I got back to Nairobi last Thursday afternoon and have to say that coming from Ethipia, Kenya felt like a developed country when I arrived and it was good to be back. One of the major differences I noticed when I came back was the attitude of the people...being in such a closed culture in Ethiopia made me realize how much friendlier the people in Kenya are. I'm speaking in macro terms here, of course I met individuals in Ethiopia that were very friendly and I've met some not so friendly Kenyans, but in general the cultural attitudes towards outsiders/foreigners are much warmer in Kenya. My guess is that having repelled so many invaders (Ethiopia was never colonized) over the years has thoroughly ingrained a feeling of disdain and distance in the culture for anyone/anything foreign.
I have spent most of the week organizing and uploading photos, catching up on email, and finally motivating myself to catch up on all these blog entries. My friend Caroline, that I met in Mombasa on my first pass through, came to Nairobi and we got to hang out for a couple of days; she and I had a very American night and went to the Java House for guacamole bacon cheese burgers and carrot cake, and saw a movie: Borat. I also managed to see the new James Bond movie which reminded me how fun money, women, and fast cars can be...something you somewhat forget in the third world.
This afternoon I head off to Cape Town, where I'll be for Christmas and New Years. I have to admit that three months traveling around east africa has somewhat worn me down, especially my time in Ethiopia, and I'm looking forward to a break in the South before I press on to India mid-Jan. I'm sure I'll have the chance to do more frequent blog updating down there but just in case I don't, or I forget, I wanted to leave you with something for and called "Year's End":
Now the seasons are closing their files
on each of us, the heavy drawers
full of certificates rolling back
into the tree trunks, a few old papers
flocking away. Someone we loved
has fallen from our thoughts,
making a little, glittering splash
like a bicycle pushed by a breeze.
Otherwise, not much has happened;
we fell in love again, finding
that one red feather on the wind.
-Ted Kooser
Photos: Kenya
I have spent most of the week organizing and uploading photos, catching up on email, and finally motivating myself to catch up on all these blog entries. My friend Caroline, that I met in Mombasa on my first pass through, came to Nairobi and we got to hang out for a couple of days; she and I had a very American night and went to the Java House for guacamole bacon cheese burgers and carrot cake, and saw a movie: Borat. I also managed to see the new James Bond movie which reminded me how fun money, women, and fast cars can be...something you somewhat forget in the third world.
This afternoon I head off to Cape Town, where I'll be for Christmas and New Years. I have to admit that three months traveling around east africa has somewhat worn me down, especially my time in Ethiopia, and I'm looking forward to a break in the South before I press on to India mid-Jan. I'm sure I'll have the chance to do more frequent blog updating down there but just in case I don't, or I forget, I wanted to leave you with something for and called "Year's End":
Now the seasons are closing their files
on each of us, the heavy drawers
full of certificates rolling back
into the tree trunks, a few old papers
flocking away. Someone we loved
has fallen from our thoughts,
making a little, glittering splash
like a bicycle pushed by a breeze.
Otherwise, not much has happened;
we fell in love again, finding
that one red feather on the wind.
-Ted Kooser
Photos: Kenya
1 comment:
seth,
reading up on you from your father's email - we saw each other last in phuket- we have some friends in capetown working with us, steven and amy nicholson- young couple, no kids - they would love to help you out or connect for a meal - steven(at)servlife(dot)org is contact -
happy travels
Post a Comment