-12T20:22:00.000+02:00

Mostly deserted beach, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Departure
My taxi came 40 minutes late to bring me to the bus depot. I was freaking out – totally thinking I would miss the bus. Upon my arrival I threw some money at the driver and ran off to find my bus as the departure time on the ticket said 11 and it WAS 11. I managed to forget one of my bags in the back of the taxi. Not very smart. I called the taxi frantically and retrieved my bag a few minutes later. Once breathlessly on the bus I sat, and sat, and sat. I forgot that we are on Kenya time and things move a little more slowly. We rolled out 30 minutes later.

Arrival in Mombasa
After a long night of bumpy roads (and surprisingly getting some sleep) – we pulled into Mombasa! It looks a lot like Nairobi – but perhaps more garbage (I find Nairobi to be pretty clean). To get to Tiwi Beach where I was staying I had to take a matatu from the bus depot to the ferry terminal. Took a ferry to Likoni. Took a matatu 30 minutes south to Tiwi. On the way we were pulled over at one of the many police checks. We were sitting for about 5 mintues when the police pulled out the handcuffs and cuffed the driver. We were ordered out of the matatu and the police hopped in with the driver & the tout and drove off. A new matatu came and picked us up shortly after. From there it was a short cab ride to the lodge. Then I changed into my bathing suit and went into hibernation mode on the white beach.

Tiwi Beach
My weekend consisted of me sleeping on the beach, eating good food (although no lobster this time), walking on the beach, walking around the reef & checking out the sea life, and swimming when I could (the tide was out for most of the day and there was a huge reef so it was difficult to get any “real” swimming done. It was quite nice and very relaxing.

On My Own
Travelling alone has it's pros and cons. It is funny how people tend to 'adopt' you if you are travelling alone. Asking you to eat dinner or drinks with them, seeing if you want to join them on their day's activities etc. It also allowed me the freedom to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It was not a dangerous place although I did leave my camera in my room when I went on some longer walks and if I was just going to be lying on the beach. And it is not always fun to have to ask strangers to take your photo – it kind of takes away from the spontaneity of it all.

Kathryn vs the Beach Boys
No, not the Help Me Rhonda guys. Along the coast there are a large number of 'Beach Boys' who approach you as you are walking down the beach, or sitting on the beach, or sometimes when you are even swimming – and try and sell you necklaces or snorkelling trips or massages etc. It doesn't sound that bad – until you get to the beach and you find you can't spend more than 2 seconds alone without one of these guys coming up to talk to you. Especially if you are walking down the beach (which I did on Sunday). They start up a conversation with you about where you are from, what your name is, how are you enjoying Kenya etc... Nice enough. But they just keep walking with you – even if you don't want to buy anything. I was starting to get annoyed as I was walking down the beach, hoping for some peace and it was like a conveyor belt of Beach Boys coming to chat with me and walk with me. It got to the point where I would tell them that I just came to the beach for peace and quiet and didn't want to talk to anyone so please leave me alone. That didn't really work. So I tried a new approach. I started pretending that I couldn't understand or speak English. 'Ooohhh.... no speaka englisha'. They would ask me if I spoke German (the majority of the tourists), or French. I would say, in my very worst broken English 'I shpeak Danishh – no speaka Englasha'. My “accent” consisted of a combination of a deaf person, a lisp and a Swedish-type accent – just to mix it up a bit. And it worked! I had such a hard time keeping a straight face. I would throw in a couple of actual Danish words once in a while for good measure. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking in peace – enjoying the sun and the gorgeous view. Who said that Danish is a useless language!?

Tiwi Beach

2005-10-12T07:49:00.000+02:00

Tiwi Beach, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Back from the coast! I haven't had a chance to write a proper entry as I've had pretty limited internet access but expect one soon (including the epic - "Kathryn vs the Beach Boys"). I had a nice time.

To the Coast!

2005-10-07T00:23:00.000+02:00

Off to Mombasa this weekend. Doing a very un-Kathryn thing and not booking a hotel before I get there. Ok, maybe tomorrow I'll try and call a place that someone gave me the number to - but still - waiting until the day before I arrive before booking a room? That is so fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants!!! I'm so CRA-ZY! It should be an adventure regardless (as with the overnight 9 hour bus ride).

Hopefully Monday evening I'll post some lovely shots of me lying on the beach and swimming in the Indian Ocean. My goal of swimming in all the oceans of the world is one step closer. Now I just need to worry about those pesky Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. Might be a bit more tricky!

