Im here in this (poxy) cybercafe in Nairobi. I got up at 5 this morning and hauled ass over to the capital. Started early to avoid the bad bad traffic jams in the city. Mondays, I was told, are particularly bad with people coming back from weekends away. My first job this morning wa to take my passport to the Ugandan embasy to get a visa for a visit I want to make in Dec. My collegue and fellow volunteer from Nguluni is from Uganda and wants to show me his country. I’ll go for a week or so before Xmas. That being done, Im here in the cafe spending one shilling per minute waiting…`
Its kinda hard to find some activity that a mzungu can undertake in the city without being accosted by someone and asked for money, or spending a lot of money in the process. I cant sit under a tree in the park, that wouldn’t be safe or plesant. I could go to a bar or coffee house, there is one particular one that is just like back home, and serves wonderful icecream and coffee, etc. Andthere are several local style ones that serve watered-down Milo and gristle pies. But all of them nag and nag for one to purchase more and more products. Im happier here with my ‘pooter, even if it did swallow 20mins worth of typing just now.
When Ive collected the passport (I asked the man in the office if I could come before 3pm — which he had written on my receipt — and he said 12!) and met that Ugandan himself (Mr Jackson), and had lunch (probably in that Western style coffee house), we’re off to Makueni (sp?) with a bunch of other VSOs for some intensive kiswahili training. Not sure how much of that I’ll retain, but it will be good to spend four days with the other vols, and I’m not one to turn down free training!
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