The Lost Post: What Gift Have You Brought?

This first post about the flight to Kenya and the first day there accidentally got deleted, now I'm reproducing it from memory.

Today I begin my journey to Kenya. I board the plane and watched the rainy basin of Puget sound fade away into the clouds.  Later we passed over the frozen plains of Alberta.  In the dark of the polar night we passed over the glittering fjords of Green land.  Soon the lights of London were below us.  Finally we landed in Paris at Charles de Gaulle airport.

Leaving Seattle

Flying over Alberta

A glimpse of Greenland

Paris before dawn

At 8am there was no sign of the sun; Northern Europe is much darker than Washington in the winter.  De Gaulle airport looks like a shopping mall, with high end shops such as Cartier, and a fancy cheese shop, very French. The flight to Kenya was delayed by 3 hours but finally we landed.

Fancy shops

Cheese counter

Flying over the alps

Lago di Garda and Towns of northern Italian plain 

This was another night flight and I noted the lack of electric lights over Africa below.  Except for Jedda on the Arabian coast the interior was mostly dark, with only a few lights scattered here and there. Finally we landed in Nairobi. The city lights end abruptly along a line marking Nairobi National Park, a place where you can see giraffes, elephants, and other megafauna mingling next to skyscrapers and markets. I passed the big "Karibu Kenya (welcome to Kenya)" sign and picked up my luggage.  After some confusion in the crowd outside arrivals I met my driver Felix and he went to get the car.  In the meantime I struck up a conversation with a police officer who was watching over the ground transportation zone.  I was excited to have a chance to finally practice Swahili after months of study.  We mostly talked about travel and life in Kenya; eventually the conversation changed and he asked me "what gift have you brought?".  I answered that I've brought the gift of knowledge, medical knowledge to be precise.  After my work here is done there will be 2-300 Kenyan people whose health will (hopefully) be improved through my services.  I'm not sure that was the answer he was looking for...he pivoted and asked me to buy him a coffee (this phrase, I learned, is a covert way to ask for a tip).  I handed him a couple hundred shillings (about $2) for helping me practice Swahili.  Soon my driver met me and we were off. 

Karibu Kenya 

Welcome home

The night in Nairobi was quiet, hardly anyone on the street.  Street signs all in English, easy to understand.  We reached Chaak guest house, I checked in and immediately went to bed.  In the morning I awoke to the sounds of singing birds and explored the hotel courtyard, which was filled with fragrant flowers. At breakfast (hearty starches and meats washed down with masala chai) I chatted with a Kenyan fellow about work and politics. My next driver John came and we began the journey to Kijabe. I had to pick up the house keys from Jason, who was staying at a hotel in Nairobi.  We met in the lobby and exchanged news and information regarding the rotation and our respective future plans. He's planning to have a market day in Nairobi then head to Maasai Mara. We bid our Bon voyages and went on our way.

Chaak Guest House courtyard

Next stop was a grocery store. I was quite optimistic about the amount of cooking I'd be doing, and so loaded up on spices and vegetables, and other things like canned beans and breads.  Next it was time to head to Kijabe.

The Nairobi-Kijabe Road slowly turns from urban to rural. City streets turn to suburbs, then small villages and farmsteads open up.  Cattle, goats, sheep, and ducks graze by the side of the road. Market stalls line the high way backed by concrete structures filled with shops and apartments. The people get around on foot, motorbike, car, or matatu, minibuses which are often painted with colorful murals. Occasionally I'd see a car racing in the opposite direction with a bag of green plants on top.  John explained that these cars are carrying mera (qat) to market. This stimulating herb is grown in the fields and must me transported quickly to markets in the city while still fresh.  Therefore the drivers delivering this good must drive at breakneck speed, sometimes recklessly! We continued on through landscape of rolling hills and farming villages.

Suddenly the ground fell away to the west and became a massive deep valley: we had reached the Eastern or Gregory Rift, a giant gash in the Earth's crust reaching from Malawi to Lebanon where the Nubian (African) plate is pulling away from the Somali plate.  This region has given rise to volcanic activity, saline ribbon lakes with no outlet, and a distinctive hot savannah climate with unique ecology. I hadn't realized it was so close! We stopped momentarily to take in the view and marvel at the size of the rift, then continued on.

Cloudy rift valley

We rounded the hill to reach Kijabe and began the descent to the town, which is midway between the level of the highlands and valley floor. Kijabe hospital was built at this spot because it is too high/cold for the malaria mosquito to complete its lifecycle.  Kijabe itself is a small farming town of dirt roads with a few basic amenities: shops, restaurants, a gas station; quite different from the comparative metropolis of Seattle.  Nevertheless, the people seem friendly and welcoming here, and there is a recognizable small town atmosphere.  John and I finally reached the house and I dropped my stuff off.  The house (apartment) is 3 bedroom one bath, on the third/top floor, with a giant window overlooking the Gregory rift.  It's going to be quite an experience looking out each day over the likely place of origin of the human species! The apartment is tastefully appointed with African style decor and mostly natural (I.e. wood) furniture.  A lovely place to spend 3 weeks! After a couple hours lounging, Rochelle (my supervisor), Natalya (her daughter), and Ginger (Rochelle's mother) returned from their trip to Lake Nakuru.  Now the rotation could truly begin! 

A good policy

Cozy abode