The past week or so has been rather eventful. Unfortunately it’s still one step forward and two steps back but being busy is better than sitting around all day, even if you’re not getting all that much done. So the things I have learned this week are...
1. A matatu journey from Bombolulu to Kilifi is not 1 hr
2. Where I live is safe and fine, just not that safe?!
3. The British Government isn’t much more helpful than the Kenyan Government
4. It is easy to find people who want to help, it is not easy to find people who CAN help.
5. Just because something is made in England doesn’t mean it works
6. I will never understand the Kenyan weather
7. Free pegs are a major selling point
8. Kenyan shops don’t do small scale...
9. Bleaching whites – not as easy as it sounds
10. Don’t try and get work done in a month where there are 3 national holidays!
So first things first, work – and to be honest I’m no further forward. Still no news on my research permit, and joyfully the people meant to be sorting it have gone on a 2 week holiday without telling me and no one else at NMK seems to have any idea about what’s going on with my application. Grrr... I nearly hit the roof when I found out. However, there isn’t much I can do. On the bright side, there is a possibility that I might actually manage to meet up with someone from the Coastal Forest Conservation Unit next week – woohoo. I am very excited about that, as it means that not only is there a possibility that I might be able to get some work done, but they might be able to hurry NMK up a bit and help speed up the application for both my Research Permit, and my Pupils Pass. Watch this space...
So onto the more exciting stuff. I have had quite a packed week. I have been to Kilifi, Watamu, and Malindi. I visited the British Consulate in Mombasa. I have been experimenting with domestic chores, I finished another book (shame it wasn't one related to work), and watched the royal wedding (yes I did honestly enjoy it)! To top it all off tomorrow I am going to a black tie dinner with actual people!
Last weekend I was mooching round with nothing much to do, when the lovely lady I met on the plane invited me to Kilifi for the weekend. Admittedly the excitement of getting out the house, as well as the mention of a pool and beaches to go swimming were a major pull, but I figured it would also be nice to see her again, and to meet her family. The original plan was that she would pick me up on Saturday after a day in Mombasa... However on Saturday morning she rang to say there had been a change in plan and I should just pack my things and make my way to Kilifi by Matatu. It took a lot longer than either of us expected for me to get to Kilifi, but when I did I got a wonderfully warm welcome and a great lunch. There was no pool at the house (which was a surprise), however we didn’t stay long, and made our way to Watamu to go to the beach.
Oh wow! I cannot tell you how great it was to finally get to a nice quiet beach, with no beach-boys and go for a swim. Watamu beach was stunning and the water felt amazing. I swam for a couple of hours only getting out once the sun started to go down (I had become a major prune!).
The place we were staying was interesting... You can tell that in high season when everything is sorted and the place is running properly it would be very popular and the typical ‘villa’ type place that you get on the North Coast of Kenya. However off season is a different story. The choice of room was dry with no lock and no mosquito net, or room with a lock, a rather whole-strewed mosquito net and a ‘damp problem’ that was more of a flood! I went for the wet room, hoping that even with the holes the mosquito net might save me, and the lock on the door was a must. The shower in the room was exceptionally cold, and I realised that although my shower in Bombolulu is cool, it’s not that cold. I do not like properly cold showers, no matter how hot I am.
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| Flood on the floor of my room - which spread over night! |
Whilst Mona decided to stay on another day I decided to head back to Bombolulu (couldn’t afford to pay for myself, and wasn’t about to let Mona pay). So after being assured that I would make it back before dark I set out on the journey, first to Kilifi, to pick up the rest of my stuff, and then onto Bombolulu. Long story short – I didn’t make it back before dark. The journey takes at least 3 hours, not helped by the stop needed in Kilifi and the major road block that required the Matatu take a detour almost into Mombasa, therefore requiring a number of us to get another Matatu back in the other direction. Luckily the sky was pretty bright that night, and as it was Easter there were a lot of people around so a dash down the little road to the workshops and I made it back home safe and sound.
