hello from kenya...
last week, i flew out to los angeles at the last minute to spend some time with the family...it was a good time, and i'm glad i went out there, but it was also very rushed, so i'm sorry if i missed you. tuesday, the day before i took off, i found out that the kenya trip was a go...i was supposed to leave for nairobi on thursday, but because of the socal trip, i postponed to monday...to take off the day i get back from los angeles on a red-eye. yes, i consciously planned my travel this way, and you're right, i don't know what i was thinking.
so los angeles was good, the red eye flight sucked (it wasn't even direct), then i had a few hours in the office, before heading home for a much needed shower, last minute packing (i packed a little before i left for la), and taking a taxi back to the airport. twenty hours later, i'm in nairobi.
things here have been a bit rough...while i was in amsterdam waiting to get on the plane for kenya, i got an e-mail from my colleague here, basically saying that they had had to close the cdc office early that day because of some rioting nearby, but don't worry, things are pretty safe, and they're just being cautious. then today, after i left the cdc offices for the local kenyan government office i'll be working out of, my colleague tells me that there was once again rioting near the cdc offices, this time close enough that they had to close the offices because the wind was blowing tear gas into the building. they were having a big meeting, and people started crying, which paints a pretty funny picture in my mind, but probably wasn't all that funny for those who were crying.
BUT, i have felt completely safe here, and i haven't seen anything myself to feel otherwise. the office i'm at is a 5 minute walk from my hotel, and i walked it after work today...no problems. of course, that also may be because my hotel is close to the park where they were planning on having all those rallies, and the police have decided to make it their place to rest their guns, take naps, make sure that they strike down any demonstrations, you know, that sort of thing.
a word about my hotel. okay, so some of you know that i get to stay in some pretty nice places. no, we are not spending your tax dollars shacking up in swanky luxury hotels...at least, not as much as you think. there are certain hotels that are approved by the embassy for government workers, based on security and such, and we get a much discounted embassy rate when we stay in these places.
so...i've been staying in some nice hotels. and, i found out today that i'm actually staying in the same hotel that a certain former un secretary general who's in town to help some politicians work out their issues is staying. yup...i actually saw some footage of him on bbc today, and it showed him outside the hotel...it's kinda weird to see places you recognize on tv, especially when you were there 20 minutes ago. i was like, wouldn't it be cool to run into him, but, yeah, right, right? yet...as i was heading to dinner, this guy almost shoved me across the lobby 'cuz he was clearing a path for...you guessed it, kofi annan. okay, so the bodyguard didn't even touch me, but he made as if he would've until he realized that i, an innocent-looking asian girl, probably wasn't going to try to assassinate anyone. so i was within 2 yards of him, but he was, of course, surrounded by an entourage, and i was intimidated by his bodyguard, so i just stole a quick look. my only impression...he's kinda short.
