The extra-ordinary life of Nairobi

There are many days in Nairobi that I forget that I live in Africa. Daily life can seem so normal- walking to work, sitting at a cubicle, going to the gym, and making supper. The other day when I was walking to work I looked around and noticed the following: goats in the middle of the road, a Masai man walking in front of me, a woman sweeping the dirt in front of her canteen store, the collection of mud from the morning rain, matutus whizzing by on the road… so many small things that then made me realize that although I may go through the motions of everyday life, there is nothing ordinary about the life I am living in Nairobi.

Speaking of something out of the ordinary, Dana and I attended a Kenyan wedding on Saturday. It was a beautiful event and the bride and groom looked extremely happy but we noticed a couple of things that were a bit different from the traditional North American weddings we have attended:

• Wedding started 50 minutes late.
• Guests who arrived late - followed the bride down the aisle.
• When the bride and groom said their “I do’s” there was cheering, balloon bursting, shouts, etc.
• The groomsmen and bridesmaids danced down the aisle to a Brian McKnight song.
• When it was time to “kiss the bride” the groom leaned in and hugged the bride.

It was definitely a bit out of the ordinary for two women from Canada, and we considered it our cultural outing for the weekend.

The meal was delayed because of the late arrival of guests, so we decided to head over to the Safari Park Hotel, a posh hotel across the street from the location of the wedding. We had a nice lunch overlooking the pool and as we were eating- we spotted the bride and groom at the hotel for their wedding pictures. Yikes- our absence was spotted!

Sunday I met up with Tia and Ben for a great run in the Nairobi Arboretum- great escape from the smog and dust of the city. My weekend concluded with a marathon of “Heroes” episodes- that show is so fabulous- courtesy of Tia’s sister in Israel. Emily comes back from Samburu tomorrow and I am sure will be full of elephant stories- unfortunately this is her last week in Kenya- she will definitely be missed!