I've been terrible about keeping up with the blog and I'm terribly sorry. I've been so busy. I started my internship at the beginning of the month and I'm usually at work from 7.30 until 5 but last night and for many nights to come, I stayed until 10. First quarter reporting is due and interns are required by law to perform what is humanly impossible and undertake all tasks deemed unfit by the boss and others. It's actually a really nice place, an investment firm and the atmosphere has been very good. A nice place, considering I was dropped in like a fish out of water and started from scratch and couldn't differentiate a cash sheet from an equities portfolio. I hope this explains the absence.
The only thing that sucked in the beginning was taking the matatu so early in the morning and sitting next to people doing the "walk of shame" or just plain crackheads who can't sleep. Also what sucks ass is if I stay late, I have to take the matatus home and the station is not in the safest of places at night or even day for that matter. But by evening, you'll find some of the conductors and in some cases the drivers are high on "miraa" (a hallucinogenic that you chew) or Chang'aa (the cheap toxic brew) or plain stoned. Oh yeah, weed is cheap here. You can get a joint for less than a dollar. Lol, not advertising the country as the place to get high but the prices are quite reasonable if that's your thing. IT WAS ON THE NEWS! I SWEAR! Lol. I will also point out that it is very illegal and the fines and(not or) jail time will be super restrictive on your holiday plans should you choose to indulge in practise.
Interesting news stories: A woman at a local university posted a list of 118 men on the bulletin board with whom she'd had sex with. She said she'd been intimate with 124 men but only six used condoms and had in fact deliberately infected the careless 118 with the HIV virus in the same manner she'd been infected by a fellow student who'd neglected to mention his status. She also claims that there were several lecturers on the list.
Deep breath
Since I am here and I've observed relationships, I can tell you that most of these men/boys/infants are married, will in fact not tell their wives/girlfriends/boyfriends etc. and thus the disease will spread and yet another cycle begins. Also, don't men talk to each other anymore? It's not a big university and usually about the 40th or 50th person who would boast about her as a conquest would start to figure out, hmmm, something's not right here.
I will touch on the impact of the disease at some point but the depth and the scope that is visible and present on an almost daily basis has been overwhelming and I feel I should dedicate more time on what I've observed later. It's very, very, very sad. But the response by the government and community has been "positive" and that's very reassuring. It's only when you read such stories in the paper that you realize that someone just took 118 steps back in the progress that had already been attained.
What else? Oh yeah, the president is a bit of a running joke. People talk about him saying he's either always sleeping or out on the golf course and his wife Lucy is actually in charge. Funny couple to watch on the telly but I won't risk saying anything bad about them because an MP got arrested yesterday for singing about them and saying exactly what I said just now. Oh well, Kenyan jails promise to be interesting. I'M KIDDING.
Personal note, Corinne, Fleur, Fluffster and Talley, thanks for reading. Oh yeah, my darling VD, who just came back from Hawaii where he was schmoozing with celebs, thank you for reading as well and commenting. You totally rock and I'm sorry you have no drinking buddies....but just wait until your baby's born and for eighteen more years and hurrah, you've bred your own drinking buddy.
So I promised myself I'd go to Mombasa at the end of this internship. I still haven't read Chemories yet and I'm dying, craving to see people's smiles. I've been blessedly distracted lately by work which is so fun. My only complaint is that my very expensive Nine West's are killing my feet! I'm going to bow down and buy the local brand, BATA because they're cheap and comfy.
Btw, I try and avoid naming the places I go to because I'm not endorsing anyone or getting paid for it. The latter being more of the reason. However, I'll be happy to take you to a wonderful club that is so like NYC on safari and where you'll spend $50 in ten minutes without even realizing it because the ambience is so amazing and relaxing and the prices will make even you who come with your dollars gasp when you ask, "Ngapi?" "How much?!?" Lol, it really is a nice place.
Ok, off now, it's Friday evening and there's a very cold, much deserved beer calling my name...I have to work tomorrow so not too much. Oh yeah, I have to work Sunday too but it's worth it. The experience, wow.
Laters!
No comments:
Post a Comment