Sunday, November 20, 2011

Cities within a city


I forget where I am some days. Nairobi has many cities within a city.

I had to go back to the doctors for another injection for my dog bite, so needed to make my way to little India. Parklands is an area of Nairobi that during the colonial days, the British demarcated for civil servants and is predominantly populated with Asian families. The roads are ruled by tuk-tuks  and Tata trucks that have seen better days.

Later that day a friend took me to her favourite Shisha cafe. We stayed for hours, drinking mint tea, chatting and people watching (checking out the flashy Rolexs and hair styles!), I felt like I was back in the Middle East (minus strange orange trousers, that always seemed in fashion!) The music, language and wafts of shawarma and incense made me rather 'home' sick.

Then...to Karen...a suburb in England. Girls in tutus going to ballet, driven by mums in big 4x4s. (I know...I can't talk!)

But, really, the past couple of days I could have been in any city in the UK. It has been pretty grey, chilly and wet. It was so hard getting up in the morning that I called off my 6am personal training session (the first one I have bailed from since my arrival). And, I've worn tights and boots two days in a row...shock horror. The school will have to increase wages at this rate!

As I drove home this afternoon, the sun came out...hooray, at last. I am in Africa after all!

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