Human Loss...

We all live in a world that is neither safe nor secure. Even the most unexpected places witness horrible tragedies. You’ll find yourself with no words to describe your feelings and anger. The saddest tragedies are when humans hurt other humans.

I was only 5 kms away from the Pentagon when the September 11 attacks happened. I could not even comprehend the event. I walked home from my office looking around in shock. I didn’t understand the impact of the September 11 attacks on the U.S. and on all the countries around the world for quite some time...

Now that we live in Nairobi, Westgate shopping mall is a place we all go, to meet our friends and spend time with our children. That’s where we take our kids to run safely, to play on the upper-level playground or to have a quick bite with our friends.

Watching it on TV, I thought, “No. It can't be happening here, it should not, and why...?”

In our lives, we all go through the same phases, birth through death. And we accept these as our realities. What we cannot accept is when death does not come naturally-- when a human being’s vicious act causes death.

No matter who you are, where you are from, what really matters is being a human:

-You respect others, their lives and beliefs.

-You are willing to live with other people who are different than you.

- You teach your kids to be gentle human beings, not only to friends or family members, but to any living creature on this earth.

Humanity will always win, no matter how hard some may try to take that away. We should not lose our hope and our love for life.

I pray for all who lose their lives around the world.

God Bless You.

Restaurants in and around Nairobi

I think this is one of most asked question when you move to a new city. Are there any nice restaurants? How is the food? Is the food expensive? How is the service? I will provide some information for the places I have dined at so far. Another great source that has detailed information on restaurants in different areas is tripadvisor, which I used a lot and even created my own accountJ

When we moved here, we first dined at the restaurants we had heard about. We did not want to take any risks because of the hygiene issues. So, first we tried the Art Caffe. This is an “all in one place” that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It also has a bakery. You can find Art Caffes in and around Nairobi, as it is very popular among expats because they serve continental food. Art Caffes are always crowded, especially during weekday lunchtime and on weekends. Most, but not all of the Art Caffes, have live music on Friday nights. So, if you want a quick bite to eat, this is definitely the right choice! The food is reasonably priced and the service is not bad for the Kenyan standard. Even though I found the service to be quite slow, I highly recommend trying something from their bakery like a cake, or yummy chocolate brownie. Their breads are even good from western standard, very strong in flavor.

Osteria: This is a family run Italian eatery with two locations. One is located in Karen and the second is in the Village Market. I have dined many times at the Osteria located in Karen. It is situated in quite a leafy party of Karen. Since it is very close to our home, it is a frequent stop for us. The great thing about dining in Nairobi is that you mostly dine outside due to the lovely weather throughout the year.  Osteria serves great food with a one of a kind Italian touch. The managers always come to the table to check on the food and service, which is lovely. On Sundays they offer a family brunch where there are many activities for kids, such as jumping castle and a pool. I definitely recommend making  a reservation during the weekend. Even though everybody has a different perspective what is expensive what is not, Osteria is well priced in comparison with service, food and environment.

Talisman: For some reason, Talisman is highly popular among expats. I could not figure out why though, but I will look further into this. We’ve been to the Talisman so many times and it has always been overcrowded in both the dinner and bar area. You definitely need to make a reservation!! I personally am not the biggest fan of their food, it is not too expensive and not too cheap. Talisman offers a diverse menu ranging from sushi to pork. This is probably why they are always crowded, based on their variety of options to choose from. It is right on Ngong Rd, before the Osteria. Talisman offers an open sitting area with a lovely fireplace. Like some of the previous restaurants I have mentioned, they also have live music on Friday Nights.

Brew Bistro and Lounge: If you are in the mood for big steaks, this is THE place to go. This place is also very hip and popular among local young crowd and expats. The bar section tends to always be packed and plays loud hip hop music. To give you an idea: the dining area is located on the other side of the bar. For those who do not like the bar scene, you can have dinner in the dinning area, away from the music. Brew Bistro also offers its own flavor beer, which I hear is very good. Since I am not a beer person, I cannot comment on that specifically, but I’ve heard friends mentioning how good the beer is. In general, the food is well served and tasty. The price is above Nairobi average , so I would overall classify the Brew Bistro as being one level up from the other restaurants.

Karen Blixen Restaurant: I think there is a separate name for this restaurant, Tamambo. Restaurant is sitting on a very big , beautifully kept garden. Is very popular among expats, also one of the stopping point for tourist busses. Restaurant part serves great burgers and some local food too. On Sundays, Tamambo offers brunch, great place to hang-out with children, well-kept garden offers them a free space to run around. It also has a separate bar area, which has TVs showing rugby, baseball, and soccer. The bar gets crazy busy at nights. Since Karen Blixen is a historical area, there are also great places to visit nearby for food, coffee, and sight seeing.

