My Part of Nairobi

Where Paul Is

2011-06-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for Paul Merrill, go over to Shiny Bits of Life, which is his main blog - or Greener Grass Media, which is his business site and blog. Thanks!

(I no longer live in Nairobi. But occasionally I do blog about life at Shiny Bits of Life.)

Blog weirdness

2008-04-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

I visited Google Analytics for this site recently. My "Glass!" entry from May 2006 scored an amazing number of hits. It brought my total hits for one day (for any of my sites) to a record level: 381!

I know of no reason for this.

Update: Gill the Bean from the UK let me know that my post was featured via Dooce! Wow, cool!!

Where to find me

2007-06-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

In August, I'll return to blogging.

1. Go here for the main stuff.
2. Go here to find my rubbish art.

Cheers,
Paul Merrill

Goodbye to This Glorious Chaos

2007-06-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

It is time for me to say goodbye.

We leave Kenya tonight right before midnight. We have lived here for just over two years - and not left East Africa during that time.

So why do I refer to Kenya as "This Glorious Chaos"? Well, it's glorious here - and very chaotic.

I know that some of the readers out there might object to Kenya being called chaotic. Well, don't be. Nairobi, at least, has lots of chaos. Just get in a car and drive across town!

And the glory? Oh, it's all over the place. Smiles on so many faces. Laughter as I pass roadside shops. Beautiful amazing random artwork on ceramic pots for sale along Ngong Road. Flowers on almost every plant, year around.

So you should come to Africa. Not just to visit - but to live. Then you can really see what life is like. We tried - two years is not long enough. We were compelled to return to our home, America. Those of you who know us understand why. Those who don't - well, you'll just have to get to know us. (Move to Colorado.)

Didn't succeed

2007-05-31T21:57:00.000-07:00

...But at least I got a still image.

I had been meaning to get a video of the Kenyan National Anthem - the version played before many movies at cinemas here. My final attempt did not succeed; I only got about 1 second.

It's interesting to watch that short film - it's the same edition that has been used for maybe 30 years. (Or it seems like that.)

International-ness

2007-05-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

As we will be returning to the States so soon, I have pondered some of the things I'll miss.

One is the international aspect of life in Nairobi. Most places we go are frequented by people from all over the world.

And the organization I work with is a picture of that also: at our weekly prayer meeting recently, I looked around the room. There were 10 Americans, 6 Kenyans, 5 Brits, 2 New Zealanders, 1 Swiss(er) and 1 Canadian.

Littleton, Colorado is not like that.

And yes, it's another photo that has nothing to do with the post. I just love cars. Even ones that have their body parts held on with straps.

14 seats

2007-05-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

Matatus are mini buses that travel all over Kenya. In early 2005, the government changed their policies on matatus. Before, if an operator wanted to cram 300 people into the minibus, that was alright. No longer. (A great change!) 14 passengers is the max - and seatbelts are required by law for all 14. Moms frequently carry their kids on their laps (beyond the 14 rule) - but that's another story.

The government will be phasing out the 14-seaters, but that's yet another story.

"Matatu" in Swahili means that you could travel for 30 cents, a standard fare wherever and whenever you went: three 10 cent coins. (Special thanks to my friend toneloc who gave me the truth on that!)

Leaving

2007-05-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

1. Absence makes the heart grow fonder

2. Deprivation breeds appreciation

These are two concepts that have been rattling around in my brain as I have contemplated leaving this Kenyan life and starting a new life in the States. Much of my old life is gone - I will not be returning to my old job. (Marti Smith, a former co-worker, is grieving this loss too.) But we are very thankful to be returning to some of our familiar friends and our beloved home.

Leaving here means saying goodbye to friends. A sad reality.

As you may have noticed, my photo does not illustrate all this.

Omo and time

2007-05-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

A British friend told me of the time he served for one or two years in West Africa, shortly after graduation from university. He was teaching science in a rural school, as part of a voluntary program (like the USA's Peace Corps).

As his time was nearing completion, he said he measured time in any way possible. (He desperately wanted to return home to England.) One measuring stick was Omo laundry soap packets - each one lasted about two weeks. So he was able to say, "It's ten packets till I get onto the plane."

His wandering days are over. He married a Kenyan lady and is building a house in Karen, a nice suburb of Nairobi.

And for us, we're down to less than one Omo packet. On June 2nd, we board the out-bound plane, with no plans to return.

Death in Kenya

2007-05-24T22:02:00.001-07:00

Common sights in Kenyan cities are roadside tombstone sellers. I finally got around to taking a few photos.

Death is a sensitive subject here. (Actually, where is it not that?) But death is treated differently here than in North America. I once sent out an email to my staff telling them to leave the passwords to their computers with a trusted colleague. I said something like, "In case you die, we need to access your work data." This did NOT go over well.

In contrast, grieving a death can be much more open here. In about 1992, I made a photography expedition to Mfangano Island, in Lake Victoria. As we walked around the island, I heard loud wailing - for more than an hour. Someone had died the night before. This grieving was much more open than it would be in North America. (How much more healthy it is to get the tears out, rather than bottle them up inside!)

The bouquet that can never be

2007-05-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

The flame tree is a famous fixture in the world of Kenya lore. Beautiful red-orange blossoms sit at its top - maybe 40 to 60 feet from the ground. The only time you can see the flowers up close is when they fall to the ground. (The trunk is not good for climbing, as the lowest limbs are about 15 to 20 feet from the ground.) When the blossoms fall to the ground, their vitality is already gone.

Ephemera is one of my favorite words - the fleetingness of an experience.

I am sure that if I had time to think about it, there are analogies to life in this small tale. But today - I don't have that luxury.

Guest pic

2007-05-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

You know I love weird products.

Today's product is from Spain - taken in Spain. My friends Jason & Seana Yee took a trip there last year and shared this with me - so I share it with you. (Thanks Jason & Seana!)

"Superblando" bubble gum must have different meanings in Spanish. But I thought the "00" on his chest fits in well with "superblando".

