Being taken care of.

Mr. Zebra in Nairobi National Park

So far, in both Kenya and Rwanda, we are being taken care of at all times. That being if we want to buy water, eat dinner or just drive around the city. Ingrid, the program co-ordinator for Norwegian Red Cross in East Africa, even took us on an urban safari, just a short drive outside Nairobi. It was astonishing. I never expected seeing that much wildlife – ever. Everywhere we drove we saw giraffes crossing the road, zebras grazing and pretty rare rhinos just relaxing by the side of the road. Amazing!

Rhinos!

Workwise everything is being taken care of as well. We get up in the morning and have breakfast, which arrives with a slowness that even made the other mzungus, europeans, complain out loud the other day. Outside, our driver is waiting, and we go down to the large Red Cross compound. It has about twenty one-storey buildings and a large green park. Most of our days we spend running errands, that being getting work permits, checking our e-mails, greeting the seceretary general or just having luch at the cantina. And we wait. We are trying to get into the whole african time-way of doing things, that meaning that things wont happen until they happen.

It is pretty hard getting used to having my whole week planned and organized by others, and that also including a lot of waiting. It will be a good lesson to learn. I try to just sit back and relax. And in terms of being taken care of even in my hours off work: It also means that I get to go to safaris, meet people and not to forget eating dinner at Aline, the former youth delegate’s house tonight. African life is great!

Mr. Giraffe!