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Going home!

I'm in the airport in Amsterdam to head home. I love travel but I also
love going home.

I took a short bus tour of Amsterdam. I could definitely come back here.
I wish our area was as bike friendly--I'd bike to work! Took a bunch more
pics (maybe 150ish).

It is just about boarding time. Next time I'm on the ground I will see my
boys!

Oh crap, I drank the water!

Rule #1 in Nairobi for visitors -- don't walk at night. You'll get robbed.

Rule #2 in Nairobi for visitors -- don't drink the water from the tap.
You'll get issues of the digestive kind.

So I woke up yesterday at 530 and stumbled into the bathroom. I used my
bottled water to wet my toothbrush. And then I rinsed it and put it in my
mouth with...tap water!! As soon as I realized I about yakked it out as
fast as I could. Tap water, what was I thinking?!?!? Crap!!! (Pun
intended!) That's what happens when it is early and you are brushing your
teeth...habit takes over.

Today I went shopping at lunch time with a guy from here. Bought all sorts
of African goods for next to nothing. I'm hoping that I can fit all of it
in my bags without going over and that nothing breaks.

I'm leaving tonight. I am ready to come home, but I am going to miss it
here. Someone told me before I left that everyone he knew who came to
Africa has said it has been a near-spiritual experience. I don't know if
that describes it, but it definitely has not been what I expected. I am
coming back a better person for my time here, with a renewed appreciation
for what I have at both home and at work.

Next stop, Amsterdam! Until then, farewell,
Kenya...it has been a wonderful visit!

A quiet day

No fish eyes today!

Today I worked -- met with people at work, wrote some documents.

I did get to go out to lunch today. Maybe their equivalent of the
Arby's...close but not too close, relatively quick food. Today I went with
my counterparts here. The place was inside a bunch of stalls of shops. We
had fried chicken, kale, and chapouti. The fried chicken wasn't like KFC.
More like dropping a quarter dark in a deep fryer for a while then putting
salt on it. The kale actually isn't kale but more like collards without
the ham hocks. Chapouti is a large piece of flat bread but not like at
Ethiopian restaurants. More like if you stuck a pita through rollers. The
food was good but not as yummy as the first place. The restaurant was more
run down and had flies.

Tomorrow I am planning some shopping. One of the guys has agreed to take
me to a local area and help me haggle. Then it is back to the airport to
go home.

Happy birthday Tom!!

A Work Day

Today, I worked. And worked and worked. It was all coverage measurement
all day.

I'm starting to walk like people here. Why cross at a corner when you can
jaywalk? Although I couldn't figure out why I kept running in to people.
Then I realized I was on the wrong side of the sidewalk. If a country
drives on the left, it stands to reason that it walks on the left too.

While I was walking back from lunch by myself, I probably committed several
"stupid tourist" errors. A couple of policemen ran across the street. Did
I run??? Noooo, I turned around to stare! Then do I keep to myself?
Nooooo, I ask some random guy, "Hey, what's going on?". Turns out a big
wig (he thought prez) was in a motorcade and whizzing by. Made me feel
like home when Suitland Parkway closes at rush hour for a mucky-muck.

Moral of the story -- Africa and the US have some stuff in common.

I ate fish eyes!

That's right, you aren't mistaken.

But first, a little about my day. I woke up at 5, went and biked in the
gym here. The driver took us to work. It was a little bit of a slow start
but we eventually got going. After going to a different building to meet
with their director, one of the men I'm working with here offered to walk
the 7 or so blocks back to the offices where we are.

Nairobi is a very urban city where we are. It reminds me a little of New
York -- lots of people with lots of cars. There aren't really any stop
lights or stop signs. I think I saw one stop light yesterday but everyone
just ignored it. Crosswalks are few and far between. It is mostly just a
free for all.

Anyhow, we walked around and I really enjoyed it. Then we stopped for
lunch.

You walk in and order and they bring it to the table. My walking companion
just ordered for me. Then we washed our hands. I politely played along.
Then the food came. It was a whole fried tilapia with ugali (a corn mush)
and akayo (greens that tasted like collard greens but apparenly aren't).
Then I figured out why we washed our hands....no silverware. Basically you
just pull the fish off the bone, eat scoops of ugali with the akayo. This
was some of the best fish I've ever had! They bring it in daily from the
water.

