Family gathering and other tales from Nairobi

This past weekend, I took my first trip to Nairobi. This is no small feat. Friday morning at about 10:30, in the midst of a downpour (El Nino has come to Kenya), Drew and I boarded a matatu for the first leg of our trip. A matatu is the main form of public transportation in Kenya. It is either a van or a pick-up truck with the back covered and benches installed. They are built for 14 passengers, but often carry many more than that (see picture below). You see, who needs seats when you’ve got a roof to sit on and a bumper on the back to stand on? Thankfully, we had secured the front seats and I prayed the whole way that we wouldn’t get stuck as the dirt road to Eldoret (a 2 hr drive) was very muddy from all the rain. We had one spin out where the truck spun about 180 degrees and slammed into the muddy bank at the side of the road. Thankfully no one was hurt and we were back on our way in about a minute. In Eldoret, we boarded a shuttle – a much nicer van with assigned seats – for the remaining 5 hours to Nairobi. This actually wasn’t too bad and I was able to see a lot of Kenyan countryside. As we reached the outskirts of Nairobi, I thought, good we’re almost there. So I thought. The next 5 miles or so to the city center took one hour and 45 minutes! The traffic was insane! Definitely the worse I’ve ever experienced. When we finally got the drop off, I politely reminded the driver that he had said he would take us to the guesthouse where were staying. “Oh” he said, “this traffic is really bad. I call you a taxi.” This wasn’t the plan, but I figured we had no other choice. So, a taxi came and said he would take us. When I asked him how much, he showed me what looked like a standard list and said it would be 2000 shillings (about $25). This sounded like an awful lot to me, but I had never taken a taxi in Nairobi before and things do tend to be a little more expensive there. So, we agreed. I later found out I should have only paid about 300 shillings. Oh well, live and learn. Finally, we arrived at the guesthouse at about 8:30 that night – thankfully they had held dinner for us!

The next day, I got up and met Angela, one of the Kenyan medical students that was in Kapsowar last year when I was here. She had arranged a hair appointment for me (I was in dire need). So, we went to a very nice mall and I got my hair cut. We spent the rest of the morning just hanging out and window shopping. It was a blessing and fun to catch up with her.

I then met up with Scott Reichenbach, the director of the Post-Residency Program, along with many other post-residents from all over Africa, including others from here in Kenya (including 2 OB/GYN’s), Zambia, Niger, and Gabon. It was wonderful spending the rest of the day with them – encouraging one another, sharing insights and frustrations, and just relaxing together. It was a huge encouragement to me and I even received 2 bags of chocolate chips (thanks Robin Jenkins!). We stayed at the hotel with them that night and began our long journey in reverse the next morning.

The trip home was much less eventful. Drew did count our max occupancy on the matatu on the way home, though, and we topped out at 26! I think the next time I go, I will stay for a little longer, but I am thankful I had this weekend there.

A typical matatu

Our postresident family (a small portion of us)