First Days in Nairobi

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

This is actually the third 4th of July in a row I have been abroad.  Last year I was in China, the year before that in Malaysia, and now in Kenya!  I seem to have a habit of going to countries which end in "a."

Things have been good in Kenya!  We have hit the ground running with our research project.  Please see my other joint blog with Mollie Foust for updates on how that is going.  This blog I am going to mainly try to use to record funny stories and my personal impressions of Kenya, rather than information about our research.

Thus far, Kenya has not been quite what I expected. 

First of all, its cold here--cold enough I use a jacket except at high noon, and have layered blankets on my bed.  I guess I should have figured it out as its sort of winter here, but we are right on the equator, so I assumed it would be warm and packed accordingly.  I need to get some more long sleeved shirts.  My feet are icy.

Its also less populous and more developed than I was expecting.  Mollie says its much more developed than it was 5 years ago when she was here last, and given the amount of construction going on, it seems likely to be even built up 5 years in the future!  There are a lot fewer people on the streets, though that may be because we are out and about during the work day.  The streets are very congested in the morning and evening, clearly the transportation network is straining to keep up with the population growth, and the air is thick with exhaust fumes, smoke from coal cook fires and burning trash.  The roads outside of the highways and city center are not particularly planned, and definitely not paved or maintained.  Most people get around in overcrowded buses or minivans called "matatus", which also stop at bus stops and men hanging out of the open sliding doors cram people in for about 40ksh per person, depending on where you are going.  They are decorated with painted signs--"STILL BORN AGAIN" "FBI" "LOVE BOAT"--and bounce along the potholes.  I've ridden in a few, and once ended up on Mollie's lap, knocking my head against the ceiling with each bump.  Much cheaper than taxis, though!

The people in Kenya are really nice; if the weather is colder, the people are much warmer than I was expecting!  No one stares at you here, which is a wonderful relief after China and makes me feel much more comfortable.  People are very welcoming and helpful, and everyone speaks English, which is great when you are trying to find places based on non-existent addresses (as I noted on the other blog, there aren't addresses in Kenya.  There are PO Boxes for mail, and semi-descriptive directions for anything else).  Everyone likes to chat and has an opinion about things they want to share with you, wonderful for researchers!  We have had an encounter with some street kids (pretty nice actually, though they really wanted some change or Mollie's coat) and caught a few people eying our bags, but nothing bad.

Fun fact--a ton of the clothing and shoes which are donated to Goodwill, etc ends up here in Africa, sold from wooden stalls on the dirt streets.  So you see Kenyan kids walking around in Springfield 2001 High School Reunion t-shirts, which is funny.  

I will do more posts later about food and the slum. 

We have also found a new place to stay starting Sunday, which is good.  It doesn't have a garden like our current place, but is 75% cheaper, and closer to the city so we don't spend $10 per day on taxis.

Best wishes to you all!