Mediterraeno Italian Restaurant: This is another Italian chain. I have dined at this restaurant in Junction Mall many times. You dine with candle lights and have the option of both indoor and outdoor seating. While the restaurant is mostly busy, it never feels too crowded. Pizzas are great! Serving is fine, prices are average.

Phoenician: Phoenician serves both Lebanese and Japanese food. Interesting combination, right? Anyway, whenever we wanted to eat Japanese, this is the place! The Phoenician is located on the top floor of Junction Mall. When you are ordering the tepanyaki, it is more than enough for two people. I have never tried their Lebanese food, so I cannot comment on that. But, if you eat Japanese you know you have to be careful about fresh ingredients! So, I can comfortably recommend Phoenician, their sushi is always freshly served and delicious.

Seven Seafood and Grill: So far, this is the only seafood restaurant I have been to. I am not sure if there are more seafood restaurants out there. It is located on ground floor in ABC Place, right on Waiyaki Way. Do not be surprised if you see a chic decoration once you are in the restaurant. That was a surprise, I would not expect a decoration like this in ABC Place, I loved it! It is highly popular and crowded, so you need to have a reservation especially on Fridays and Saturdays. Seven also offers an open seating and lounge area offers hip music playing at the background, kind a noisy though. The dining area is separate and made up of beautiful tables with the right amount of separation for privacy. By the way, expect to pay more than what you usually pay since you are dining at a seafood restaurant.

Le Rustique: I love this restaurant! It is not only quiet, but never overly crowded. In the chance it is overcrowded, you still never feel that way. The restaurant also has a play area, which makes all the difference for people who bring their children to dinner.  They have wonderful crepes, salads, sandwiches, meats and pastas. Like all the restaurants in Nairobi, Le Rustique has indoor and outdoor dining seating. The outdoor dining area is also surrounded by beautiful greenery. It sort of feels as if you are dining at the National Park. We did not make a reservation and were very lucky to have found a table as fast as we did. Depending on the day, you may still see expats trying to find a table. And pricewise, the food at Le Rustique is not expensive, but it still is not cheap.  

About Thyme: Both Le Rustique and About Thyme are located in the same area and have similar price ranges. I found that this restaurant (About Thyme) was kind of dark, closed off, but the cost for dinner was quite similar to that of Le Rustique. I also believe that the dark furnishing probably could be attributed to the dark feeling the restaurant gives off. When I went to About Thymes once, I went with a group of friends for brunch and it was not busy. Most places here get crowded after 1pm. Regardless, the menu has tons of choices, but do not expect anything special as most of the menu is usual stuff.
I truly hope this information helps and I will update this page accordingly. Even though we all have different expectations food and price wise, we all want to eat fresh and nice food right? So, keep reading me please and I will keep updating :)

Back to Nairobi!

After two months in Istanbul with my children, I am back here in Nairobi. Last year, in July, was our first summer here in Nairobi. So for the first round, we decided to stay three weeks in Istanbul and then went back to Nairobi by August. I told myself after that summer I would never spend another summer there. The weather is quite chilly, (surely it was not extremely cold based on my version of cold) dark, cloudy, and very boring for the kids. Because most of the activities are outside here and they happen mostly during the school year, there was not too much for the kids to do. After this experience, I did decide we would never spend a summer here again. That is why we chose Istanbul! I ended up renting a nice three-bedroom apartment and the kids had the best time. They never had time to even think about being bored. If you have kids, you can relate to how active kids are!  

So by Aug 31^st, we were back in Nairobi. I am not sure if you heard in the news (well maybe the new is not an interest of yours), but there was a fire at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The whole international arrivals were burned down! While I cannot say if this s every going to be fixed, I can tell you the burned down building was in horrible condition anyway!

We landed in Jomo Kenyatta at 2:30 am early in the morning and the flight was fully packed. Once we got off the plane, we were stuffed into buses that only take you 200 meters away!!! From there, you walk outside with a large group of people toward the big USAID tents to go through the customs and visa check. People started to get impatient at this point because the system was down, it was chilly and drizzling, and there were no proper lanes for the customs check. Once we were done with the visa check point, we ended up going to the next tent, which connects to luggage collection area. This can be very confusing, so if you plan to come to Nairobi, be prepared!

Besides all of this, I am happy to be back in Nairobi because wherever your personal items are is your home.  Therefore, no matter what conditions you are in, you will always be anxious to get back home.

Since we came back to Nairobi, it took some time to settle back into daily routine. While the kids have been preoccupied with school since September 2^nd, I have been busy with starting my own business, my article writing for expat websites, and my blog.

Oh and today a remarkable thing happened! I was simply watering my garden and I heard something. I looked around and there were five monkeys watching me! What an incredibly unique and extraordinary experience, right? Finding myself up close and personal with the monkeys was so much better than seeing them on TV or at the zoo!
Keep reading my blogs and I will be back with exciting subjects soon)