So I get to the point that I am literally sucking the fish off the bones
when my companion tells me I'm missing the best part. The only part left
is the head. At that point he pops an eye in his mouth. When in
Kenya...so down the hatch it went. (Btw, in case you were wondering, yes,
it looked like what I was eating)

It was SO good that I've never been happier that fish have two eyes! The
whole meal was amazing and I am hoping we can score another lunch there
before we leave.

I worked the rest of the day and then some this evening. Dinner was hotel
buffet with nyama choma -- chargrilled chunks of meat. Excellent!

All in all, a good day. I feel like I got to experience some of what this
place is. It is still surreal to me that I am in Africa. I don't know
when that will wear off.

Thank you for making us safe

It is 515 am and I am awake here in Nairobi even though work isn't until 9
am.

It is Memorial Day at home. Nothing ever makes me more thankful for what
we have in the US than going elsewhere. Kenya is a beautiful place. But
nothing is like home. We take things for granted -- like our safety, our
freedom, and the material things we have.

So Dad and Steve...thanks for what you've done for us. I appreciate it.

And for Mom and Connie who let them go and took care of life at home -- you
ladies have got some serious stuff inside. Thanks to you too -- you might
not get the parades but you deserve them too.

Nairobi National Park

This morning we went to Nairobi National Park. It was awesome...and I mean
that not in the valley girl sense. Awesome is an overused word in our
language, often by me. Today, it was appropriate.

The van that took us took only the two of us. We left at 8am and it took
maybe 15 or 20 minutes to get there. There was a marathon so we had to use
the back gate. We might have been there for 3 minutes until a couple of
giraffes were right next to the van. The top of the van popped up so we
could stand and take pictures. Basically we drove around for the next 3.5
hours and the driver would stop and I'd stand and take pictures. It is
definitely not a zoo but you can see the skyline of the city. We saw tons
of giraffes, gazelles, buffalo, a hippo and lots of birds. As impressive
as the wildlife, the landscape and flora was beautiful. It is just so
different from my deciduous temperate forest home. I took about 400
pictures with my cool camera. The driver was very patient....most of the
other handfuls of vans we saw sped past whatever cool thing I was taking a
picture of.

The driver, Stanley, had an entire outfit of Philadelphia Eagles wear.
However, when I asked him about it I don't think he knew what he was
wearing. My Redskins fan self laughed inside.

At this point, a big shout out to Carol for the portable TP tip. It got
used at the toilet (and I use that term lightly).

Tonight Indian food!!

In Nairobi

I made it here! The flights were great and I am nor near as tired as I
thought. The customs/visa process wasn't bad at all. Maria (also from
census and already here for a week) met me at the airport. We had a nice
cup of tea downstairs in the lobby. Gotta love the British influence!!
Tomorrow...Nairobi National Park. Camera battery is charging now!

Hanging in Amsterdam

I made it halfway. Business class is THE way to go! Now I just have to
cross my fingers that someone cancels on the way back.

Also, the flight arrivals/departures board is of course all international.
I take it for granted that we have lots of places to go with never leaving
the country.

Next stop...Nairobi!

At Dulles

Dulles is as far from my house as Kenya. I am killing time in the
northwest lounge. Whaaahooo! I decided to save my drinking for the plane
so that I can get all sleepy.

I got a little weepy when I said bye to Jonah and Luke (and Tom too). I am
going to miss them! My parents both said they were "worried". At least my
mom acknowledged the irony of the fact that they moved overseas with two
toddlers in tow!

Airplane plans...eat, drink, learn to use camera, read DaVinci Code, sleep.
Oh and I might do some work but ifthey have good gin all bets are off!

Catch ya in Amsterdam!!

The travel agency here at work are such wonderful folks that they (and I can't make this up) canceled my ticket just a few hours before I was supposed to leave today. Lame. They finally reissued it...Africa here I come!!

I started this so that I could tell everyone about what's going on with me in Kenya.  I'll have email access via my Crackberry technology, but wanted to make sure I'd have something that didn't require an account (my 'rents don't facebook...).