this is me

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 clo...

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 s...

I would write a poem about the range of emotions that one goes through while waiting for luggage in a foreign airport. Being a last minute packer, and this being my 3rd trip to Africa (with the first two being uneventful), I decided to chance it and not pack an extra set of clothes in my carry on. Fortunately, both bags arrived. I got through the visa/passport control quickly and waited over half an hour at the baggage 'hall' as they call it, but no problems at all. This rest of this post will likely be fairly scattered, so let's use bullet points: Someone wrote 'Obama was here' on the registration sticker in the elevator in our office building here. That made me smile. Everything seems really familiar, which is nice, considering it's been 20+ months since I was last (and first) here. My colleagues are all very kind, helpful people, and it's great to see those I email everyday face to face. The main purpose of me being here is to assist with the transit...

until I set foot in Nairobi again. So much to do before then! Excited for fun things to blog about coming up.