Sights of Everyday Life – Part Two

Dear Friends,

These are five of the sights I see daily as part of every day life here in Nairobi.

Bike Riders- To hop on your bike is more then just taking a ride, it is a means to transport all kinds of items. We have a bakery about a block away that smells wonderful when they are baking. I believe the gentleman on this bike was probably transporting bread to be sold in the local dukas.

Charcoal- Many Kenyan households rely on charcoal because they do not have access to stoves that run on electricity, propane, or natural gas. Therefore, it is a big business which explains why there are many stands selling charcoal. The picture on the right is a jiko, a fuel efficient charcoal-burning stove, which is used for cooking. There are days that we see their smoke and smell the burning charcoal near our neighborhood.

Garbage- This is seen splattered through out the city. Sometimes it is organized in stacks, sometimes it is lying on the ground and sometimes it is burning. The picture on the left is a garbage dump near our estate where workers stay busy sorting through the trash to pull out what is recyclable for cash.

Sugarcane-You do not travel far in Nairobi before you spot a sugarcane seller. I bought the bag on the right for 20 shillings or 20cents US dollars. It tastes like sweet tree bark and I ate it by sucking on a piece and then spitting it out. There are people here that will often make this a meal because of price, convenience and availability.

Sign-This mangled sign hangs over the parts door in the hanger. It is a reminder that while it’s good to trust in providence and have faith that everything will work out, it does not let us off the hook from doing whatever we can to ensure a favorable outcome. This can be especially true when working on or flying a plane. Did you notice that in the bottom right hand corner it says it is quoted from “an old person”? (And, Terry said the sign was here when we got here so it isn’t from him.) Makes me smile.

Until next letter,

Laurie