Thorns

2007-05-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

Rachel found these gigantic thorns. I think they're from an acacia tree of some kind.

Often thorns like these are used as an inexpensive (free!) barb wire fence by ranchers in Kenya.

Home

2007-05-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

If you visit the BBC weather page for Nairobi, there is a little option at the lower right corner of the page - setting Nairobi as your hometown. (That probably only comes up under certain circumstances.)

Well that's not how we got here. It was a bit more complicated than that. Maybe someday it will be as easy as typing in a few letters and clicking a button.

More menus

2007-05-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

A new Mexican restaurant came to town maybe nine months ago. I think it's from South Africa. (So that's Mexican food in Kenya, by way of South Africa.) It's the closest to Chipotle or Qdoba that we can get here. And I'm thankful.

By way of contrast, the chalkboard is from a more traditional Kenyna restaurant. I have no idea what Athola is.

The last one

2007-05-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is the very last in my "rubbish art" series. I now have twelve - enough to make a calendar.

Water bottles are popular items for some who toss things out their car windows in Nairobi. Coca Cola's Dasani is the market leader.

This time I actually washed the empty bottles. It has been rainy season, so some were covered with a lot of dried mud. (I wanted to show you the bottles and not the dried mud.)

Notes: 1. To see some of the rest of the series, type "rubbish art" into the "search this blog" window at the top of this blog. 2. If you double-click on the image, you can see it a bit larger. 3. If you check rubbish-art.blogspot.com after August, you can see how to buy rubbish art postcards, coffee mugs and cigarette lighters. (Well, maybe not digarette lighters.)

Not really a menu

2007-05-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

I love this - Antonio is not a name I would normally associate with traditional Kenyan food.

Mbuzi is goat. Tilapia is one kind of fish from Lake Victoria. Ugali is thick corn-meal stuff that supplements nearly every traditional dinner. Sukuma is called kale in the south of the USA.

Finally, you'll note that "Halaal" is at the bottom - Antonio cooks his food so it's OK for Muslims.

Where did that van come from?

2007-05-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

My 6-year old daughter asked me that question on our walk to the bus stop together this morning.

"Germany."

"Oh, I thought it was from India, because it is green."

So what IS the taste of Iftar?

2007-05-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

I have no idea, but this poster is in the elevator of a fancy hotel in downtown Nairobi. (I wasn't staying there; I parked my car in their garage while I did a little business elsewhere.)

The really dedicated people out there will look up "Iftar" on Google. I didn't.

Liquid calcium

2007-05-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

I was just amused at this feature of Colgate here - that would probably not be a selling point in North America.

Who does the work?

2007-05-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

It often seems like women do the hard work in Africa - at least in rural parts. (I think it's true in other parts of the world too. My wife does a lot of the hard work in our marriage - by being a mom!)

This photo was taken in Tanzania by our friends, the Stephens. They went there on a safari recently.

Architecture in Nairobi

2007-05-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

This building is near the YaYa Shopping Centre. It's very new - it has just been open a few months.

I like it. Not fully, but at some levels. Reminds me of those freshman architecture classes at Texas Tech, oh so many years ago.

A tale of plastic in the dirt

2007-05-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

I found yet another broken car lens in the dirt by the side of the road. Vehicle accidents are part of life in Nairobi. Out of the group I'm a part of, there's an accident involving someone about once every two weeks.

No matter how good a driver you are, it's the other person who may be the problem. Some people bribe their way into a license. Ability? That may not be part of their skillset. Learning? Maybe not. Aggressiveness? Definitely. (I pleasd guilty to that last one.)

I tell newly arriving people that they should expect to be in a fender-bender about once every nine months, on average. If they aren't, it's maybe because they don't get out very much.

Bottle caps

2007-05-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

This is the next to last in my "rubbish art" series.

Coke products in Kenya are the source of the most roadside bottle caps here.

Come August, I'll be letting you know how to buy postcards, etc.

If you do "search blog" for "rubbish" at the top of this blog, you can see the others. Also, if you double-click on the image, you can see it a bit larger.

Kinyozi art

2007-05-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

I love Kinyozi art. Kinyozi (Swahili) are barbers - or beauty salon artistes (that's "ar-TEESTS"). Nearly all Kinyozi shops have art on the outside - to draw customers to the inside.

In my dream life, I'd take about a month travelling around Kenya taking photos of the art of Kinyozi shops - to create a coffee table book. Alas, these two shots will have to do.

Cingular

2007-05-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

Sierra, my favorite restaurant in Nairobi, is sponsored by Cingular. Not really.

But the large plate glass windows at front are held in place by Cingular. Not really.

Chemists

2007-05-01T00:16:00.000-07:00

Pharmacists in Kenya are often called chemists. This logo takes that definition literally.

One of my many jobs here is reimbursing staff for their medical expenses. This logo was at the top of a receipt that crossed my desk, so I had to share it with you! (Actual size was about 1" across.)

Beautification

2007-04-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

All across Kenya (except for in the most remote corners), advertising colors the cities and villages. Shops agree to a fresh coat of paint in exchange for the paint advertising a product or service. (Some villages are "Coke" and others are "Safaricom.".)

There is a new building being built in the complex where I work. For safety reasons, a corrugated steel fence blocks the building site from the rest of the complex. Someone decided to trade the raw-steel-look for the Crown Paint look.

"Crown" is the brand. "Vesta" is their economy product line.

Notes:
1. The signs were totally painted by hand - no rulers or any other guides were used.
2. The little white rectangle below the "gloss" is where the paint color would be written on the can. (I might not have thought it to be central to the design enough to have included it in the advertising reproduction.)
3. I enjoyed the artist's version of the crown's glow.

TREATMENT

2007-04-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

Some days...

...I just feel like I need to visit this room.

Edible soap?

2007-04-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

I have featured India's No. 1 soap brand before. This time it's the "sandal" flavor. Unfortunately, the word "sandal" is hidden by shine from the package's gloss finish.