We have a long weekend here too. It's Moi Day on Monday. Too bad he was such a corrupt dude. Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians. Hopefully I'll be dining on some Thanksgiving LOBSTER!!!

3 Month Report

2005-10-04T23:12:00.000+02:00

Yes - as of Friday it will be 3 months. Where does the time go? Well, it's not like I haven't been busy.

Things about Nairobi that you stop noticing after a while:

Bars on all the windows
The constant honking (or hooting as they call it here)
The fact that you are one of the only non-Africans
The lack of air conditioning

Things about Nairobi that I can already tell I will miss:

The weather – although I complained about it initially – it is never very humid here, it is sunny and warm in the day and cooler in the evening – which allows for a great sleep at night.
Inexpensive & delicious fruit and vegetables
Inexpensive public transportation
The music. I'm mostly exposed to this in the matatus but everything from Reggae to R&B to some of the local-style music – it is great!
The food – there are some great restaurants that I love – Nyama Choma joints, the Indian restaurants, and the Ethiopian (probably one of my new favourite types of food)!!!
Inexpensive Tailors – pants hemmed for 50cents? How about making a brand new pair of pants for only a few dollars? I am going to try and take advantage of this service as much as possible before my departure!!

I am realizing that I am a bit of a compulsive list-maker. Yikes.

Postcards went out last week. The race is on. Free postcard of your choice for the first person to email me to tell me they got it!

Met someone at Mountain Club meeting tonight who used to live around the corner from me in Toronto on the Danforth. We talked about the old neighbourhood. Made me miss it a bit. Especially the tzatziki. I'm tearing up a bit!! Oh wait - that is just the memory of the lethal amount of garlic in that stuff!

3 months down. I wonder what will happen in the next 5 months?!?

New Format!!

2005-10-04T12:09:00.000+02:00

Yeah! It took me a while to find something I liked. Still a bunch of things to change/add (like links and a blogger nav bar) but that will come later in the week. No time. Must sleep.

How Kenyan English confuses me:

A conversation today between Timon (a frequent CSA contributor) and myself. I feel like half the time the conversations (despite their being in English) go completely over my head!

T: Hi! How are you?

Me: Good thanks, and you?

T: Good. Why did you say to get lost?

Me: What?

T: Why did you say to get lost?

Me: I'm sorry. I don't understand. When did I say that?

T: I mean, I never see you anywhere but at work!

Me: Ahh. Well, I'm always around.

T: It is lunch hour.

Me: Well, I eat at 2 usually.

T: You are going to disappear!!

In the News:

Robbery is taken very seriously here. Recently, a thief who stole 2 flash lights, 2 pangas (large machete type knives), a watch and 500 Kenyan shillings (about $8) was sentenced to DEATH because he did so with a dangerous weapon. No one was injured in the robbery and the stolen goods were worth under $25 in total.

Expats

2005-10-01T23:03:00.000+02:00

I've been socializing a lot this week. Realizing how small the expat community is (and how much they LOVE to gossip). It's more like 3 degrees of separation here. It is an interesting world to get a taste of for a time. But I am glad I have Kenyan friends/coworkers/peers that I am able to hang out with as well. These expats often tend to stick within their own little group and you are in some of these bars and parties and think that you are in Europe or Canada - everyone is a non-Kenyan. It could limit your exposure to the culture here. It's almost too easy of a world to get sucked into.

Today I sat by the pool and read and swam. Not a bad way to spend a day. The weather has been great these past 2 weeks. I'm enjoying it as the "short rains" are coming soon. I'm hoping they live up to their name and take off as soon as they get here.

Kenya words of note

2005-09-27T23:26:00.000+02:00

Some vital words/phrases/sounds that will help you along your way if you are in Nairobi/Kenya.

Nini - If you are trying to describe something (or even someone) that you can't think of a name for - the direct translation would be "thing" but it would be used more like "can you pass me that nini??" or even "did you talk to, uh, nini?"

Hmmm - It is more of a grunt that is used VERY often if you are on the receiving end of a conversation - acknowledging that you are listening to the other person speak. Sometimes it sounds more like a growl. I don't use this one much - YET.

Moja!!! - when the matatu tauts are trying to recruit you to hop into their matatu they shout this - it means "One" - meaning there is one more person needed before the matatu is full and can thus leave. However, they often lie - so it is always good to peek into the matatu and make sure it is in fact only room for "Moja" otherwise you could be waiting a while until they fill the van.

