Yesterday I finally got the opportunity to venture into Nairobi (true, our house is in Nairobi, too, but I tend to forget it when I look at the maize fields surrounding us). Our local guard took me to Westlands, where the embassy is, with three different matatus. The ride was quite dangerous; I just heard Finnish insurance companies don't cover for any accidents taken place during matatu rides. Matatus are minibusses for about 10 people, and the only form of public transport in Nairobi. They generally don't follow traffic rules.
The traffic is really anarchistic here, and surely a bigger risk for my health than violence. The cars drive close to each other, leaving only half a meter before the next vehicle. There are no traffic lights and mostly no pavements, so when we crossed the street I just had to rush between the cars and hope they will be polite enough to slow down.
My Kenyan guide didn't seem to understand my confusion about the traffic, since he's never been abroad. We had quite a few communication problems. Seems I'll have to learn to use very simple sentences with the locals, and try to remember they don't distinguish between l and r. Otherwise Kenyans are easy to get along with, and they are used to Western manners. It's just important to be polite to everyone and say 'habari' and wave a hand to whoever passes by, at least in my own neighbourhood.
Yesterday I also saw the embassy and all the people there. It looked the same as the one in New York, except that for the first time I will have my own room. I'll start work tomorrow.
Today I took a walk around the neighbourhood and snapped some pictures of the plants and landscapes but didn't really dare to photograph people, because I've heard they don't like it very much. I'm beginning to relax and feel safer on the streets. I no longer feel everyone's thinking of my wallet when they see me.
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