just another night in the ‘robes

(may 16, 2008)

i am sitting in my pyjamas and having a glass of wine after having set my pan on fire during the melting of the butter and heating of the vodka in the preparation of vodka pasta. like any normal person would, i tried to blow it out (fyi – NOT a good idea) then carefully turned the burner off and gently placed the pan back down on the stove and just waited for the fire to burnt itself out while i calmly wondered, ‘is is soda or powder that goes on a grease fire?’

instead of chancing it, i figured i would just watch and ‘monitor’ the fire. during my vigilant monitoring, i debated putting the pan on the stoop so that it was less likely to ignite my kitchen, but instead just called my flatmate, who was equally clueless on what exactly we should do. so we watched it burn together. and then she said, just like a 14 year old boy would, ‘wow, that was cool.’ and i replied, ‘i know, science, eh.’ and that is a true story.

the vodka pasta was nice (although i have made better batches, i think the secret lies in the cream) and i am now patiently awaiting the arrival of my taxi driver, who i hope will buy my cooker. and agree to come and visit me in canada one day. because without him, my stay in nairobi would not have been as rich of an experience and i am quite sad to think that i might not see him again.

he and i have been plant shopping together, had impromptu kiswahili lessons while passing time, he has picked me up at the airport after returning from journeys both long and short. he even picked my family up at the airport last year with a name sign that i am sure was spelled wrong and chauffeured us around town, even joining us at the baby elephants, which i think he enjoyed just as much as we did.

this guy has given me the low down on all the carjackings, robberies, and other neighbourhood happenings and he has also been a partner in a great many political discussions and we tried to solve the problems of kenya in the post election violence while navigating the streets of nairobi. he has rented me cars, given me free rides on my birthday or when he was exceptionally late, and he has given me the ok to marry my boyfriend who he thinks is a ‘good guy’ and is convinced i will return when i have babies in my arms.

actually, he was there the night we first met and picked up and delivered my keys when i got home and realised that i had left them with a friend at the bar. he has picked up important documents and take away food, helped me figure out how the central investigative division of the kenya police works, and will hopefully buy my cooker and fridge.

he reckons he will save his shillings and visit his friends in canada and australia (or austria, we never could figure out where his friend lives) and i do not doubt it. i am convinced the man sits on a vault of money. i just hope i can be as good of a driver and friend as he has been to me.

vultures!

yesterday was a rather liberating day. as days go. i formally declined the offer of employment made by my organisation and i sent out an email to everyone in my office to sell my stuff. i have already made some money for the Paris Fund and don’t anticipate having trouble getting rid of the rest of my things.

it is sort of fun selling all your stuff and i seriously recommend it, unless of course you need that stuff. it was a bit wild – all these kenyan women in my flat, nattering away, trying to bargain, and picking up EVERYTHING (even the stuff that is nailed down) and asking if it is for sale and for how much. i had to save my handbags before someone tried to pay me and walk out with them!

but today, i am spending the morning at home, with a cup of tea and the bbc (tea and the beeb are pretty much a running theme in my life) because i slept nearly 11 hours last night and woke up feeling meh. and i am so done with being sick, i am not going to work because sharing an office with 2 other people is a ticket to illness and if my colleagues are going to cough like they have tuberculosis and refuse to see a doctor, then i am staying at home with my tea and the beeb.

loose ends

isn’t it funny how as soon as you decide to leave a place, you begin to appreciate it more? i suppose that it is human nature (or at least my nature), but it doesn’t change the fact that i am ready to breeze out of here.

luckily for me, i get my ‘personal effects’ shipped to canada and although it is not a whole lot, i will manage to get my favourite baskets, rugs, and irreplaceable household things , Pieces of Art (i bought another! this time by a sudanese canadian artist and i love it so much that i want to marry it), most important books, and clothes and shoes (after a serious purge) in the shipment. i have been in talks with the movers and am planning on having an open house to get rid of all the other bits and bobs that i have collected. isn’t it amazing how much stuff you collect over a few year? anyone want to purchase some sheep skin rugs or patio furniture or a held-held mixer?

i am also giving my health insurance a run for its money and making sure i use up all my allowances as i have no guarantees when next someone will be paying for my specs or my teeth. the dental hygienist said i had ‘excellent oral health’ which made me so happy that i let a whopping ‘yes’ accompanied by a vigorous arm pump. or at least that is what i felt like doing.

it also amazes me how your social calendar fills up as soon as you decide to leave: i have been visiting with a friend just back from many months in darfur, sudan, you can imagine how fascinating that lunchtime conversation was; i spent my friday night playing board games with my flatmate at which i lost miserably; today i have lunch with a work colleague and friend and then dinner at a friend’s place where i am sure we will laugh a lot and get lost in italian translation; and if the rainy season cooperates, i will be going horseback riding this sunday afternoon in nairobi’s next-door forest.

one of my pet peeves is people updating their social calendars on their blogs like a laundry list, however, the moral of my story is that there is a lot i am leaving, but that i am very much ready to do it.