Bob - Not a name of a man - it is the slang for the Kenyan shilling (the currency here) - so when you are asking about prices - particularly matatus or things of small value (under 100 shillings) then you will ask - "how much is the matatu?" they will reply "20 bob" or "10 bob". Or you say - "I will only pay 10 bob for the matatu" and that is where the bartering begins.

bugs

2005-09-27T12:46:00.000+02:00

There was just a huge cockroach in here. Big Big Big. It was quite the process to get him out of my place - but I think I did pretty good all things considered. Ew. I know this is old hand to people who live in New York or even some parts of Toronto/Montreal - but this guy was big. My first reaction (after a small yelp) was to take his photo - but he was too fast. Darnit. He was a pretty red colour. I released him outside thanks to a glass and a postcard (sorry Ashley) that were dragged across the floor. Unfortunately for my neighbours the glass fell outside and made a huge noise (it is after midnight) although it didn't break. The cockroach made a run for it hopefully to tell his friends not to come to this place because I am crazy or something. Trying to take photos of him through the glass - blinding him with my flash before dragging him across the floor only to release him. Insect cruelty.

Climbing Fischer's Tower - Hell's Gate

2005-09-25T19:30:00.000+02:00

Climbing Fischer's Tower - Hell's Gate, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

First off I just have to say that this weekend completely proved my last post wrong - we had beautiful, warm - even hot at times - weather. So I was wrong.

It was another great weekend. I had an amazing time with some great people. On Saturday morning I met up with about a dozen people from the Mountain Club of Kenya (MCK) and we head out of town to Hell s Gate National Park for some climbing and camping. After a bumpy 2-hour drive we arrived, set up camp on a site overlooking the valley, and head out to do some climbing in the gorgeous weather. We were working on Fischer s Tower - a big piece of rock sticking out of the ground reaching up about 75 feet. And if you look at this photo thinking I look a lot like Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 2 - it is because it was filmed here and I personally believe that I m a dead ringer for Angelina - no?

The first climb was a bit difficult to get into it all again, but by the second and third climbs I was shooting up the rock like Spiderman. It was so hard but so fun. It is also interesting to see how much braver I can get when there are cute boys around!

Almost more difficult was belaying - being the person who prevents the climber from not falling by holding the rope - you have a belay device to assist you in holding them up and not letting the rope slip. But the actual watching out for the person and pulling and holding the ropes gives you major blisters and a crink in the neck. Luckily that night after a dinner around the campfire, Ritu - a fellow Canadian living here for the past 2 years (and an experienced masseuse) - got out the massage oil and gave people massages and gave us tutorials on the art of massage.

I like these people - they are all so nice and fun. They are people who like walking around with their little headlamps on and excitedly compare camping gear. I even got paid a compliment after someone was admiring my camping ability saying, “You re so Canadian. That s great!”

Today it was another hot day and did a little more climbing (noticing some improvements hopefully) and then head home - exhausted, happy, and a burnt on the nose. I am sore already. I have managed to wash off most of the dirt that has managed to cover my whole body and am tending to my wounds and my photos.

I am not sure what I liked more - the people or the climbing. I can t wait to go again.

Nairobi Myth

2005-09-23T22:58:00.000+02:00

There is a myth that I wish to dispel. People think it's hot here. It's not. Seriously. I wear a jacket to work every day. And sweaters. It's quite chilly. Just because it is Africa and it is on the equator you would think it would be hot - I know - but it's not! Nairobi sits at over 2000metres. That's pretty high. It makes it rather chilly. The days when it is sunny out (which since I've been here have been about 1/3 of the days) can be quite nice and warm (in the mid/upper 20s at highest) but that is only for a few hours (between about 11 - 3). Then it starts to cool down and by night time it usually drops to 10 - 15 degrees Celsius. You need several blankets at night to stay warm. And ALWAYS a jacket. I even wore a toque to bed last time I went camping because I was freezing. Do you believe me yet? I could go on...

I had some lovely Ethiopian food tonight with some of the new interns. Great place - amazing food - so cheap. I really like the SAJ(?). Ethiopian Honey Wine. A bit sweet but it tastes more like juice than wine. And it really has punch to it!!

I'm off to bed early for my day of adventure tomorrow! I'm sure there will be some more interesting pictures to publish on Sunday/Monday. Have a good weekend!!

