So much to learn......

I have now been living in Africa for just over a year. Of course thats no time at all. But the arrival of a bunch of new people to coincide with the school term in September and the sad departure of some older hands means I am seen by some (in the very transient school community at least) as close to being a relatively established Nairobi inhabitant. I don't feel like that at all and whilst I've learnt lots - like how to tell when bananas are ready to pick, how to tuck the kids up at night under a mosquito net, that Nairobi is Massai for "very cold", not to be surprised by cars coming straight at you on the wrong side of the road and that an irregular power supply seriously reduces rows over screen time - each day I realise that I still have so much to learn about life in Nairobi, Kenya and the wider region.

Picking up the car from a service a few months ago. I checked that they had given me a full invoice. I checked that they had dealt with the overheating engine and slow puncture - yes, with the old, broken bit of the radiator as proof and no, with the flakey tyre just repumped and the bulge still obvious but no charge on the invoice. But I didn't check whether they had decided to take apart the rear door and then not to put it back together. I realised my mistake when I came to put a bit of shopping in the boot an hour later and found the inner bit of the door taking up the space. Turns out they were planning to fix our window but didn't have the part so just left it till they could get the part. Fair enough. But next time I will look more closely both at the things I've asked for and then at all the things I haven't and try and avoid the extra journey back to get it sorted - an early lesson here was that things just take longer and more attempts to get done.

I'm also learning lots at work, about working across multiple cultures, about how to make sure my home working time is productive despite occasionally being without power or Internet coverage - I keep my laptop charged and have found a few good coffee shops between home and school with wifi and power sockets (and good latte). And about the politics, opportunities and challenges for Kenya and the wider region. I'm getting to travel round a bit and have met some fascinating people from all walks of life with lots of interesting things to say - and alongside some of these people I've learnt that its unwise to base a pitch for funding solely on a power point presentation and a projector when your office has a very unreliable electricity supply.

I think we are all also learning to be more adaptable here whether it's changing our shopping list because the thing that's wanted isn't on the shelf, or changing our plans because some unexpected traffic makes them unrealistic, or changing the evening meal because there is no power, or understanding that cafes don't always have everything that's on their menu - although it was a bit surprising to find one the other day that didn't have anything on its extensive menu unless you wanted a burger with coffee. I can see why long term planning isn't really a feature of life here. As a good friend observed its more a case of learning that if you plan early you plan twice. And as someone who has tended to rely on a fair bit of careful planning to juggle the various things in my life that has taken a little bit of adjustment.



Anne

Supermarket sweep

Having made 2 visits to the UK in April, and with a trip later this month I thought I'd share a little insight into the oddities of my UK shopping lists. Play ground chats with other UK mums here and the various postings on work's social network page show I'm not alone in cramming bags with a few home treats and things that are hard to get here (at affordable prices at least). And all of us have received odd looks at the till as we make our last minute purchases of strong wood glue, cheddar cheese and chocolate chips.
We are very lucky and can shop on line for books and toys and new scaletrix control handles (clearly an essential item, not a toy) and get them delivered through my work but there are restrictions - no food, no liquids and no nerf guns. It takes a bit of time to arrive, which makes it hard to return clothes that don't fit quite the way the picture suggested they would. And also means the kids don't get the immediacy of shopping they enjoy. So I have a running list which everyone adds to between visits (ours to the UK and those of our visitors who we think we can prevail upon to stock up ). On my last trip I had 20 minutes at Tesco express on my way to Heathrow and got pretty much everything I needed apart from the wood glue or match attax cards and then had a productive tube journey trying to pack it all into my bag which I think kept my fellow passengers amused.
Along with the above items, my usual list includes strong sun cream, jelly, ant powder to deal with the thousands of ants and termites who seek to move in whenever they spot a chance, good quality chocolate, European wine, Parmesan, chorizo, nerf guns and bullets, lunch box snacks, wine gums, angel delights, mango pickle (which is madness when we have so many fresh mangos but there is a particular brand the kids like), good shampoo, toothpaste and bubble bath, swimming stuff as ours gets worn through at a fair rate, footballs, rugby balls, shoes of all varieties, marmite and some magazines and newspapers. No wonder I get funny looks!

Anne

Clocking up the air miles

After my flying visit to London in early February for work and Tim's trip back in March the kids have been really keen to cross continents and spend a little time with friends and family. So on Monday night I found myself sitting at JKIA in Nairobi with three kids waiting for a late night flight back to the UK. Tim is staying put - he has read the weather reports from the UK (and has work to do).
Just over 2 Years ago we went to a family wedding in India. I flew first with the kids and I remember being a little daunted at the prospect of a long haul over night flight navigating 3 small people, our bags, their travel sickness, our arrival in the early hours etc. I was struck on Monday by how much more straightforward this now feels. Of course they are a couple of years older and we are now mainly flying between known destinations. But we are all just much more familiar with the whole experience and it is much calmer all round. I've managed to reduce hand luggage to passports, a pen for the endless form filling and electronic goods too precious and tempting for others to go in the hold. The kids pack their own bags (with a quick once over from Tim or me to check underwear quantities, shoes and appropriate clothing and so we know what must not be left behind in the return pack). And they know what to expect at the airport so take the searches and queues in their stride (with the occasional bickering and assault on each other when it takes too long).
Now they confidently tell the driver taking us to the airport which airline we are taking and the benefits of BA over KQ. They ask for the bill at the airport coffee shop, knowing that it takes a while to appear at this particular cafe.

And they fall asleep when they can rather than try and keep awake for the movies and plane food - helped on this flight by a busy afternoon of egg hunting and swimming with some families from work.

Cool as they are about international travel, I am still not quite ready for them to be Flying alone so after quality time with family, celebrating turning 7 and spotting a few signs of English spring from behind the snow we are heading home together on Thursday for the start of school and I then pop back to the UK for a 2 day course the following week. I tried to combine it more efficiently but in the end decided that an extra 17 hours flying time for me, with movie watching and book reading was the best option domestically if not in carbon offsetting.