I've been in Nairobi for almost a week now, and I'm just starting to settle in and get a sense for the rhythm of the city. Chris and I, this year's MBA interns for the Sauder Africa Initiative, arrived in Kenya two weeks before the rest of the team to get everything organized and do some primary research for how the program is going to develop in the future.
The guesthouse where we're staying is lovely. It's run by Seventh Day Adventists, which means all meals are vegetarian and caffeine-free, but breakfast is included and dinner is cheap. The rooms are small but cozy (at least based on my budget-conscious travel experience to date) and they're equipped with mosquito nets. (Despite the fact that I was told it is not mosquito season and Nairobi is not supposed to be a malaria zone, I had a minor freakout on the first day when I fell asleep at dusk with the windows open and forgot to put down my mosquito net... I awoke with about 7 mosquito bites on my face and was paranoid about getting malaria. Luckily, no malaria yet!) I've also encountered tiny lizards wandering through the halls of the guest house at night!
It's impossible to talk about Nairobi without talking about the traffic that surrounds us. Cars are everywhere on the road, most of them rather old and spewing black smoke, and traffic lights seem to be more a suggestion than a rule. Being a pedestrian is a constant adventure - locals seem to develop a sixth sense for when it's safe to cross the road. I think Chris is developing this sense too, but my survival instinct seems to be lacking... I have absolutely no idea what the cars are doing and have narrowly avoided cars many a time. Luckily, drivers here seem unwilling to actually hit pedestrians... a contrast from Shanghai, New York, or Montreal, where they really don't care what you're doing.
So far, I've only seen downtown Nairobi, which is an interesting mix of businesses, shops, parks, and MPesa distributors EVERYWHERE. (I'll write more about MPesa later... it's a fascinating invention!) Once we actually get into Kibera and Mathare, the slums where we'll be teaching, I'm sure the experience will be different.
We have met so many people here - many of them amazing, friendly, ambitious people, and a few whose motives were definitely questionable. The people who work at the guest house are amazing, and our guides Fred and Val have definitely taken good care of us (specifically of me!) and made sure that our transition into Nairobi life is as seamless as possible.
I've recently discovered that the dress code of Nairobi is far more conservative than I'd expected. It's been 20-25 degrees every day, and it's not like I'm running around in mini skirts and tank tops or anything, but showing bare shoulders definitely gets me a lot more attention than I'm used to at home... At first I thought people were just looking at me because I was a foreigner (which is partially true, especially because my mixed Chinese-Canadian heritage makes me a confusing sort of foreigner to place), but putting my sweater on definitely reduces the stares that I get. No more sleeveless dresses for me!
I'll be in Nairobi for five and a half more weeks, and I'm sure I'll have many adventures and stories to share!
Kwaheri ni! (That's Swahili for 'goodbye')
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