Like most of the products I feature, I bought this at Nairobi's Nakumatt Mega.

(I haven't tried eating it.)

What happens when labor is cheap

2007-04-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

Our apartment complex has four buildings with four apartments in each - 16 total. And we have two full-time gardeners.

That would not be the case in America. At least for anyplace we could afford to live at.

But you see, they make about $60 or $80 a month. Yes, a month.

It's such a complex set of factors - if they made more, the other staff would need to make more, etc. A house of cards. I don't like it but am in some way part of the crime.

Several of my employees have full-time live-in employees who work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. For about $50 a month. (They do have free room & board.)

We try to be generous where and when we can.

(By the way, note Gideon's broom - all natural! And it's another cost-saving measure.)

Church under a tree

2007-04-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

When you live in a place with a perfect climate (Nairobi), it works fine to meet under a tree for worship.

One Saturday we visited the Nairobi Arboretum. Within a few hundred yards of each other were about four different church groups.

It's cheaper than having a building program. (But then, in North America the climate would not allow this sort of "building" for much of the year.)

Ah, but the visuals are great

2007-04-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my friend Albert Porter. He values high fidelity sounds more than any other human I've known.

This particular stereo (from Nakumatt) values the visual aspect a bit more than the sound quality. If my bandwidth were higher, I would have inserted a video of the stereo - imagine the lurid color circles around each speaker cone pulsing in time with the beat. The sound? Imagine a transistor radio times 100.

A truly evil man

2007-04-20T00:47:00.000-07:00

The April 23 international edition of Time has a cover story on Robert Mugabe, the malevolent dictator of Zimbabwe. (That's a country just above South Africa.)

"Unemployment is at 80% ... life expectancy is 34 for women and 37 for men ... inflation is expected to reach 3,700% by year's end. (A single brick costs more today than a 3-bedroom house with a swimming pool did in 1990.)"

Be thankful you live where you do. Pray for Zimbabwe.

Just another day in the life

2007-04-19T01:50:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the police station. A guy who works for me was arrested.

It wasn't his fault. The citation was for "changing lanes."

As a colleague stated, "You don't ask." In other words, the police are the authority, and if they cite you for smiling inappropriately, you don't argue.

The pain of it all is the approximately $50 it cost our organization, having to get the car out of the impound lot and all day in court for him.

In the interest of science

2007-04-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

This morning I poured camel yogurt over my granola. Yes, yogurt made from camel's milk.

When I saw the small refrigerated case displaying camel yogurt and camel milk, I had to buy some, for you, my dear readers.

The performance report? It doesn't taste weird. I got strawberry, and the real-fruit flavor does not shine through the heavy sugary taste.

After I got home from the supermarket (Nakumatt, of course), I discovered that the expiration date was past. Too much hassle to return it. (Besides they may not have had any that was not already expired.) Thankfully, it had not "gone off".

That boot

2007-04-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

When I was in school, this style of boot was called "chukka". Here, it's made by Bata and called "The Safari Boot".

And they are very popular here.

This billboard has lasted longer than most in Nairobi. (It's not a question of durability - it's a matter of how long the company pays to advertise.)

Bloggers of the world, unite

2007-04-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

Last night, we went to dinner with the Jamison family. They are missionaries in western Kenya. We met via the wonders of the world of blogging. Somehow we found each other's blogs and saw enough shared experiences that our sites bubbled near the tops of the old bookmarks files.

They're heading to the States for a brief "home assignment". (In missionary-speak, that used to be called a furlough.) So we managed to meet up on their way out of Kenya at Java House. That's Nairobi's chain of resturants that most closely resembles Starbucks - with a full menu. And they're the only restaurants in Kenya I know of that will give you a glass of free filtered water.

Pray for them as they re-connect with life back in Dallas and various sponsoring churches and individuals. And go to Heather's site. There's some good stuff there.

(Sorry about the poor photo quality; I sold my beloved Sony camera in preparation for leaving.)

Malu

2007-04-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

Last week was our kids' spring break. I took off a few days so we could have out last Kenyan get-away. We left the big city for Malu - a place about 20 miles in the hills above Lake Naivasha.

We stayed in their treehouse. It's not so much a Swiss Family Robinson sort of dwelling but rather a house in the forest where you feel you're living in the trees. Incredible.

During one of our two days there, we hiked to the "plunge pool". Again, incredible. A small hot spring feeds the pool. The temp hovers around 78f - though it felt colder. They created the pool in the middle of a stream. Jay and Ben spent a lot of time swimming. It was too cold for Heather and I to spend much time in there, but it was very refreshing! If the day had been warmer, it would have been even more so.

Finally, for those planning to visit, you must plan to eat at their Italian restaurant for one meal. The way-off-the-beaten path setting makes the food even more amazing than it would be otherwise.

What do you want?

2007-04-14T04:02:00.000-07:00

As I like people to read & view this blog, I'd like to field the question, what would you like to see here?

You know what sort of stuff I do - but what parts do you love & what parts do you hate?

Thanks, if you take time to reply.

Chris inspired me to this post.

Loved this one

2007-04-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

I love package design. In fact, that was my minor at university.

Angel Delight is from England. (The Giles family is visiting us right now, and they brought some along.) The chocolate flavor features a different kid - but he's not nearly as charming as this little guy.

As always, I can't vouch for the product's taste.

Bomas of Kenya - Nairobi Tourist Destination?

2007-04-12T04:05:00.000-07:00

"Bomas" is Swahili for home. (It's usually not just a singular home but a set of homes for an entire family.)

Anyhow, we finally visited the Bomas of Kenya complex. It's sort of a museum. Several traditional villages are reconstructed in a forest setting, not far from Karen (a suburb of Nairobi).

Most of the villages pretty much looked the same. The Maasai village was distinctive. It was unlike the two varieties of Maasai vilages I have visited. (We lived among the Maasai - way off the beaten path - for about 6 weeks of our intro to life here training, back in 1991.)

So yes, you can see from the photo of Heather (my first and only wife) that several of the bomas represented polygamous tribal groups.

