Driving at dark in Nairobi!

After a busy week, we met with friends at Champagne Bar at Sankara. I will write about the place in my next blog.

Even though rainy weather did not compliment our plans much, we sticked to it! It was an adventure though! The weather has been very unpredictable this year, so we ended up with lots of rain last week! By the way Karen has more rain than any other areas in Nairobi! We were to meet at Sankara by 7:30pm, since I made up my mind to socialise I left home by 6pm, nothing would stop me!!! It took one hour from Karen to get Sankara, but it was all worth it! Thanks to our driver, Mike, we drove through the back roads, using local villages. Majority of the local population live in these shady towns, farther away from the city. So when driving around you spot tons of people, adults and children walk by foot to get home. Matatus are packed with people, tucked inside, driving crazy enough to scare you away. I must admit I am not brave enough to drive at night! Not because I worry about my safety, I mostly concern about driving in the dark, unfortunately majority of the roads have no lights, road conditions are very poor, there are huge pot wholes. After 6pm it gets dangerously dark. Because there are no lights, it is almost impossible to spot the pedestrians...Also people are so keen to jump in front of the cars, so not only you have to keep your eyes open you also have to use your five senses, may be more! So driving at night has never been an option for me. 

I love sitting next to Mike, we talk and laugh, learn so much from each other. At one point while we were driving I was trying to apply my nail polish (after having two kids this is what happens!!!!) and he was just making fun of me! How can I blame him?? I was even laughing myself while trying to put the polish when we were going over the pot wholes!!!! That's called dedication:)

When I told him my concerns about driving at night he said he used to be a taxi driver, and he had the night shift. He mentioned he feels more comfortable driving in dark rather than daytime, so not sure if that should make be comfortable or uncomfortable, still could not make up my mind!!! 

Lessons learned!

I have been thinking about my days in Kenya, how I started and where I am now not only physically but emotionally as well. It was a journey, not an easy one for me, there were more than few bumps on the way, but I made it:)

Place like Africa teaches a lot, as long as you can see with an open mind and embrace it with an open heart...It is not always easy to see as it is, there are always emotions and perceptions we carry on our back. And of course there is also the denial part, which makes it even more complicated! We sometimes do not see the truth, deep down we simply do not want it! Why am I writing all these, right? Because I have seen enough where many people were in that situation, I must also admit, time to time I was one of them...

Not long ago, I was a very impatient person, somebody who wants to get things done right away! When I think about few years back it even makes me laugh, I wonder how I looked from outside! Shopping at Nakumatt (grocery store chain) was such a misery for me, the lanes just would not move, I mean literally the cashier was in a slow motion, every transaction was taking ages at a time!!! It felt like somebody pushed "stop" button in the remote control!  There I was waiting endlessly and impatiently! On the other hand, some days I was home on waiting for never ending repairs to be done in the house, waiting for technical team to come in to fix the internet, waiting for team to repair the leaking roof, waiting for technicians to fix the inverter! Or just waiting for traffic to move even though there was nothing going on to make it stop! So, patience!, that was my first lesson! and funny enough "Pole pole" (slowly slowly) was the first word I learned in Swahili:)

Growing up in homogeneous society makes you very uncomfortable in a place like Africa...You simply feel like an outsider. Ok, I lived half of life in Turkey and half in US, and I must admit there is no other country in the world that can get more diversed than US! But when the conversation is about Africa it is different, it is not something can be told easily, you have to live to see. So to adopt and accept was my second lesson!

Before moving here, I thought I appreciate the things I have. But last few years appreciation came with a meaning much deeper than I thought....Nothing said would be enough what I have seen here, the poverty, simple human nature, smile of children who play outside barefoot in the dirt, generosity and warmth of every day people. So, appreciation is something I learned over and over again...

Personal wise, I always knew I was a reserved person. But it is does not work well if you are in Africa and an expat wife! Being reserved made me more isolated than I wanted and honestly I did like it all! Even though I like to do certain things by myself, we all have limits, and being all alone is no fun!!! So I pushed myself to be social, and it worked. Last year it made a big difference in my everyday life:) Being social is a key, keep that in mind:)

Busy days!

Lately, I cannot write as much as I want to! Once I am out of home time just flies by!
My days are filled by PA meetings, my daily workout regimen, part-time work, Dilara's school matches (she is in school team:))). I am also very active in another parent group for early years at school, and we have non stop meetings with school management in regards to some important issues! If we were to live another country, probably I would not be involved, but every country comes with its own challenges, and one of the biggest challenge in Nairobi is safety and security. I feel like I have to be involved to make the school safer place for my children! And I think if something bother us we have to be involved and know the facts! Obviously nobody can control everything, but at least having a clear idea of the reality and circumstances make a difference.  When it comes to children, suddenly our priority shifts for lifetime, and have no doubt same rule applies to everyone!

When we have friends with children in past, they used to tell how busy they were with their children activities, and we said to each other we would never be like that! Well, there is an old Turkish saying "Never talk too big!", now we are exactly like them and it comes with "involved parent" package, and with much of a surprise I am loving it:) It makes Dilara proud and happy to see me in school meetings, charity events, and activities:)