Living an Expat Life

Yup.  We are plunked down in Nairobi and hanging out with expats who work and live in Kenya.

We spend our days learning about the people here, going to the Nacomart grocery store, exploring the city, and trying to come to grips with the amount of corruption.  We have had many conversations with the expats about life in Kenya, the economy, and the politics here. 

On the positive side, Nairobi is exotic and unpredictable, and certainly more exciting than living in the west.  The city is relatively cosmopolitan and has access to some of the most spectacular scenery, culture and wildlife in the world.  Resource wise this country is blessed in many ways, and the weather in Nairobi is absolutely spectacular. There is nothing, we have discovered, like living in the tropics at a good elevation - warm days and cool nights.

On the downside, Nairobi has one of the greatest economic disparities in Africa. Outside the gated communities there is extreme poverty, urban overcrowding, and massive alienation. There is a soaring incidence of AIDS/HIV (15% of adults infected), and only 42% of the population has access to clean drinking water. Another problem is that Kenyans generally consider their tribal affiliation first and being Kenyan second, which has led to rampant nepotism. With more than 70 tribal groups in Kenya this is a very real problem.  

Not surprising given the economic and political situation in Nairobi, crime and violence are not far below the surface of everyday life. As our guidebook notes, 'Nairobbery', is regarded as one of the most dangerous cities in Africa, and most Westerners fly in and flee the city as quickly as possible. We pay heed to these warnings and take reasonable precautions when leaving the Wildebeest compound - like never going out with valuables, and always taking taxis in the evenings. So far our decision to hang out in Nairobi has resulted in nothing more sinister than sore feet from walking around. We are having a great time! 

We are using thoroughly enjoying this relaxing time to decompress and see a few sites around the city.  Nairobi was built within the last 100 years. The whole place was a big swamp until the 1890s when a rail depot was developed. The old colonial government established it as an administrative centre and built some grand hotels to accommodate the first safari tourists to Kenya.  Following independence in 1963, most of the colonial buildings were replaced by modern office buildings. Surrounding downtown on all sides are the suburbs, many of which contain one or more gated communities. There are also slums, the largest being Kibera with over a million people crammed into 2.5 square kilometers.

So what have we been doing?

One day we decided to go out and tour Sheldrick's Elephant Orphanage and the Langata Giraffe Centre.  The elephant orphanage is only open to the public one hour every day.  The orphanage has teams that rescue baby elephants and then keep them until they are old enough to be reintroduced back into the wild.  Many of the babies have fallen in wells or been injured and abandoned.  We got to watch them eat and play in the mud.  They each have a handler that works with them every day because some have been very traumatized.  We also learned about the life of rhinos and were introduced to a 2 month old rhino.  The baby walked right by Aidan and both Mike and I agreed that we haven't seen such a cute animal in a very long time.  The orphanage does really great work. 

We also visited the Langata Giraffe Centre where we got to feed some endangered Rothschild giraffes.  There is an education centre with lots of information about breeding, preserving and monitoring the giraffe.  Aidan really enjoyed feeding them and getting licked by very long purple tongues. 

Our final stop on our tour was the Kazuri Bead Factory.  This is a Kenyan success story.  The factory was established in the 1980s and employs single mothers to make pottery, ceramics, and beads.  The products are exported all over the world.  There were so many beautiful pieces of jewelery that I had a hard time deciding what to buy!

On another day we took a taxi downtown to the Kenyatta Conference Centre.  The building towers over the city square and was designed as a fusion of modern and traditional African styles, with a big saucer tower.  A staff member took us up to the rooftop viewing platform.  The sight lines go all the way to the suburbs and to Nairobi National Park.  Wonderful views of the entire city.

A visit to Nairobi wouldn't be complete without seeing the National Museum.  It is in a nice big building surrounded by lush gardens. It has really good exhibits on culture, geology and natural-history. The museum also has volunteer guides and so a nice young lady led us around and provided all the highlights of the exhibits. Before stepping into one room she asked us if we believed in evolution.  I found this rather odd at first, but then realized that many people here believe strongly in creationism (despite the evidence in the next room).  So in we went and saw many of the early human skulls that were discovered in eastern Africa.  A world-class display on evolution. 

There are many supermarkets and stores in walking distance of the Wildebeest Camp, so on another day we visited the Ya-Ya Centre.   We spent a few hours at the shopping centre, had lunch, went to a bookstore and got Aidan a haircut.  While at the bookstore I tried to find a book about Kenya called "It's our turn to eat".  I was told that I wouldn't find this book in Kenya and that if I did happen to find it, I shouldn't be seen reading it.  It is a book about the corruption in the government here.  I will definitely be reading the book when I get home. 

At the Ya Ya centre we also picked up some cheese, bread and fruit for dinner.  We have been eating quite well while in Nairobi.  On some nights we eat with other guests at the camp, some nights we have sandwiches, and other nights we go out.  We went to an Ethiopian restaurant with two American filmmakers who had been staying at the lodge. We all had some amazing food and even Aidan enjoyed the injera (bread).  

The desparate conditions many people face in Nairobi make us wonder what we can do to help, so we have made plans to visit some volunteer organizations in and around the city. Our first stop is the Kibera Community Youth Project.  Kibera is the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa and is located near the camp.  More on the visit in the next blog.