The other pic reminds me of the inside of a giant bird's nest. Jay and Oliver climbed up to the second level inside one of the homes.

Inspired by a baobab?

2007-04-11T03:31:00.000-07:00

This sign is great. It did make me think of Kenya's baobab trees - one of the quintessentially African plants (big African plants).

It was at the Bomas of Kenya complex. The Bomas site is the gathering place where Kenya's constitutional review group met last year. The complex has a huge auditorium that hosted the discussions. We saw a great display of traditional dances there. That alone was worth the price of admission.

My next day's post: more on the Bomas.

A chip off the old block

2007-04-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

Rachel, at 5, arranged these little plastic guys in this pattern. My brain works just like that!

Notice that the guys from the outside perimeter are even all facing the same way: feet to butt.

By the way, Rachel turned 6 a few days ago. (Happy late birthday!)

- - -

During the next week or so, I may not be posting much. It's the kids' spring break & I'm taking a few days off to hang out with them.

The funeral

2007-04-05T23:03:00.000-07:00

Our friend Hannah's father died. Hannah is in the back, flanked by her two daughters. Hannah's mom (and wife of the deceased) is in the front.

Heather went to the first part of the funeral and then left Hannah with a small digital camera. She was able to take a lot of pictures that we never could have. (It's hard to be a fly on the wall when you stick out as much as we do!)

Today you might remember a death about 2000 years ago - Jesus. But he didn't stay in the grave - because he rose again, we can have life too.

The good and the bad

2007-04-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

As you have noticed, advertising is one of my interests.

As I drove through town the other day, I came across these two billboards.

Coke has a new campaign, and I really like it. I'm not sure if this bright-flowery campaign has made it to other countries. (This billboard is customized for Nairobi.)

Technology Associates - lower left- is a bit misguided with their billboard. The type is so small that you'd have to be about ten feet away to read the fine print.

Yes, it's true, Coca-Cola has a little more money to spend on their advertising than Technology Associates does. If you live here, that's obvious - the new campaign is all over Nairobi.

Milk in Nairobi

2007-04-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, another in the rubbish art series.

Lots of people buy milk in these little plastic bags. Those provide a small burst of energy and prevent dehydration. So as usual, the spent containers end up on the side of the road... along with the straws that are poked into the corners of the packs.

If you double-click on the image, you can see it a little bigger.

Well shoot

2007-04-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

This envelope came to me recently. The Kenya Revenue Authority is the tax-taking government branch. Neither of the two out of my three names is spelled correctly. And they are not in the right order. And my first name is not there.

But in all fairness, I have severe problems figuring out the correct order of most Kenyan friends' names. I think I have way more problem with that than some Kenyans do with western names.

(Detail people - yes, I did remove the box number, to keep whatever crazies out there who might come and pillage my castle from doing so.)

Flowers up high

2007-04-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

As you've read here before, Nairobi has the perfect climate. Plants grow and grow and grow. This giant flowering tree is in the compound of our apartment complex. In Europe or North America, that species could have maxed out as a house-plant.

Bonga. (Bongo?)

2007-03-31T21:59:00.000-07:00

Safaricom and Celtel are always fighting each other for market share. (Those are Kenya's two mobile phone networks - and some of the most profitable companies in the nation.)

I haven't figured out the latest campaign for Safaricom. And "Bonga"? Once again, my lack of Swahili skills lets me down.

Update: check the comments for some great explanations of what it means.

"You are very sticky"

2007-03-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

I bought this passport cover for about $1.50 (100 Kenya shillings). Why? I dunno. I certainly don't have a Kenyan passport. But now my American passport can look like a Kenyan passport.

So, you're thinking, "Paul is crazy." Maybe true.

Anyhow, as I clenched the deal (starting at 200 shillings), the highway salesman ended our exchange by saying, "You are very sticky!" It was his way of saying, "You are a good bargainer." But if I had a different skin color, I could have been an even better bargainer.

There's always the feeling that I don't want to cut the sales-persons' profit too much - these guys have to make a living! So I attempt to not go too low.

Kenyan English

2007-03-29T05:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have never lived outside of your native-English-speaking country, you may not be aware that there is a significant difference in the various "brands" of English.

Today I visited one of my favorite spots in Nairobi. As I was leaving, the staffer said, "Don't get so lost." In America, that phrase would result in the other party saying, "Huh?!"

What the other person meant was, "Don't wait so long before you return next time!"

And that is the very reason why I am in the line of work I'm in - assisting Bible translation. You can imagine that some critical concepts would not translate even within the different brands of English, to those who don't know both "languages."

Matatu meanings

2007-03-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

This was on the back of another matatu (public mini-bus).

The words on them are so random. "Dallas" on top? Maybe the name of the company that put "Meticulus" on there. Maybe not.

More rubbish art

2007-03-27T22:00:00.001-07:00

This is the eighth in my series of "rubbish art".

This one is gum and candy wrappers. All found by me along the edge of the road in Nairobi.

So why do I do these?

Well, as Heather observed, it's my way of redeeming what was thrown away. It's also my way of observing what people throw away. In this case, it's easy to see that people choose PK gum as their quick sugar buzz more than any other. Additionally, I'm commenting on people throwing stuff away at the side of the road rather than in a rubbish bin (UK/Kenya) or trash can (US). I wish they would throw stuff away in a bin! Finally, I'm commenting on manufacturing - there ought to be ways of making stuff that wouldn't involve a package that is discarded. In Japan, for example, candy is packaged in edible wrappers made of rice.

Close-up: my favorite wrapper.

Another artist who comments on how throw-away the USA culture acts: here.

Finally, if you tune back in around August, I'll be making a series of greeting cards that will be for sale. They will be blank inside - I can't imagine saying something like, "I hope you have a trashy birthday..."

Hunting in Tanzania

2007-03-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

I have never been hunting. Not in Tanzania. Not in America. (Not in a box, not with a fox, not in a house, not with a mouse...) I'm not opposed to it, but it's just not my thing.