This week has been spent trying to sort out logistics and settle in a bit more. I visited the British Consulate on Tuesday. Whilst the woman was an incredibly nice person, and invited me to the St George’s Society annual dinner on Saturday with everything else, there wasn’t much she could do to help. I did find out that although ‘Bombolulu is much better, and fine in the day’ it is not considered to be that great a place to be, and I should definitely not be out and about at night without company or in a Taxi/Car! Unfortunately the car situation has been put on hold. I was hoping to get one soon. But I am not able to get the necessary paperwork to have the car in my name until I apply for my Pupils Pass (the visa). So for now, no car.
I tried to get myself a personal PO Box. However turns out if you pay for one in April, you only get it to April 1st the next year (even if it’s the end of April). So I am waiting 3 days so that I can buy it in May, and therefore get value for money and get it for the full year that I am paying for. I have managed to sort out a few things in the house. The oven is now working, I have a broom, and I have bought flour. Unfortunately the supermarkets here only sell flour in 2Kg packets, so not only did I nearly die getting 4kg of flour (plain and self raising) back to my house, but how I’m going to get through that much is beyond me. One thing is for sure though – next week I am making cup-cakes!
I have also discovered that whilst I am perfectly capable of being all domestic in the UK with all the gadgets and products to help, out here I suck at it. I HATE hand washing all my clothes, and I don’t remember to do it regularly. So inevitably I end up with a mound of washing to do and have to spend hours (literally) scrubbing by hand, giving myself blisters and the clothes don’t even seem that clean. I thought I would solve the issue (at least in part) by bleaching my whites. I was surprised at the range of bleaches on offer in the supermarket. I figured bleach is bleach, so went for the cheap option that came with free clothes pegs – I needed new pegs too! I have to admit I did not know that the bleach you use to whiten clothes is the same one you use for toilets and disinfectant, just in different bottles – good to know. I went home, and the next day when doing the mound of washing I had to do I set about bleaching all my whites. Turns out it’s not as easy as it seems. Somehow, although some stuff is whiter than before, and a bunch of stains have come out, a lot of it has gone a funny yellow colour. Did I do something wrong? – I followed the instructions... Is it because I used a cheap bleach? If anyone knows why bleaching my whites turned them slightly yellow that would be great. However for now I am left in the knowledge that I am still far from a Kenyan domestic goddess. How I long for Vanish, my washing machine and a hoover!
The weather has also been crazy. It flips from hot to incredible down-poors. The thunder seems to roll around above us all day, but there is a big difference between the rolling thunder that almost ripples around and the thunder during the storms that sounds like it is about to rip the very skies apart – now that is an impressive sound. It makes you feel very small. I have also come to the conclusion that the changeable weather is also what is causing my body – more specifically my sinuses to be playing up. It feels like there is huge pressure in my head, and I seem to spend most of the day bouncing between being unable to breath, to a mild case of the sniffles and full on sneezing fits. I think it is going to take a long time for my body and me to get used to this, or until the seasons change.
I have been doing some exploring and discovering this week too. The British cosmetics brand Enliven is cheap out here, but probably for a reason. I bought their conditioner as it was cheap and smelt amazing, but it doesn’t seem to be that great. My hair doesn’t feel quite like straw anymore, but I did use almost half the bottle... I found out from a lovely Old Italian guy who I met on the bus that there is a wonderful Pizzeria not far from where I am – so I will definitely be trying that sometime next week. I also found the cinema complex and a shop that sells some decent looking books. I found the meat counter at Nakumat – although I will need to save up before I get anything from there. There is apparently a Japanese/Italian restaurant which is also not far from here which according to my nice Italian friend is lovely – but I will need to save up for that one as it is expensive. And... I have also discovered (via some internet searching) that there is a place by the beach not too far away (near the posh restaurant) where apparently I can get an hour’s full body massage for KSH500! So I think I at some point soon I will be treating myself to a massage and sashimi lunch.
I have decided that each week I will give myself a list of goals... So this week my tasks are:
1. Meet with the CFCU guy
2. Find out what is going on with my application whilst people are away
3. Finish one of my books on the Mijikenda and get at least ¾ the way through the other
4. Set up my PO Box
5. Try the Pizzeria
6. Make cake
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