Some have it better than others

So far the toughest part of my trip has been getting myself to the airport - which was not all that easy, because my best friend came over in the evening for last goodbyes and got me quite drunk, so at 6 am, when I was supposed to be getting out of the door, my property was still lying on the floor, I had slept one hour and was feeling somewhat hangoverish. But I guess that's the only proper way to leave.

The lack of sleep made me feel quite devastated and melodramatic at the airport, though, and I imagined how I will be robbed and slaughtered as soon as I get to Kenya and will never see my loved ones again. Now, sitting here comfortably and safely on my zebra patterned couch, the idea seems as distant as it did in Helsinki, even if 19 people did die yesterday in the slums of Nairobi some 10 kilometres from here. People in this city live in two quite separated realities.

Airports are awful places, so in London I left Heathrow to spend my extra hours viewing some nostalgic places I had last seen when I was 16. What I saw from the taxi in Nairobi was in quite marked contrast with the fancy buildings of London.

The arrival to Kenya went smoothly, even if the embassy had given me an outdated visa for 2007. The clerk simply took a pen and drew an 8 over the 7. A taxi driver was waiting for me at the airport. We drove though the city at sunrise, and I stared at the exotic landscape thinking that this experience is going to be so beautiful I can hardly take it! The plants, the people and everything looked so totally African. Vultures, palm trees, chaotic traffic and crowds of beautiful people. This is a cliche, but black people are really beautiful. I must post some photos from the city as soon as I dare to take my camera for a walk.

Unfortunately the violence has increased again, and I haven't been able to go to the city yet. I hope I can try again today, because I'm getting claustrophobic sitting here inside the electric walls of our luxorious house. The house is perfect, though, as you can see in the picture. I never had so much space in Finland. I have a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, my own entrance and a small garden just for myself, and it only costs about 200 euros per month, electricity, water, guarding and drives to work and back included. A Finnish couple lives in a separate building, which is like a mansion. They are quite used to living and working in Africa. They've been really nice and helpful. The lady works for Save the Children and the man is some sort of engineer.

I was prepared for a tough adventure, but everything is surprisingly easy. The flat has little decoration, but it has all the necessities. The weather is a bit warmer than Finland in July, but not too hot. On my first day here we had perfect pizza in an Italian restaurant and wine at the beautiful balcony of our house, looking at the stars and listening to birds (which are really noisy here!). It couldn't get any better. So far it feels like I've hired a mansion somewhere in Andalusia.

Hooray, I was told we're going to the city now!