Anyhow, I saw this emblem on the hood (UK-bonnet) of a large bush-ready Land Cruiser the other day. It was so amazing I had to share it with you. It would have been interesting to meet the owners, though I didn't have that opportunity.

Hunting is illegal in Kenya. (Not in a box, not with a fox, not in a house, not with a mouse...) But apparently, if one is willing to pay enough, hunting is totally legal in Tanzania. If you have resident status (the Land Cruiser owners did), it is WAY cheaper - like 50 times less!

Let me introduce you to Simon

2007-03-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Simon appears on many public transportation vehicles in Nairobi. This time he was on the back window of a taxi parked at the posh Junction Shopping Centre.

I have always found Simon's image to be striking. I have no idea who the artist is. (Finding him or her would be a monumental undertaking. Unfortunately that person must get no royalties for the frequent use of their artwork.)

Simon represents the oppressed extremely poor street children in Nairobi. His image is meant to make you consider their plight. Or at least that's my theory.

This would not fly in the land of its origin

2007-03-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

The Belgian government has sent a copy of An Inconvenient Truth to all of the 7th grade classes in the country and is asking for teachers to initiate projects around climate change/control...

And I must remind you that Mr. Gore's personal home uses 20 times more energy than the average US home uses. But I guess the good changes he might start in Belgium could make up for his personal sins. (Politician = televangelist?)

Swahili Baby?

2007-03-23T02:05:00.000-07:00

This 45 (from here) caught my eye.

As I have mentioned before, it can't catch my ear, as my bandwidth, both at home and at the office, can't support music downloads. That's probably a good thing.

I wondered if Chuy even knew what Swahili is.

Terms of Endearmints

2007-03-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

Some friends went down to South Africa recently. (That's the "Europe of Africa".) They very nicely brought back some gifts - including some Endearmints.

If you're ever in South Africa, pick some up - they are like Mentos only better!

Retail therapy

2007-03-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

I bought a watch from a highway salesman recently. It's a Porsche Design. Fake.

It cost all of about $14. The case is not titanium. On the back it says "Rose Gold". Maybe not.

I was amused, as I asked the guy, "It runs on batteries, right?" Not. (I knew it wouldn't be battery-powered.) It's wind-up (or motion-activated) and needs to be reset to the right time every morning. In other words, the mechanism is so ineffieient that it runs down in the middle of the night, after a day of wearing.

I love the tire pattern - on the inside of the rubber band. Very cool.

(My other title for this post is: "Wasting money = coping mechanism".)

Sometimes I'm glad I'm out of the loop

2007-03-21T01:26:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, my bandwidth is very limited here. Also, my server at work blocks all Flikr and Youtube.

Jason writes: "When one thing (i.e. Twitter) is easier than something else (i.e. blogging) and offers almost the same benefits, people will use it."

I'm out of the Twitter loop too.

I guess that's all good - I get more work done!

Rubbish art #3

2007-03-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

Actually, this is my seventh in the series. I think it's only the third or fourth that I put in my blog.

This one features scratch-n-sniff phone cards. Most people in Kenya use pay-as-you-go phone cards with no contracts. The vast majority of people buy 100 shilling cards from Safaricom. Only about 10% of the cards discarded by the side of the road are from the competition, CelTel. Does this indicate that CelTel customers are less likely to litter or just that there are fewer CelTel customers? I think both are true.

One thing is true - CelTel customers are more likely to pick up discarded phone cards than Safaricom customers. (Yes, as in, I am a CelTel customer, and I am the only one in the country who has ever picked up that many spent phone cards!)

If you double-click on the image, you can see it a little bigger.

Mind-numbing inefficiency

2007-03-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

Telkom is the (mostly) government-owned phone company. They have done so badly during the last few years that they are dying, financially. (The Kenyan government has kept them on life-support.)

We have an internet connection at the office that is represented in the pic. It's payable at the strange amount of 35,914 shillings a month. (That's about $500, for what would be piped into your home in the USA for about $60 or less.)

So where's the bureaucracy?

1. They won't accept checks without a 4-day clearance period, which would cause two trips to get the monthly required top-up card. This connection must be paid for in person each month - no automatic debiting of an account or credit card. (Aaaugh!)

2. Note the hand-written receipt: the lady had to write the amount four times, by hand! Then she had to write the card's serial number and rubber-stamp it by hand.

Featured here, featured there

2007-03-19T02:32:00.000-07:00

This is a new site to me: Expat Interviews. There are some interesting interviews. Rob and Heather are both there. (Rob's is in the Germany section and Heather's is in the Kenya section.)

Check out the post on yours truly!

Barb inspired me

2007-03-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

Barb wrote a post on the evils of MSG. I agree. However, I'm too much of a hedonist to give it up - yet.

We don't have aisles of Lays at our supermarkets, but I am thrilled to say that Lays are available. (They were imported from South Africa.) But I bet you can't get this flavor - at least in North America!

After I ate the pack, I read the fine print and discovered that there is no MSG! But my friend Amy told me that another ingredient, maltodextrin, is just another name for MSG. (Apparently MSG has lots of names, just like the devil.)

Update: a doctor friend, John, assured me that maltodextrin has absolutely no relationship to MSG.

Creativity by some anonymous computers

2007-03-16T05:21:00.000-07:00

Remember back in the 80s? Punk band names were an amazing area of cultural creativity.

Spam email titles are today's equivalent. The difference this time through is that they are generated by a computer to carefully carve their way through spam filters. (This set all were caught, though.) I have no idea who actually opens those messages. Maybe I should have opened one to see if the contents were equally creative. Or not. Pandora might leap out.

These are actual spam titles:

My nose he prejudicial
And shelf of meteorite
It of riven
It sunbeam is commandeer
For do kaskaskia
To nonsensic as eclogue
A an estrange
In mitre it monetarist
I a burley
As nutria no grandstand
As do mervin
An at sandburg
A is precautionary
Be he respectful
I go mice
That of shack
At chancy it reel

No freezes = giant house plants

2007-03-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is the biggest poinsettia I have ever seen. Note that it is a tree and not just a little potted plant that you might see at Christmas. It's not far from where my kids wait for the school bus each morning.

