Walking and Working in Nairobi

Driving in Nairobi is hectic. Cars rush along the winding streets while water trucks lumber along distributing their precious cargo to various areas of the city. Bicycles and motorcycles move along the road weaving in and out of traffic. And of course there are those “matatus” (small vans that are used for public transport) that seems to have their own driving laws altogether. There are always people walking up and down the streets despite the fact that there are very few sidewalks in my area.

Uchumi Supermarket

While driving on the roads can seem fast-paced at times, life in Nairobi goes along at a more reduced tempo. People go about their daily routines unperturbed by the busy traffic. Going to the market is one thing that every resident must do sometime during the week. From my experience I have seen that there are different places to buy your groceries. There are the big malls where you can find supermarkets like Nakumat or Uchumi that are much like the Kroger’s and Wal-Mart’s in the USA. Then there are much smaller shopping centers called “arcades” that have independent shop owner that sell food. Here you can find a butcher, a fruit and vegetable shop, bread store, etc. The prices here are less expensive than the larger supermarkets. Finally, you can also get you groceries from the local markets. Here people will have stands set up in rows and you might find many of the stands will be selling the same things as their neighbors. Although it might take some asking to find out where specific items can be found, the prices here are the best. This means that you can get a whole lot more at the markets for a fraction of the price you would pay at one of the big supermarkets. I am fortunate to be within walking distance of a smaller shopping center called “Valley Arcade”. As you already know buying food at local shops and stores is more affordable than buy it from one of the supermarkets located in the malls. It is most convenient to do shopping once a week if you can, but something that must be done everyday during the week is going to work.

The "Hill" I walk everyday

It is also nice to be able to walk to work in the mornings. The office is only a 10-minute walk from the apartment. However, it also involves walking up and down some really big hills. The office is built like a one story house with many rooms and a kitchen area. I share a room with Oluniyi (Office Intern) and Catherine (Fellow YAV Volunteer). My desk is set up near the window that looks out at the front gate. Most of my work is done on the laptop that I brought from home. Other people have their own desktop computers and flat screen monitors provided by the office.  Nonetheless, I enjoy having other people working along side me. Instead of having a break room, the office does serve chai tea and bread once in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Sometime trucks can get stuck

While most of these things seem very normal, there are other things that will take some getting use to. One of these things is the power outages that happen from time to time in the office. When the power does go out the lights in our room and others turn off, despite the fact that some rooms in the office continue to get power. In addition, the Wi-Fi router is also affected during these outages. So, no one has access to Internet until the power comes back on. While such happenings are of great inconvenience, they are also seen as a way of life. You see, it is not only our office that experiences these things. It is common for power and even water outages to occur in different parts of the city at different times. Just yesterday I visited a house in a very affluent gated community that had been without power for hours. That night we had no choice but to eat by candlelight.

          

The Office

       A daily habit that I have grown fond of is eating out for lunch. It might seem more practical and economical to bring food from home instead of buying lunch everyday. However, Oluniyi has shown us a place where we can get an affordable plate of food for lunch. Just by walking a little ways I can get a plate of cooked cabbage, greens, brown beans, potatoes, and chapatti for only 80 shillings (equivalent to a little less than 1 dollar). If you want to add some stewed beef or chicken, just pay another dollar.

My desk

            I am beginning to know my way around this part of Nairobi and also attempting to use more public transport or just walk. Nonetheless, I am still having new experiences and learning new things everyday.