Rounding up Nairobi!

So, it has been a week since I’ve posted. I know, terrible! However the past week has either been hectic or I’ve had terrible access to the internet. In Kisii, my internet just freaking blows, so my entries will likely be less frequent from here on out.

A Quick Overview of My last Several Days in Nairobi

Thursday
Linked up with Hilda kinfolk, Angela, in Kinoo (a small town 20 kilometers west of Nairobi). Not much to say… just got my hair done. Since you are reading this, it probably means that you’ve seen the results of this excursion. Needless to say, I am pretty happy with the results of the hairdressers’ labors.

Friday
 I met another member of the Mwangi clan, Barnie. This day I finally had my first meal at a Kenyan restaurant. At this point I was starved for some real food because I had been living only on lentils, bread and Nutella up until this point.

Some Pan Fried Beef with some Veggies, Ugali, and a side of Passion Fruit Juice

Music to my Stomach!!

We then went to the Kenya National Archives. This is located in right in the middle of downtown Nairobi. This place houses a collection of historical and cultural artifacts from not only Kenya, but other East African nations.  

First Presidential Seat of Jomo Kenyatta, the First Prime Minister and First President of the Republic Of Kenya

Saturday/Sunday
 I finally tasted some Tusker’s (Kenya’s national beer that comes in half-liter bottles). Actually, I tasted a few of them. Hilda’s friend Udi treated me to drinks early in the afternoon. Clearly, this was the week of meeting any and everyone associated with the Mwangis.  Anyway, this was a good time to learn about the drinking habits of Nairobians. Sambuca shots are quite popular here. Personally, I am not a huge fan because I think they taste like a mix of cough syrup and licorice. But hey, if someone else is buying, who am I to say ‘no’? Everyone know that Nneka loves free shit, especially free food and booze. The Sambuca kept coming and in Udi I met a formidable drinking opponent. By 3pm, I was fairly sloshed.

The partying continues when Amal calls later in the day to let me know that she landed in Nairobi safely and was ready to party. We link up with a few of her cousins and head out to the Westlands in the evening to our first Nairobi nightclub experience. We choose to go to the Skylux Lounge in Westlands (an affluent suburb 10-15 minutes northeast of downtown Nairobi).  

 

Stock Photo of Skylux Lounge. Posh, ain't it?

This place was nice however; they were closing down for renovations. I didn’t really understand why but I hope to see the new Skylux because the current one was pretty good. The crowd was young (18-30), fun, fashionable, energetic, and HOT. Everyone in this place was simply gorgeous—the men, the women, everyone! Can I also say that it was nice being in a club that wasn’t 90% women like other places (ahem… Atlanta)? There was an even split between women and men in the club, which made for much more enjoyable mingling. It seemed that everyone in our crew managed to find some interesting company to dance away the evening. I found myself a hot Chilean engineer (yeah… I would go to a club in Nairobi and find the one non-Kenyan there), and Amal found herself a Kenyan husband.

Because this place was closing down after this evening, things started to get pretty packed during the peak hours of 2-4am. Yes… people were steady rolling into this club at 5 am. It was insane. We did not leave the club until after 6:30 or so. Even as we were leaving, I heard another group of people say, “okay guys, next stop… Galileo! (another Nairobi club)”. Nairobians are intense partiers, this mess is not for the weak-hearted! My feet were freaking done.

Sunday /Monday
The following evening we decide to have a repeat performance. While the evening started out just as fun as the night before, the evening/morning ended on quite the awkward note. Sleep deprivation paired with a ton of free booze made for an odd evening. I’ll leave it at that, haha. Without a moment of sleep, I went home at about 7am to finishing packing my things for Kisii. At around 9am, I then hopped into a car for a 5 hour drive out to Western Kenya. And so, my summer assignment begins!

Up Next: First impressions of Kisii, Kenya and my summer practicum. It’s time to actually start working!

P.S.- I must say, passion fruit juice is my new favorite. You know how apple and orange are the standard juice flavors in the States? Here it’s mango and passion juice. I know it’s sold in the States somewhere but I have never had it until now. It’s just so damn good! If you can tell me where to find some 100% passion juice in the States, I’ll give you a gold star!

P.P.S.- Clubs in the US should take note: in Nairobi, they clean the bathrooms, tables, and floor of clubs throughout the evening, not just at last call. The bathrooms stayed clean and the floor stayed dry, non-sticky, and non-vomit covered for the duration of the evening for this reason. Also, none of the toilets around here have toilet seat—it’s all commode. For whatever reason, this seems to help keep things clean.