Final day in Kenya

Today is my last day in Kenya! 179 blog posts later I conclude my time in Nairobi. I have had mixed emotions about leaving. Excited about starting a new chapter in life- living in Vancouver, starting my own business etc. And of course sad about leaving a country I have called home for the past two years. I have loved every moment in Kenya, well maybe not the post office trips, bank issues, and police corruption- but those are the day to day issues one has to deal with when living in Kenya.

The past week has been a whirlwind- packing up, arranging visits with friends, closing up "shop" in Kenya- and today I find myself still in the whirlwind but hopefully with some moments to myself.

The friends I made here are lifelong friends and I will miss each and everyone of them. Tia and Dana- Kenya would not have been the same without you. We shared a lot in our time together and I look forward to reunions in the future!!

Kenya and my travels across Africa have given more to me (experience-wise) than I have given back. So many adventures that are embedded in my soul now. I managed to travel quite a bit while in Kenya- along the coast, safaris, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda- across Kenya and to the UK, Spain, and Berlin.

Thank you to everyone who has read the blog over the past two years and has shared most experiences with me- it's been a blast!! Please do keep in touch: amanda.coolidge@gmail.com

the final countdown!

Well the final countdown has begun! I have 10 days remaining until I head on back to Canada. Currently I am in the UK finalizing work and today is officially my last day of work!! I fly back to Nairobi tomorrow to say goodbye to friends and pack up life after two fabulous years in Kenya.

So you might ask what am I going to do now? Well the plan is to move to Vancouver and start my own business, called Van Concierge. This will be a concierge service business for people living in the Vancouver area or for those that are visiting Vancouver and need assistance in dinner reservations, things to do, apartment rentals, etc. The main focus, however, will be on the day to day Vancouver-ite who needs to "get things done"- be it errands, event planning, house sitting, or having their fridge stocked when they return from holidays. I hope to have the company up and running by November... will keep everyone posted on website details and business details as they come. In the mean time- start booking your visits to Vancouver!

Also- should note that my email address will be : amanda.coolidge@gmail.com

That's it for now- more to report when I return to Nairobi and hopefully catch a few minutes to update the blog before the life of amandainkenya comes to an end!

off to the races!

Well with 3 weeks left in Nairobi I did what every good ex pat should do, I went to the horse races! It was interesting and an opportunity for great people watching. Older Brits dressed to the nines in their suits and dresses, and young KCs walking around with their boots and skirts.


After the horse races there was an outdoor concert which featured Johnny Clegg (South African Band). I didn't recognize any of their songs until they played "Cool, Crazy, Beautiful World" and I remembered hearing the song belted out on our stereo on King Richard Drive in Virginia. I looked over at my friends and said "Oh my gosh I know this song- my mom used to play it at home all the time!" When you are 10 years old and your friends are over and your mom is belting out South African tunes you tend to roll your eyes and wonder how many other mothers listen to South African music in the burbs :) Thankfully my mom's world music collection has come in handy later in life!



For those of you wondering what's happening for me between now and my move as well as after- here are the dates of my whereabouts:

• July 11-19 in UK
• July 28th move from Nairobi, go to Vancouver
• August 1-4 in NY
• August 4-25 PEI
• August 25-...... Vancouver!

Final weekend on the Coast!

The last trip to the coast was full of T.I.A (this is Africa) moments. The original airplane we were supposed to take to the coast wasn't "working" and so they put us on an 8 seater private plane. It was great! Although I must say that flying certainly looks easy with the genius of auto pilot. :)


When we arrived at our supposed hotel, it turned out that they gave our room away. There happened to be a large Indian wedding that weekend at the hotel and it seemed that they took the opportunity to have the entire hotel booked with the wedding attendees. Soo... after arguing about that for about 30 minutes we were transported over to another hotel- nicer apartment, but not beach side. Kind of wish we had been around for the Indian wedding reception- would have been a great wedding to crash!

Those were just two of the T.I.A. moments of the weekend- another one which I will spare everyone the details on was my brillant decision to get a detoxifying spa treatment wrap- basically I was wrapped in a heated blanket that must have been about 150 degrees... not so pretty.

Overall though the last weekend on the coast was great! Sun, beach, pool, naps-- definitely will be missed!

Yesterday my good friend Tia left Kenya. She is heading to Israel to do freelance work as a journalist- it was a sad departure- but I do hope to visit her in the Spring in Israel. I have two weeks left of work and will be heading to Vancouver at the end of July... will update the blog with dates of where I will be in Canada this summer once that is all finalized.

Happy Canada day to ALL!

The story of the 2nd housegirl

Living overseas has its benefits. One of those great benefits is having house help throughout the week. As many of you know I have two housekeepers. For those of you that don't know the reason is because I tried to fire the first housekeeper I had but she went hysterical; crying, kneeling on the floor, begging me to keep her, telling me that her sisters were going to be forced on the street so I said "Ok ok! I will keep you for one day a week". She has been quite the "project". She comes one day a week and stays for as little as 2 hours; barely does anything, asks me for tons of things, and basically takes advantage of a really good situation.

Yesterday I had had enough. She didn't come to work until 4:00 pm and I just couldn't deal with it any longer. So I finally got it together, was firm, paid her til the end of the month and asked her to leave. On her way out she turned to me and said "If you could give me some things that would be good." Ummm... good bye.

It sounds harsh perhaps but after reading bits of Eckhart Tolle's book "A New Earth" I had to do something. I could either accept the fact that I was being taken advantage of, continue to have her come to my house once a week and probably fester resentment, or I could just buck up and let her go. I decided the anger I was feeling inside for her and also anger at myself for allowing someone to take advantage of me was enough.

I knew that I needed to do something when I went to church with Dana and her parents (who are visiting from Canada) and I was telling some people at church about this housegirl and immediately they said "Oh Amanda, you really are being taken advantage of here..." So I figured "Well if God fearing Baptists think I am in a bad situation then I should do something about it!"

yes we can!

Excerpt from Barack Obama’s New Hampshire Primary Speech
From NY Times- Published Jan 08, 2008, accessed http://www.nytimes.com

We know the battle ahead will be long. But always remember that, no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. And they will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks and months to come.

We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.


For when we have faced down impossible odds, when we've been told we're not ready or that we shouldn't try or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation: Yes, we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail towards freedom through the darkest of nights: Yes, we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness: Yes, we can.

It was the call of workers who organized, women who reached for the ballot, a president who chose the moon as our new frontier, and a king who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the promised land: Yes, we can, to justice and equality.

Yes, we can, to opportunity and prosperity. Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can repair this world. Yes, we can.

And so, tomorrow, as we take the campaign south and west, as we learn that the struggles of the textile workers in Spartanburg are not so different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas, that the hopes of the little girl who goes to the crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of L.A., we will remember that there is something happening in America, that we are not as divided as our politics suggest, that we are one people, we are one nation.

And, together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story, with three words that will ring from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea: Yes, we can.

Fabulous weekend in the Ngong Hills

This past weekend 3 friends (Tia, Ian, and Dana) and I rented a perfect little cottage in the Ngong Hills. Most of you are actually probably familiar with the Ngong Hills (believe it or not), as Karen Blixen (played by Meryl Streep) in "Out of Africa" starts the movie by saying "I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills..."

It was a beautiful little cottage that has THE best view- overlooking the Hills. The cottage was just right for us and we enjoyed napping, reading, relaxing, laughing, drinking, and playing hilarious games in front of the fire. It was one of the places that you wish you had discovered much sooner than one month before you are leaving... ah well- the great memories will last!

and a little birthday cake for moi :)