No Longer Homeless!
Pamela and I moved out of the temporary furnished apartment this past week and into our new (literally) apartment. My original idea was to get a small, cheap place that Pamela could use for moving permanently to Nairobi and give me a place to stay in between travels. That snowballed into finding a really nice, large and comfortable apartment that I truly think of as my home. I guess I officially live in Nairobi now and I am no longer a homeless person. Best of all I am incredibly happy with this change, with Nairobi and, most importantly, with Pamela.
The temporary apartment was really getting our nerves with noise and the manager who was always bugging us about something. It was African all the way with such features as no oven, broken shower and one electrical outlet per room. We were awoken multiple times per night every night by the local cast of mutts barking and howling. Our new place must have been designed by mzungu because it is Western in every sense with lots of electrical capacity (allowing me to contribute to Nairobi’s already poor electrical problems), modern appliances, working fixtures, large balcony and a lot of nice features. It is so quiet that we are getting amazing sleep every night.
We spent a lot of time picking out furnishings. We laugh because mzungu is way more African than Africans. Our apartment has a real Africa feel about it yet it is quite tasteful. Understand that real African would be bright orange and purple upholstery!!! I am quite lucky because Pamela really loves Africa including the scenery, the animals and the peoples and so it is easy for us to find things we both like… although I bought a market scene batik that dominates the dining area and I don’t think she is as fond of it as I am 🙂 You know I am homeless because I bought a coffee table book for our new coffee table this week!
Today we went to apply for a Thailand visa for Pamela. Hopefully, she will get it by Monday. I leave for Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam on May 31st. Pamela will fly to Thailand on July 5 and then we will be there together until July 22. This will be Pamela’s first time out of Africa which should be VERY entertaining for me. It will be a good step towards going to America later this year. I kid not when tell her it is good that we are doing things in this order (Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Thailand) because jumping from Kenya to USA as a first trip would be very shocking and probably disturbing. I can’t wait to walk through New York City with her in November. I know I am always in awe in that city and I really can’t even imagine what it will be like for her. I’ve pointed it out for her while watching a couple of movies, but one cannot imagine NYC until you have actually walked its streets. During that trip we will also be going to Puerto Rico for my niece, Jillian’s, wedding, Jamaica to see Bob Marley stuff, listen to great music, drink coffee, hang out on beaches and check out Africa in the New World, California, and Vermont where Pamela will finally be able to understand that it is NEVER cold in Kenya and the real meaning of being COLDDDDD. Pam has been taking swim lessons in Nairobi so she is ready to swim in Thailand and Caribbean… and Vermont (NOT!).
There will always be things about Africa that drive me nuts, but the place grows on me more and more. It’s one thing to love a place as a visitor, but a whole other deal when you’re talking about living somewhere. Kenya has its African ways and a heavy influence from the Brits from 40+ years ago… big clunky electrical plugs, driving on the wrong side of the road and roundabouts to name a few. The one that drives me bonkers is the hot water heaters. First, I should say that I am grateful to have a how water heater something that is very rare in Africa. Unfortunately, they use the dumbest design I can think of. You have to manually turn on the heater. At the old apartment it took an hour to heat up. The new place is way better because they put the tank indoors and it only takes fifteen minutes. Once you get it turned on, you MUST turn it off or it will heat up possibly to the boiling point. At the old apartment I had them turn it way down and we left it on all the time. They did not believe me when I told them that it is probably just as efficient to keep a properly insulated tank of water reasonably hot than to warm it up from cold every day for a few minutes of use. There is no way to turn the one down in the new apartment so we have to have a routine to remember to turn it on and off. At least if you leave it on accidentally, you getting a warning… you can actually hear the water as it nears boiling!
I have to say that I am the happiest I have been in a very long time. Pamela and I have a great relationship and we just have a fun time with every day. We had a real scare this past month. Pam had a lot of pain in her abdomen and went to the doctor’s office where they did an ultrasound. I was called in to see it live and the technician showed me a mass in her uterus. My heart sunk. About the last thing I want to see is this. Luckily, it turned out to be a cyst and it seems to have healed well after some strong anti-biotics and a lot of rest. About two weeks was difficult because her pain was great and she had no energy presumably because the body was fighting the infection. The past ten days have been great, though, and after getting clearance from her doctor yesterday we moved forward with the Thailand trip. Everything seems to be just right here and I am looking forward to the rest of this year in Nairobi and afar.
Tags: Africa, kenya
vagabondrick
Dear Rick,
I’m amazed each time I read your posting…you are an amazing writer living an amazing life. We are so happy for you and want you to know we are thinking of you. I feel as though I’m there, so thank you for that. We are very happy to learn about Pamela too!
All is the same with us….kids are growing – Megan will be in high school next year! Howard and I even got a garden in this year. We will do some camping this year – Santa Cruz and Lassen – that’s the extent of our travels.
Be Safe!! Love the Williams in Fair Oaks
So glad that Pamela’s problem wasn’t anything to serious! I just returned from Jessica’s high school graduation. All her girl friends were there and hugging their “bebe” as they all call me now. What great memories.
great stuff rick really great stuff, zia gives a wave and says hiiiiya
b,g,z x
Hi Rick! I’ve been keeping up with your travels and, before anything else, congratulations to you and Pamela! I have been sharing your stories with Danielle and we are at a point now where we feel as though it’s time to venture out ourselves. Danielle is finishing her teaching licensure in March, 2010 here in Oregon – our economy is in total shambles and it is very questionable as to whether or not she could find a teaching job in the near future. Therefore, our travel will hopefully consist of teaching at an international school (I’m certified to teach ESL, she’ll have a general elementary certification). We were actually thinking of Kenya (more Mombasa than Nairobi) and I thought you would have some invaluable advice for us. Do you have an email address I can write to to give a little more context to our thinking?
Thanks Rick and happy that you’re doing so well!
Scott