Bananas vs Oranges

2005-09-22T20:43:00.000+02:00

There is a war of fruit going on here in Kenya. On November 21 a new proposed draft of the constitution will be voted on in a referendum that is shaking up the country. The "Yes" side is symbolized by a banana and the "No" side with an orange. It is unbelievably crazy. Some of the people who are against the new constitution reforms are even boycotting buying bananas while this fight is on. There have been a few riots and some major demonstrations. People are very emotional about politics here. But I'm wondering how many people will actually have the chance to read the whole thing through! I mean, people are definitely talking about it - everywhere - all the time! But it's REALLY long - 199 pages! And despite many copies being distributed (and available online) I think it would help if there was a summarized version (at least for me!!). Here's the link if you are interested...

A lot of the debate centres around how much power President Kibaki would get. But there are massive changes that are just kind of going under the radar because other issues are just getting more press. It's a pretty big deal and I'm enjoying the debat that is surrounding it - although I have to say that from what I've read I think I would side with the Oranges if I had a vote. The new constitution really works backwards concerning women & children's health issues and rights in some areas - at least according to what I've read and heard. But I'm not voting. I'm just watching and learning.

Tonight Tim left! So now of the original 4, there is just Lauren and I. We have other friends now too but it is strange that both Tim and Darryl are gone... at least I inherited some of their stuff (shampoo, toilet paper etc) before they left! Something to remember them by.

Otherwise things are great. I'm looking forward to my weekend of more climbing and hiking and camping. The weather seems to be improving (finally) but I'm not putting my fleece away just yet!

And the postcards will be mailed sometime early next week!! Last call for requests!!

Rip offs and Climbing Again

2005-09-20T23:17:00.000+02:00

One thing that bothers me here is people trying to rip me off constantly because I'm a visible foreigner. Everything from in the matatu to at shops to taxis. I am constantly being told one price when I know that the real price is substantially lower. What results is constant fighting and telling people that I KNOW the price locals pay - and why are they not giving me that price? Blah Blah Blah. But it's frustrating.

Also frustrating is that I am hoping to update the Kat in Kenya site (as there have been some problems with it) and my internet access likes to disconnect when I am actually working on something important. When I have no one to email or nothing to do - it is on constantly.

On a brighter note, I went to the Mountain Club of Kenya meeting tonight. The people there are so varied and interesting. I met a Japanese diplomat, more people who work at the UN (UN people OWN this town) and a local who is a personal trainer. It looks like I might be going climbing again!! YEAH! This weekend there is a trip out to Hell s Gate National Park for climbing and hiking and biking and one night of camping. If I can manage to find a tent to sleep in (and a ride) then I am definitely going.

I don t know if I have stressed this enough before- but I have realized that getting out of Nairobi at least once a month is necessary for your sanity. Great city - but the craziness and hassles get to you after a while.

Presenting... Nyama Choma

2005-09-17T23:20:00.000+02:00

Presenting... Nyama Choma, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Well, all week I had been eating mostly vegetarian dishes that I had prepared for myself (mostly because the butcher closes at 6:30 and between French classes and my gym classes or other things I often missed the window to buy meat this week). So I think I was due for some heavy protein. Friday night was a quasi-going away party for Tim who is in Lamu until Wednesday and then flies out of Nairobi on Thrusday. I got... Ostrich Fajitas! They were amazing! Really good! The meat is really tender and they actually did a great job with the fajitas. I mean, it's no Sneaky Dees, but close enough. Then this afternoon Lauren, her friend, and myself head back to "Homeland" for some nyama choma - roasted goat. 2 kilos to be exact. You are supposed to get one kilo per person but I dont think we would have been able to handle it. I don't think I need any more meat until next weekend. It's just too much.

Other wise things are good. As great as Nairobi can be, I am hoping to get out of town again by early October. I'm not sure where... but I am sure I will figure something out!

Last call for postcards! Remember - just email me your address!

Minti Melody Doorbell

2005-09-15T23:23:00.000+02:00

Minti Melody Doorbell, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Did I mention that my doorbell plays a song (quite loudly) every time it is rung? Each time it is a different song. Baa Baa Blacksheep. Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. All the hits! It is possibly the most annoying thing I have ever experienced.