A different place

2007-03-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

On our way to Kenya in May 2005, we stopped in England*. We lived there from 95-98, and that was our first time to return. It was great to re-connect with some of our friends there.

Ben connected with this contraption at a medieval village, not far from Cambridge.

Jay and I connected with a TVR and Lotus dealership near that village. (Both are low-volume British sports cars. TVRs are appealing to me, as they are nearly hand-made. They have quality-control issues that come with that too!)

*To get to Kenya from the USA, one must stop in Europe, at least for a layover between planes.

Politician, heal thyself

2007-03-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

I read in Newsweek that Al Gore's home used 221,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity during 2006. That was 20 times what the average US home used.

By way of contrast, my family used about 4,000 kw-hrs. That's 55 times less than what Al used and about 3 times less than the average US home.

I don't say this to be self-righteous but rather to humbly ask Al to reconsider his personal ways. (Are you listening, Al?)

Some more fun blogs for you

2007-03-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

The Lone Beader - this lady does amazing stuff with beads. She has to be one of the best bead artists in the world!

Brook works with drug addicts living on the street in Kathmandu, Nepal. She really lives on the edge.

Lora has a unique perspective on life, from Austin, Texas.

Courtney & Brent live in our home town - Littleton, Colorado. They adopted Sam, a wonderful boy from Kenya, via India.

Dave & Barb are the only couple I know who both have blogs. They live in small-town Illinois and I hope some day in the same town as us!

Chris is a great writer.

And yes, I probably left out you. My apologies. This list is not exhaustive. (It may be exhausting.)

Coffee from Singapore

2007-03-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

(Well, the coffee was not grown in Singapore - but it was canned there.)

Again, it's so strange what stuff makes it to the shelves of our local supermarket in Nairobi.

Conveniences at the Proms

2007-03-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

The folks who put on the Proms rented the most amazing portable toilets - two trucks with actual bathrooms were available for the guests. As you can see, the trucks themselves came to Kenya from England more than 40 years ago - but they have been maintained in superb condition. (I think the toilets were added later.)

These "porta-loos" are normally used for wealthy clients' luxury bush safaris.

The Proms

2007-03-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

Those in the UK and its former colonies may know of what the Proms are - concerts outside during the summer, often in the evening. Sometimes the end is marked with fireworks. When we lived in England, we went to a couple of those concerts - really fun!

Kenya has the Proms too.

And there is none of that date/rejection stigma as in the USA high school variety. (One would have to do a word study to find the link between the two meanings of the world "promenade". I'm too lazy.)

So back to Kenya's Proms. It ended last weekend. We attended Saturday afternoon's concert. The featured players and singers were Ken Wachira's Nairobi Chorale, the London Adventist Chorale and the London Guildhall Players. Venue: Nairobi Arboretum.

It was great fun! The weather was superb - warm and sunny. Kids played in the grass. A skinny cat stalked an unseen prey in front of the stage. The music was wonderful. My favorite was a spiritual performed by the Adventist Chorale. The singers were British men and women of Caribbean descent singing African-American spirituals in Africa. Their performance was awe-inspiring.

I love the juxtaposition in the photo of the "Home Boyz" logo on the speakers with the prim and proper singers. I guess speakers with an appropriate classical music logo weren't available. (Actually, Home Boyz is the sound company.)

During a break in the music, one of the Leaky family spoke. (You know, the Leakys who discovered evolution.) One of Nairobi's very richest men also spoke – Henry Josephs (or something like that) - the chairman of Safaricom, Kenya's largest mobile phone service company. (He's the guy in the light blue shirt.) He wants to open an ampitheater at the Arboretum, but apparently there is too much politics involved. The Leaky guy is also in the front row, next to Mr. & Mrs. Njonjo. (He used to be a prominent figure in Kenyan politics - Heather taught one of his daughters oboe lessons during our first Kenya life.)

More tomorrow.

How to get rid of a pile

2007-03-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

This fire was lit on purpose. It's a bunch of tree-trimmings from the compound I work at.

So there's the dilemma - air pollution that way or via taking it somewhere else? If the group that runs my office compound had paid to have the stuff removed, it probably would have been taken away by an old polluting diesel truck. Petroleum would have been taken out of the earth somewhere, never to be seen again. Money would have been spent for the removal, never to be seen again.

If they had asked me, I would have suggested taking it to a nearby "vacant" lot and starting a new hill.

Thought for the day

2007-03-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

"God has been found lurking in a burning bush, lying in a manger, even hanging on a cross. Given His track record, He might show up anywhere. This very day, the circumstances of any given moment could suddenly facilitate a sacramental encounter with the divine. That makes this a special day, indeed."

From an editorial by Russell Board, a missionary in Japan, as published in "World" magazine, Nov. 18, 2006.

Another Heather

2007-03-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

Heather Armstrong has one of the most popular blogs. She became famous when her company fired her for what she said in her blog.

Anyhow, this pic she posted inspired this post.

I have collected concert ticket stubs for years. I still have the ticket from the very first rock concert I went to. (My brother Bill and I went to see Stephen Stills and Neil Young. The opening group was Poco. That was a long time ago.)

My time in Nairobi this time has meant no additions to the concert ticket collection. However, I have had a few park passes go through my hands. This one was from Mt. Longonot, a peak we climbed on Christmas. (See my blog entries shortly after then for some pix.)

By the way, I am not collecting national park entry tickets. I have too many collections already. (I am collecting digital pix of various things - many of which I have shared with you!)

How to benefit others

2007-03-07T00:29:00.000-08:00

From kottke.org: "...if you really want to help fight AIDS in Africa, instead of buying that (RED) Gap t-shirt for which Gap will donate 50% of its profit to The Global Fund, buy a cheaper one at American Apparel and send the $13 difference to the Global Fund yourself."

