Busy times

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This is a bit of a delayed reaction entry! Since I wrote the last blog I have been busy with, well...not much really. Somehow it all seems to have taken lots of time though, and that’s a pretty typical Kenyan experience. Even a simple job like making a deposit at the bank can take 10 times longer than it would in the UK. The last time I went in it took 20 minutes to deposit some cash, not counting queuing time - this is going to take some getting used to!

My weeks have been “busy” with going to the office and finding out about the programmes, making visits to drop-in centres elsewhere in the province and to partner organisation in Mombasa. I’m enjoying finding out about the organisation and the work but I’m looking forward to getting a little busier - it makes the days move a little faster I guess.

Weekends have been going to pools and beaches and having nice lunches and seeing other VSOs. To be honest the thought of having to get anything else done at the moment fills me with horror - I may have to postpone getting a social life just because I’m too knackered!

One concrete thing I have managed was to move to a nicer area. The flat itself is smaller but is in a nice complex and very close to lots of good amenities and other volunteers live close by (actually one lives in the same building - its thanks to him I found the place here). Plus the nearest mosque is about 1 km away and I can happily say that I wouldn’t know where to get the coconut brew stuff my old neighbours loved in this new area. The only noise I hear in the morning now is the birds’ singing which sounds idyllic but some of them are crows and they’re not so much singing as fighting. Oh well, it’s better than someone retching next to my wall I guess! I also have a lovely balcony on my flat and it has nice views over the local area, but it’s too flat to see towards the sea unfortunately.

Yesterday we caught a matatu about 30 minutes up the Coast road to a small town called Mtwapa which is situated on a lovely creek and attracts a lot of expats and white Kenyans who can moor their big expensive boats there. It is a beautiful area, and after we wondered up and down the (not so beautiful) main street to get a feel for the area we decided to look for somewhere nice for lunch. Down by the creek there’s a restaurant called Moorings which is over the water and has lots of signs warning patrons that a Crocodile was sighted a week ago. We decided that even volunteers need to treat themselves and we splashed out on a lovely meal and posh cocktails whilst we (unsuccessfully) looked out for some crocs. Didn’t see them but we did see some unattractive old white men with some young Kenyan girls. Yuck. Not sure if it’s the work I’m involved in that has made me more sensitive to these relationships or whether I’m just naturally suspicious of dirty old men, but I see a lot of this sort of relationship here on the Coast. The sex workers in Mtwapa have a reputation for being the most high-class among all the girls in the coast province. The pickings are so rich that they can afford to pick and chose their clients - to some extent I guess.

I can’t quite believe that I’ve been here in Kenya for over 5 weeks now. I’m beginning to love the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the Coast and the Coastarians and am looking forward to really getting in to my placement properly.

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