How To Be Alone

I kind of want to watch this every day til I have it memorized.

Unanswered Lost Questions

Posting this here because I think it's hilarious, so accurate, and I want to make sure I can always find it. If you've watched LOST from the beginning, you are sure to enjoy this video.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

half awake in Amsterdam...

airport, that is. This is a 26 hour trek home, and that doesn't include the SuperShuttle from the airport to my apartment. 8ish hours from Nairobi to Amsterdam, 9ish hour layover in lovely Schiphol Airport (i'm serious, it really is lovely), and 8ish hours to DC. I'm so ready to be home, even if it is too hot for early June and I will likely turn into a sweaty complainer as soon as I step outside.

I look forward to colleagues receiving emails from me that say they were sent at 1am on a Saturday morning. Man, I'll look dedicated.

Anyway, the airport. There is a store called Flowers & Bulbs that has the most beautiful tulips, and bulbs and seeds you can bring home, and all sorts of tulip souvenirs...which I would totally buy if it didn't feel ridiculous buying a trinket from a country I've never actually set foot in. I want to bring a bouquet of tulips with me but I can't imagine they'll survive the flight in any way that would be worth the cost.

My second trip to Nairobi was officially a success - good transition to new management, on the way to resolving some long outstanding financial issues between our US and Kenya offices, and at least 3 people asked if the DC office could be convinced to let me move to Nairobi full time. Maybe if they ask me again in 10 years or so...

Also!!! Shout out to my dear friend Leanne who got engaged on Monday, and emailed, called, skyped, gchatted, and texted me in Kenya in an attempt to share the news firsthand. She and her man are a perfect match and I am so excited for what the future has in store for them. Give her a high five next time you see her.

This blog will likely go on hiatus again now that the travels are over for the foreseeable future. One never knows.

Elephants!

Today we made it to the elephant orphanage! Well, it's really more than that - see here for more info. Viewing hours are from 11am-12pm only, and Martin decided he'd like to be my chauffeur, so we headed out after breakfast and got there just as the 'show' was starting.

There were nine elephants under 18 months old being fed and having a good ol' time playing in the dirt. Some selected shots:

From Nairobi, take 2

From Nairobi, take 2

From Nairobi, take 2

I've never seen that many elephants interact at once - so playful, so small yet huge...pretty awesome. And, we saw two of these guys on the way out (behind bars, don't worry):

From Nairobi, take 2

And I bought a bag I really like, so that was icing on the cake.

This concludes the 'fun' portion of my stay in Nairobi - from now til I leave it's work, work, work (mixed in with a trip to the wine cellar restaurant in this hotel, perhaps).

Land Rover adventures

The new project manager owns this car:

From Nairobi, take 2

which he purchased when he lived in Burundi and drove to Nairobi before he moved to Afghanistan. (Yes, it's a lot to keep track of). In any case, it's been hanging out at a friend's house the past few years, and he's made use of it whenever he's come to Nairobi on holiday. Yesterday in his search to find a house to rent during his tenure as my project's manager, he found a house he might like to buy. It's somewhere southwest of point B on the map below - i.e., very off road.

View Larger Map

He asked if I'd like to accompany him for a second visit, and I gladly accepted.
This is the house next door to the one he might buy (and his inspiration for renovations):

From Nairobi, take 2

and this is the view from there, complete with giraffe:

From Nairobi, take 2

(can you see it?)
So good to get out of the city for a bit. This was the view on the way back to the hotel:

From Nairobi, take 2

Pretty close to a perfect day.

snapshots of this trip

From Nairobi, take 2

In my sleep-deprived state on my way to Nairobi last weekend, I found these souvenirs in the Amsterdam airport very amusing. I've always heard that clogs are sold everywhere in the Netherlands, but didn't quite expect these bright orange, seemingly plasticized clogs to be the first I saw.

From Nairobi, take 2

Nairobi is famous for its traffic. Apparently the city's population has grown from 8 million to 40 million since the '60s, and the infrastructure certainly has not kept up. This was taken at about 5:15 on a Thursday. Most of the main roads have roundabouts where they cross each other. I've heard stories of it taking 2 1/2 hours to go less than a kilometer when it's raining.

From Nairobi, take 2

The Fairview Hotel is a sprawling complex with gorgeous gardens - green, green, green, with flowering plants I've never seen before. Nairobi overall is very green - the north part of the city is flanked by the Karura Forest -- and vendors sell incredible varieties of flowers at major intersections. I've been enjoying the view from my hotel room window.