French & Matatus

2005-09-12T21:12:00.000+02:00

My first French class was today. It felt really nice walking out of work at 3:30! I realized when I got to class that I was placed in the 2nd level. When I had signed up for the class I embarrassingly told the receptionist that I was from Canada and had SOME background in French but lost most of my speaking ability when I went to Denmark and learned Danish. He looked at me strangely and asked me to take a proficiency test. Not that I needed time to prepare but I was caught a little off guard to be handed a 5 page exam and sent to an empty classroom. After much sweating and swearing I finished and watched nervously as they marked it. They kind of half chuckled as they handed me back the test and said - "Your passe compose need a lot of work". And I saw a big 50% on the test. I was actually pleased! Wow, I may not be put in an advanced class but at least I got 50%!!! Not bad for not speaking any french for close to 10 years. But I guess my level of ability was enough to put me in Level DEUX!

My class is a group of 8 Kenyans and me. It is fun and we even had to do a presentation today! Soon I'll be writing my posts in French. Or not.

On the way home in the matatu I once again realized how relaxing I find them to be. It's this weird atmosphere where no one speaks but everything is extremely efficient. When the matatu taut (the guy who recruits people to come and take that specific matatu & also collects the money) collects the money, it is done wordlessly, just a tap on the shoulder and the process is done. If he can't reach the shoulder's of the people in the front seat, he'll tap the nearest person's shoulder and then they tap & collect the money from the people in the front. If you want to get out at the next stop - you either nod at or tap the taut and he uses a coin to tap the side of the door to alert the driver to the upcoming stop. This all occurs either with blasting music (everything ranging from Bob Marley to Snoop Dogg to Celine Dion) or complete silence.

It's nice. I hope nothing changes my zen-like perception of the matatu experience.

One last thing - it's postcard season! If anyone wants to request a postcard - click on the side tab that says "Email Me!" and email me your address. I'll try my best.

Zombie

2005-09-11T18:07:00.000+02:00

There is an Italian guy (about my age) who lives in the apartment below mine. I think he has been here about as long as I have. Every Sunday, it never fails, he blasts The Cranberries song "Zombie", singing/screaming along:

What's in your he----ad, in your he---ee---yyeee--ad, zommmmm--beeee, zommmmm--beeee, zommmmm--beeee, zommmmm-beeeebeeeeebeeeeeee!!!!!!

Imagine this in a really strong Italian accent. Strange, strange guy. I always forget that he does this until it is Sunday evening again and there he goes. I guess we all have our rituals.

This morning, Lauren & I co-hosted the first of (hopefully) many brunches. There were 10 of us. We prepared and served french toast, fruit salad, a cheese plate, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, cheese & onions, ham, and bagels (difficult to find in Kenya). I think it was a success despite the slight miscalculation with plates, forks and cups (when you rent a furnished apartment it usually only comes with 4 of each). It was fun and one of the guests was an Argentinian pilot who hopefully will be able to get us a cheap ride to Mombasa in a few weeks (she has a friend who is driving down - we won't be flying). These social gatherings are proving to be a great way to make great contacts (and friends).

Look - I'm climbing!!

2005-09-10T20:52:00.000+02:00

Look - I'm climbing!!, originally uploaded by Kattaka.

Wow - what a great day! I went climbing for the first time thanks to the Mountain Club of Kenya (MCK) who took a bunch of us out to Lukenya (about 45 min outside of Nairobi) and lent us equipment and showed us how to climb! I think I am addicted. I was really really hard - physically and mentally but that is the fun of it. My hands are raw and I banged up my knees pretty good. Also - the worst but also funniest part was that on my third climb (up a really flat and steep and REALLY high face) I split my pants (right near the back pocket) and had a big hole in my pants but I didnt notice until I was back on the ground and someone came to tell me. I was wondering why everyone was cheering me on so much!!!

The people were really great and I am hoping to go again (or several times).

What an amazing day. I feel so lucky all the great opportunities and experiences that I'm being able to have.

Alien Mountain Climber

2005-09-06T23:41:00.000+02:00

Mountain Climbing Alien??

I got my visa extended - and I have now achieved alien status!! I can't wait to get my card. So I'm good to stay here until January, after that, I'll have to extend again - or just leave East Africa for a while.

Tonight - I went to the Mountain Club of Kenya - it's a hiking/climbing club. Every Tuesday they meet up for drinks and a little meeting (but mostly drinks) and let people know about upcoming events. This weekend I think I am going to go for the beginner's climb - it's mountain climbing for beginners. The people are really nice - actually mostly expats but there are a few locals. It seems pretty fun. At the end of the month they are trying to plan a Mount Kenya hike! Hopefully it works out - that would be an interesting adventure!