I'm back! May 16th - May 31st 2009

I’m back!

I’m back in Nairobi, Kenya as of May 18th and will be here until August 25th. This time I haven’t come as a student but (according to my visa) as a tourist. Of course I don’t feel like a tourist but regardless, it is good to be back.
The first week that I was back was exciting in the sense that I got a chance to see some people I hadn’t got to see in a while. The flight here was good and it was really nice having my friend Courtney in London and willing to show Becca and I around for the day. (It’s worth noting that this trip is me and my friend Becca, I’m sure she’ll come up a lot).
The goal of our time in London was to pack as much possible into our 12 hour lay over and I think we were successful. It was raining for most of our time but I thought it was fitting that it was raining in London while we were there, like a more authentic experience. That feeling passed after the first 20 minutes of rain and two hours later when it was still raining I was completely disenchanted (with the rain, not London) First we went to the Tower of London which was fun and we got to see the crown jewels. We got to see lots of places where people were beheaded, tortured, etc. All in all an uplifting time. Then we hopped on a bus (a double-decker red bus of course) and headed over to Buckingham Palace. From there we walked to see the Parliament building and Big Ben. It was all in all lovely and Courtney was a great sport showing us everywhere. She even came to the airport in the morning to meet us, keep in mind it was 7:00am, and I got to have a Love Actually moment. You know when everyone walks down the receiving line exiting the airport while the Beatles “Love Love Love” plays in the background (or in this case my head). The moral of this story: Courtney is amazing. The pictures that I took in London are nice too although Becca has a pretty heinous one where the mixture of my hair having undergone a 7 hour flight, my internal clock being at 1:00am although in London it was 7:00am, and a swift wind combined in a way that makes me look like I had been electrocuted shortly before the picture was taken.
The first week back in Kenya was nice. We arrived on Monday the 18th and our friend Patrick picked us up from the airport. Becca and I are staying in an apartment with Patrick, his aunt, and his cousin. It’s nice living in a home with a Kenyan family. When we finally arrived in Kenya after our flight we spent Monday just hanging out in the house (and showering of course we had spent 28 hours traveling). Tuesday I went to Sarakasi Trust which is the NGO (Non-governmental Organization) that I had interned at last time I was in Kenya. When I left Sarakasi had just moved into a new building they bought and had just finished renovating. This time I got to see the Sarakasi Dome completed; it looks amazing. Additionally, Sarakasi had bought the building next door and they opened the new Sawa Sawa Bar. Now between Sarakasi’s two buildings they have a huge performance space, a dance studio, a radio station studio, an apartment for visiting artists, and the bar. It’s remarkable how far they’ve come and how great the space is.
The first weekend back in Nairobi a friend invited Becca and I to Lake Naivasha. I’ve been to Lake Naivasha twice before the last time I was here but it’s very peaceful and a nice chance to get out of the city. Also to get to Naivasha, which is slightly north and west of Nairobi, you have to drive past the Rift Valley which is one of the most amazing views in Kenya. The Rift Valley is literally the cradle of life (the oldest human fossils were found there I believe). We went to Naivasha on Friday and stayed overnight. On Saturday we decided to come back to Nairobi and although we didn’t get a chance to go out on the lake or see any animals (they have giraffes, zebras, antelope etc.) it was still a really nice trip.
The next week Becca and I went to Sarakasi everyday as the Sawa Sawa Music Festival was that coming weekend. To help out we called the artists a lot giving them information and getting things from them, made a press packet, organized the artists’ packets, labeled and sorted all meal vouchers, and handed out meal vouchers and wrist bands for each day. I don’t know if that sounds like a lot of work but it was J. The festival itself was May 29th, 30th, and 31st. On Friday, the 29th there was a VIP event with 1,000ksh entry (about $13). Saturday and Sunday were free and open to the public. There was a stage in the Dome, in the Bar, and outside in the Parking lot. Saturday was more of a hip-hop day and Sunday was more African contemporary. Both days I was at Sarakasi for at least 10 hours most of which I spent literally running up and down stairs getting things from the office for people and doing other such tasks. All in all it was a great experience though when it ended on Sunday night I was dead tired.