It's been interesting in Nairobi. I dislike this city more and more on some days but adore the company that I keep regularly to pass the evenings. I have established Hooters as my local. Nope, not the boobies, beer and wings fest variety, rather a typical pub/bar/restaurant that is in the Central Business District of Nairobi. The food is awesome, the beer is fantastically cold - except on Friday because a couple of us take Thirsty Thursday's to task.
My job has unfortunately become just that. A job. I don't enjoy what I do as much and I'm trying to figure out how better I can move up or around to bring that excitement back because I am LOSING MY FREAKING MIND! I think I just need a holiday to reboot but that's a band-aid on a gaping seeping open sore at the moment. Opportunities elsewhere are difficult to come by and Kenya is truly truly truly a country of networking. If you know nobody, it's virtually impossible to find a job. Oh, and they are super fixated on certificates. Some companies even require you have a Microsoft Office certification before they consider you. Ummm, I graduated using Microsoft applications, does that count? And I use Excel so much that Word has become a challenge. Sigh.
The country is gearing up to vote in the referendum concerning a new constitution. The Yes team (color green) are for the proposed new constitution that updates the archaic one from yesteryear. While the No team (color red) says hell to the no, keep it like it is. What's worked for us for 30 odd years is good enough. The colors were picked and approved by both camps. No team are not to bright, eh? Anyway, I'm voting yes for one reason only. Currently, under the No team, if I get married to a foreigner as a woman, I lose my citizenship and my children, unless born in Kenya are party and parcel to my husband's country. The New Constitution is much more progressive and recognizes that women are individuals unto themselves and should be treated the same as men who have not had that restriction. I don't care what else the package comes with - but isn't that democracy for you? Find what works for you and promote the hell out of it. The No idiots are campaigning on the ignorance of Kenyans, spreading all sorts of malicious vitriol about what the Yes guys really want. The Yes team recognizes Kadhi courts (Muslim courts that administer and serve justice to willing Muslims). The No team goes into villages that have probably never seen a Muslim and they tell them that the Kadhi court means they too will be subjected to Muslim Law and that includes yes, Al Shabaab and other extremist groups. And there are plenty of village idiots that believe this.
Oh yes, I have become way more cynical and hardened to life since moving here. I have less patience for people (more for queues, eeek!), I don't answer numbers I don't recognize, I don't call "flashers" back. (Flashers are the fools that let your phone ring once so that you can call them back or they send "please call me requests")98% of those callers are looking for money. I don't go out on weekends as much because I hate the routine of bar hopping, eating tons of roast meat, trying to move around crowded bars and generally spending too much money. I have had (and still do) have the opportunity to go to a mate's place for a Saturday dinner but the idea of going home late at night driving down car-jacking streets is not appealing.
I hate that I don't have a washing machine and I'm one of those who doesn't let the maid do my delicates so I have to do that every freaking weekend.
Pros at the moment - my family, who recognize my quirks and know when I am itching for a fight and they will always make me laugh and remember why I am still here. Oh, and reading blogs of people in the service industry really makes my day. Right now on Melissa's Flight Attendant blog. So hilarious!
Other than that, actively looking to going back to school. Missing the structure of a full day of coursework and the occasional pint at the pub.
Will be in a better place next time. I promise.
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