I'd say Samaritan's Purse or Compassion are maybe even better causes.

Madmen and web stats

2007-03-06T22:35:00.001-08:00

Two of my favorite bloggers are Rob and Heather. (My Heather does not blog.)

Rob has a good post recently that reminded me to just not worry about how many people come to my site. After all, I really do it as a creative outlet anyhow.

Heather reminded me that her rural podunk town in Kenya is a lot like the big town I'm in. Kenya is Kenya. Our neighborhood has a madman too. (As there are in many parts of America.) And I've seen the streets filled with teenagers here too. The most recent set was one Saturday on Ngong Road - a bunch of young people were lining the street on both sides, and even down the middle. They were on some fund-raising walk benefiting some charitable organization.

And I have lots of other favorite bloggers too, but those are two today's pleasure allotment from me to you.

Mandela on a bus

2007-03-06T20:50:00.000-08:00

Nelson Mandela is a wildly popular figure here. For good reason.

The portrait artist did this one-off painting on the back of this public minibus. (It was on the back window.)

Time and energy

2007-03-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

Checkout lines are always frustrating, no matter where you are in the world.

The other day, I needed to get change for a purchase from another shop, so I went to Nakumatt, the only store in Kenya where change is always plentiful. The lines were so slow and so long that I went to a nearby health food store and bought an overpriced "energy bar". I was highly amused to read the wrapper later and see that it was imported from my native Denver, Colorado.

By the way, I don't recommend that particular flavor; mixing cinnamon and chocolate isn't a good idea - at least for my taste buds.

The wrapper states, "Each bar is a gentle balance of high energy and sustaining foods that leave you with a pleasing sense of vitality and well being for hours to come." That is what I felt, but I think that was from my cup of coffee.

A world o' contrasts

2007-03-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, these two trucks always hang out by the side of a road we often travel.

The hilarious thing is the contrast - just a block or so away is one of Nairobi's two fanciest shopping malls. The lowest shot is from one of the shop windows in that fancy mall (The Junction).

Only in Africa

2007-03-02T20:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, I defy any of you to find a plane striped like a zebra anywhere else.

The very best (?)

2007-03-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

What better name for your product?

This soap is from India, and it contains neem - an herbal plant that is also used in toothpaste (in India).

I liked the fact that this is an "International Pack". (I guess the "National Pack" is in Hindi rather than in English.)

Why some come & some go

2007-03-01T03:28:00.000-08:00

I use a tool called Google Analytics. (It's free, like most Google things, including this site.)

Within the last week, 115 return visitors came to my site & 144 new people came. The top day (Mon 27th) had 47 visits & 70 pageviews. Grand Rapids won the most hits with 15.

Why do some come back? I hope it's because they find my viewpoint interesting. Would it be possible to keep any of the new people? I dunno; my numbers seem to be pretty level. My guess is that some regulars get bored and quit coming. Some new people stay. Kinda like a city bus; some people stay for the whole journey. Others ride for only one stop.

How do you keep your friends coming back?

What are your Google Analytics numbers?

Not the star whose name starts with "B"

2007-02-28T20:38:00.000-08:00

Yes, I took the plunge and let Heather remove some weight from my shoulders. Why? For a change. For something different. Life is to be lived.

It has been fun to watch people's reactions.

I tell my Kenyan friends that I'm being culturally appropriate. Well, I use different words - "I'm being African". You see, most Kenyan men in Nairobi have very close-cropped hair.

This is the shortest I’ve had my hair since I wore diapers (about 45 or 46 years ago).

My intention is to let it grow back to "normal".

By the way, the star whose name starts with "B" has an empty website right now. Perhaps what's between her ears is currently under construction.

Different choices

2007-02-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

(I am referring to the fact that if I were the art director for this Sunday newspaper supplement, I would have made a different choice for the details of this image.)

I was highly amused that this guy appears to be on the verge of taking a big bite of a big raw fish.

(And what an amazing fish!)

Snow tires & ski racks

2007-02-26T21:02:00.000-08:00

Some of the "out of context" things I see frequently on the streets of Nairobi are snow tires and ski racks on cars that will never again see snow.

As I have mentioned many times before, most cars and SUVs in Kenya are used imports from Japan. They come "as is" - the TV antennas, ski racks, nav systems for Tokyo's streets, different frequency radios, etc., are still installed. (Occasionally the radios get stolen at the port of Mombasa.)

These high-end snow tires are on the car of friends Joel & Barb. Bridgestone's Blizzak is a great tire. And hey, when they're still in great condition, why get non-snow tires till they wear out?

The ski rack is not on Joel & Barb's car! I shot it at a golf course's parking lot. (I don't play golf - Rachel was going to a birthday party there.)

The Karen Country Club

2007-02-25T21:04:00.000-08:00

Rachel went to a party at the Karen Country Club. A buddy of hers from kindergarten had his 6th birthday party there. (We are not members but have friends that are.)

I could have taken shots of the poolside party - but that may not have looked very much different than some poolside kid parties you may have been to. But this all-mahogany staircase is not something that very many establishments in North America have.

And we breathe that!

2007-02-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

Our porch has a glass-
topped table. The weather has been so nice lately that we often eat lunch out there. (My office is an 8-minute walk from our apartment.)

I always wipe the top before we eat out there. The dirt on this rag was there after just two days. The air in Nairobi is notoriously dirty. It has a high percentage of diesel particulates. Our apartment is about 50 meters (yards) from a busy road, so we benefit from increased consumption of toxins.

(The rag is on top of the glass table.)

Raila's dad's place

2007-02-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

Raila Odinga is one of the most prominent politicians in Kenya. He is very self-serving and changes his tune from year to year. But I won't get into that. (He's also very popular.)

His dad (Odinga) was also a prominent politician. (He's no longer with us.) Odinga's foundation is on the road I walk along every day. About once every two months, some meetings are held there. And lots of cars and people arrive. The next day, and for the next two months, it's a ghost town (ghost house, that is).

