"Kid with a Fanta"

We boarded the bus 7 PM in Kampala and arrived in Nairobi after 13 hours on the road. It would be an understatement to say that the ride was uncomfortable. The roads were generally marked with potholes that heaved everyone into the stratosphere everytime the bus ran over one. Every time the bus shook violently, we muttered or groaned in unison. I was just glad that the bus didn't break down in the middle of night - it is not uncommon for people to be stranded for hours in the middle of nowhere.

When we arrived, we headed over to our motel and unpacked our belongings and slept for few hours. We then met our friend Collin, a native of Nairobi, who was kind enough to show us around downtown Nairobi. We grabbed lunch and first headed to the Uhuru Park which like Central Park is located in the heart of downtown.

Because Nairobi has the largest population in East Africa (at 3M), there is a true skyline and the city is vibrant and bustling with life. One observation our group made was that people in general walked faster here than people in Kampala. The city has excellent infrastructure like pothole-free oads within the city limits. There are multi-laned roads and drivers that actually pay attention to stop lights!

During the day the city is generally safe as long as you don't do anything that attracts the attention of thieves. However at night, it can be very dangerous as the city is generally poorly lit in many parts and create an environment suitable for crime. In fact, Nairobi is sometimes called "Nairobbery." To be fair, the city has become safer but incidences of crime is still very high.

And there were also some nuisances... many kids prowl in the streets looking for mzungus whom they accost for money. I consider myself compassionate but when it comes to handing out cash, I am strongly against it. Plus, my program coordinator shared that many kids live on the streets instead of going into an orphanage or foster homes because these kids make bank by begging.

We had a number of encounters with street kids but this particular one event sticks out in my mind. We were coming back to the hotel when a swarm of three kids each tagged along, their hands open and wide for donations. The kids usually put one hands in their mouth and say "Shilling for food." Usually, we try to coach them:

Example:

Kid #1: Jambo(hello)! Money please (sticks his hand out).
Me: Do you go to school? Son, if you go to school and learn, you can earn lots of money.
Kid #1: Please... money...
Me: I am giving this advice for free. This advice alone is priceless. You need to learn how to catch a fish instead of having them handed to you. Go to school. Be an inspiration like President Obama.
Kid #1: No...
Me: Trust me. Yes, you can!

But that day, one of the kids approached us clutching a Fanta in his hand. In Africa, soft drinks are relatively pricey and drinks aren't something that you would buy unless you had money. Our pauper offered his free hand out to us. Scott was incredulous...

Scott: Is that a Fanta?
Kid #2: Money please, sir.
Scott: No, no, no. If you can afford a Fanta, you can definitely afford a meal.
Kid #2: I need food.
Scott: Where did you the money to buy this soda? Did you steal it? That's a crime did you know?

The kid of course scrambled and darted away... So make sure you don't give cash to people - if they are truly hungry, offer them food.

But there are definitely advantages being in a city of this size - there were a number of restaurants serving great food. So we went to a place that served excellent pizza. Scott looks especially pleased in this picture.