I didn’t realize how much I needed both a vacation and a break from Monrovia until I stepped off the plane in Nairobi. When I felt the cool air and it hit me that I was about to spend a week with one of my oldest friends, I got very, very excited. My excitement was tempered by a brief moment of panic, as I wondered what the chances were that my suitcase had been broken into (about 10 minutes into my drive to the airport in Liberia I realized I had forgotten my suitcase lock and for peace of mind had bought a tiny lock for $1 that a boy was selling outside the airport. I probably could have bitten the lock off my suitcase in a pinch, that’s how solid it was.) Luckily, my suitcase emerged undisturbed and I was on my way.
I hopped into a waiting cab and we drove through Nairobi’s still dark but already traffic-clogged streets. Kenyans, having been colonized by the British, drive on the “other” side of the road. We made our way through the city center, with many high rise buildings, and continued on to Elissa’s apartment complex in a more residential neighborhood.
When I walked into her apartment, I couldn’t get over how nice both the space and its surroundings were. The living room in particular had an entire wall of windows and great natural light. Right outside was a balcony with comfy furniture on it, where you could read, hang out, or have dinner outside. The balcony faces a leafy green courtyard dotted with flowering trees. The setting was just so lovely and real departure from Monrovia.
It’s hard to convey how exciting it was to be in a city like Nairobi and have what seemed like an endless number of restaurants, bars and shopping centers to choose from…but I was in my element. I bought a coffee with soy milk every day. I went shopping every day (thank goodness we left Nairobi for the weekend). I had an appointment for some kind of spa or salon treatment every day. We had Ethiopian food! Thai food! Fresh fruit! York peppermint patties!!
Aside from enjoying the perks of a city, it was just wonderful to spend so much time with Elissa and see a slice of her life in Nairobi. We went to a yoga class together and I marveled at the fact that I was trying to balance my upper body on my elbows and elevate my legs in the air IN NAIROBI. We danced around to songs we used to love in her apartment. She drove me around town (on the “wrong” side of the road) and took me to the best places to find the goodies I was looking for.
What I saw of East Africa seemed quite different from West Africa. Nairobi is far more developed than Monrovia, there are more (and nicer) cars on the road, the climate and vegetation are different, and there seems to be less of the colorful chaos you find in Monrovia. Kenyans speak differently than Liberians; more slowly and with a distinct pronunciation. The cab drivers I had were all quite interested in talking with me about Barack Obama and were curious to hear how Liberians were managing post-conflict.
On Friday morning we woke up and boarded a small plane for the Sarova Mara Camp in the Masai Mara park and wildlife reserve. It was time to spend a few days on safari…
I hopped into a waiting cab and we drove through Nairobi’s still dark but already traffic-clogged streets. Kenyans, having been colonized by the British, drive on the “other” side of the road. We made our way through the city center, with many high rise buildings, and continued on to Elissa’s apartment complex in a more residential neighborhood.
When I walked into her apartment, I couldn’t get over how nice both the space and its surroundings were. The living room in particular had an entire wall of windows and great natural light. Right outside was a balcony with comfy furniture on it, where you could read, hang out, or have dinner outside. The balcony faces a leafy green courtyard dotted with flowering trees. The setting was just so lovely and real departure from Monrovia.
It’s hard to convey how exciting it was to be in a city like Nairobi and have what seemed like an endless number of restaurants, bars and shopping centers to choose from…but I was in my element. I bought a coffee with soy milk every day. I went shopping every day (thank goodness we left Nairobi for the weekend). I had an appointment for some kind of spa or salon treatment every day. We had Ethiopian food! Thai food! Fresh fruit! York peppermint patties!!
Aside from enjoying the perks of a city, it was just wonderful to spend so much time with Elissa and see a slice of her life in Nairobi. We went to a yoga class together and I marveled at the fact that I was trying to balance my upper body on my elbows and elevate my legs in the air IN NAIROBI. We danced around to songs we used to love in her apartment. She drove me around town (on the “wrong” side of the road) and took me to the best places to find the goodies I was looking for.
What I saw of East Africa seemed quite different from West Africa. Nairobi is far more developed than Monrovia, there are more (and nicer) cars on the road, the climate and vegetation are different, and there seems to be less of the colorful chaos you find in Monrovia. Kenyans speak differently than Liberians; more slowly and with a distinct pronunciation. The cab drivers I had were all quite interested in talking with me about Barack Obama and were curious to hear how Liberians were managing post-conflict.
On Friday morning we woke up and boarded a small plane for the Sarova Mara Camp in the Masai Mara park and wildlife reserve. It was time to spend a few days on safari…
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