Faith or blind optimism?

2007-02-20T21:15:00.000-08:00

Our friend will lose her job in about 2 weeks. Her employers leave the country. (She works as a house helper.)

So we asked if she would like our help in finding a new situation. She said no. She wants to wait until the family she serves leaves before starting her search.

As I pondered this, first I thought of how much faith she has that God will provide for her needs. Her faith humbles me. (I like to get as many stinking ducks in a row as I possibly can!)

But then the other side of the coin is cultural. Many Africans are more content to live in the present than Americans are. Jesus tells us to let tomorrow worry about itself. So it’s a spiritual issue too.

Climate influences attitudes toward planning ahead - when a sub-zero winter is looming, you must store up food or die. North Americans and Europeans have faced that for centuries, which has affected our thinking. No such winters have ever hit Nairobi.

I'm just observing - not being judgmental. I hope you've picked up that from reading my blog.

Biz idea

2007-02-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

Heather had a great idea of starting an import-export business between Kenya and the US. We'd fill up a shipping container with this artist's furniture and sell it through an exclusive group of stores in appropriate shopping areas in the States. (Denver - think Cherry Creek.)

Shoot, if shipping wasn't so expensive, we'd send a bunch back for our own use!

One huge problem is just figuring out all the problems. One small example - the beautiful wood is probably banned from export. (Can you say "governmental laws to prevent deforestation"?)

By the way, this is another example of a "jua kali" (hot sun) artisan. The storeroom floor is indeed dirt and grass. (Hey - it's pretty low overhead.)

Gone.

2007-02-19T20:50:00.000-08:00

I looked at my bulletin board the other day. A little snippet of paper was there, and I thought it no longer needed to be. So I threw it away.

Then, the symbolism of that action hit me, so I had to whip out the camera.

You see, the organization we came to Kenya with no longer exists. They merged with another organization, lots of bad financial decisions were made, the administration did a poor job of communicating with its members, and they had to close their doors - all within a very short time.

Marti gives a well-written account of what happened in her blog. (See her Feb 15 entry.)

We are in the midst of joining Wycliffe Bible Translators, the organization we have been serving here. We were members from 1985-1998. Then we left to join Caleb Project. So it’s welcome back home time.

The transition has been deeply sad, annoying, angering - and exciting. We are excited about the possibilities for what is ahead.

Nakumatt's elephants

2007-02-19T20:49:00.001-08:00

Every Nakumatt supermarket has a big elephant by its entrance. This particular elephant is in front of The Village Market branch. Each one is hand-made and unique. I think they are representative of the chain's market share here.

(Our kids were still wet from swimming at Hi Tide.)

Answers

2007-02-18T22:57:00.000-08:00

It was great to see that Heather (not my Heather) found the answer to my bird mystery that I posed on Feb 7.

By the way, go visit her site now! She has great (and often funny) insights into life as an expat missionary in a more rural part of Kenya. (No water slides in Kitale.)

Fun on Saturday

2007-02-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

Many have described Kenya as "Africa Lite". That is totally true, if you consider that it's possible to go to places like Hi Tide.

We went this weekend, as a family activity. Heather and I "observed" rather than took part directly - saving a little bit of money.

This photo shows Jay and Ben zooming down the slides. Jay, at left, won that particular race.

Part of our little group was a guy on break from working in southern Sudan with Samaritan's Purse. He definitely came from "Africa Heavy".

Casual Fridays

2007-02-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Fridays are casual days all over the world (at least in Kenya and in the States). A colleague wore this shirt recently, on a Friday of course.

The vast majority of garments worn in Kenya are pre-owned from North America or Europe. Even yours truly wears a lot of them. They are a good deal, and if you buy from the right merchant, they're nearly new.

So about this colleague's shirt - I'm not sure he ever has flown a kite. (This shirt is advertising the American Kitefliers Association.) But he commented that he liked the "American" aspect of the shirt.

I cropped out his face, to protect the innocent.

I originally shot this photo for my friend Rob, who loves to fly kites.

Which car to buy in Kenya?

2007-02-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

Currently my recommendation is to buy the most common car or SUV. Reason? If you're in an accident, you will need to get it repaired. If you get a non-mainstream model, such as the Mazda Bongo Deluxe, it may be a long time after the accident till you'll be driving again.

Driving is so crazy here that I tell people to expect to get in an accident about once every nine months.

So why this sub-standard photo? This is the same model of car that some friends were driving when they got in a wreck. Then, the day after the car was repaired, another accident happened.

The second accident was thankfully minor enough that the repair was done in a few days. The first required a new hood (bonnet). It was in the shop for about two months till a replacement hood could be found. I thought their car was common, but it wasn't enough for that huge inconvenience to happen!

The downside to getting common models is that those are targets for carjackers. (The parts are easy to sell!) So you gotta choose which pro or con is most important to you. Or which risk you prefer.

Our car, a 1999 Nissan Sunny, is the second most common model in Nairobi.

Peter Horbury

2007-02-13T23:29:00.000-08:00

Peter is the head of design at Ford. His staff is 770 talented individuals. He's a Brit, working in Detroit. He used to work in Sweden for Volvo.

"Sometimes it takes a foreigner to notice basic cultural differences." He mentioned that as it related to his design of a gigantic truck concept. That same principle guides me as I craft this blog.

(By the way, he doesn't have a blog - he's missing out on the fun!)

I'm not sure about this...

2007-02-13T21:13:00.000-08:00

When vehicles come off the ship from Japan, Dubai or Singapore to the port of Mombasa, temporary hand-painted plates are given. I have been told that vehicles are only to be driven on Kenya's roads for one week with those plates.

Someone I know has been driving this car for more than a year with this plate. (I blocked the numbers to protect their identity.) I haven't asked them what they do when the police stop them. (That's "when" not "if" - getting stopped is a weekly or monthly occurrence.)

They haven't gotten regular government-issue plates, as the government is dragging their feet in giving the required plates. Perhaps the plate issuers are looking for a bribe?