Since starting this new phase of work, I’ve been doing a lot more Nairobi-based activities. This is partially because now that I have been in Kenya awhile, I’ve done a lot of the ‘easy’ weekend getaways, and partly because work has been busy - it’s been a bit much to have big weeks AND try to get away on the weekends.
However, one does not need to get out of Nairobi to have fun - not by a long shot. I’ve put together some short synopsis of some of the events my friends and I have been up to lately, and included photos where I could. Hopefully this gives you some insight into my “normal” Nairobi life:
Black Diamond Dancing - Black Diamond is the name of one of the local bars/clubs in Westlands, which is the area where my apartment is. There is karaoke in Black Diamond every Tuesday night, and once that is over, they start playing a really good mix of Kenyan and “western” hip hop and dance songs. It’s always a blast, and whenever we go, we end up staying out wayyyy too late. With all this fun going on, Wednesday mornings can be a bit painful. Karaoke here is hilarious - the Kenyans seem to have a penchant for very slow love songs, while our group tends to the “Ice Ice Baby” or “Semi-Charmed Life” types of songs. It’s an eclectic mix, that’s for sure!
Blankets and Wine - this is a music event that happens the first Sunday of every month. Basically, a new venue is chosen each time, and African artists from Kenya and the surrounding countries are booked to perform. They set up tents for shade, and sell food and wine, plus have play areas for kids. It’s a very “ex-pat” thing to do, but the music is great, and it’s a wonderful, relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I’ve only been once, but the music was awesome, and I’ll definitely be going again if I can!
Pancake Day - In the States, we celebrate Fat Tuesday (the day before the start of Lent) with Mardi Gras, parades and beads. Apparently in England, Fat Tuesday is known as Pancake Day - everyone gorges themselves on pancakes (what we Americans would call crepes). As most everyone knows, I love any excuse to eat pancakes. So, we invited some folks over and cooked pancakes (both the American and the English versions). I was a little worried about how they would turn out - purchasing ingredients here is a bit of a “luck of the draw” situation, and I wasn’t sure if the altitude would affect them. Turns out my fears were for naught - the first batch of English pancakes was a bit of a disaster (who knew what a difference leaving out an egg would make) but we recovered nicely and had a great meal. There were even chocolate chips (semi-sweet, of course) for the American pancakes. Nothing says happiness like breakfast foods.
St. Patrick’s Day - I’m slowly starting to learn that not everyone goes as crazy about St. Patrick’s Day as Americans. Green beer, and wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day, while perfectly natural to me, is looked upon by my (mostly English) friends here as...well...weird. This year, I had two St. Patrick’s day celebrations - the first was on the actual date and was kicked off by our own homemade green beer (thanks to Laura the Legend who went out to procure Tusker and green food coloring). It was VIOLENTLY green - I was the only one who really drank it, but I loved it! We went out to an “Irish” bar with live music and “Irish” specials (not very Irish at all...but they did have Irish Car Bombs on special) and finished the night out at Black Diamond. Then on Saturday night, we went to a St. Patrick’s Day Ball put on by the Irish Society of Kenya. It was held at the Hilton downtown, and it was a very hoity toity event. Black tie, and your ticket got you a sit down meal, plus lots of drinks and dancing. Since it was more of a mature crowd, the “disco” portion of the evening started out tamer (think Fleetwood Mac and Don McLean) but quickly transitioned into the “music of today” as the younger crowd took over the dance floor. I have to admit, it was a great time - really fun to get all dressed up for a change, especially when our lack of an office means I spend a lot of time in gym clothes.
That’s just the high level overview - there are dinners, and brunches, and events I could go on and on about. There’s something happening just about every day, should one fancy it - I never lack for social things to do here!
Out and about on St. Patrick's Day! Notice how I'm pretty much the only one wearing green - except Lidia, who pulled out her Ireland football jersey in honor of the day...and of course, we're all doing the infamous bear claw...my legacy in Kenya.
Blankets and wine...a relaxing way to spend a Sunday..thank goodness for the shade though...it was HOT!
Pancake Day! This is the second batch of English pancakes...the one where we actually put all of the right ingredients in the mixture!
Black Diamond karoke - and we were joined on stage by a special guest star :) I think at this point we were singing Backstreet Boys - much to the amusement of the Kenya crowd.
All dressed up for the St Patrick's Day ball!
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