Driving

Driving is alway something I enjoy. Back home in Norway I have my driver's lincence. I enjoy it! Also here in Kenya driving has been a joyful experience. Sitting in the Matatu's. The noice is so loud that sometimes I wonder if my hearing is getting bad. But it is enjoyable. The times when the Matatu is SO crowded that if it you wouldn't move an inch if it were to stop suddently.. And the times when we have long drives and you plug in the i-pod and open the window. The lovely nature that passes by, at the same time I can't stop wondering "How fast are we really driving?!?". Also the times when visit Campus and drives Boda Boda. That is some motosyckle that drives around campus. Sitting there, feeling the wind blow in my hair and almost jumping of the seat everytime we drive over a speedbump.



But there is one thing that we have discovered here in Nakuru. A thing that really makes our trips into the city not too enjoyable. The first time I really noticed it was last sunday on our way home after a trip to one of the other campuses that we work with. I was sitting in the back of the Mat, just relaxing. We had just turned off from the high way and were on our way up to Njoro where we live.

Suddently there is a lot of movement in the Mat as everyone rushes to put on their seat belts. I tried to do the same, just to find out that in the backseat the seat belt wasn't installed. Ahead of us I saw the police. Overconfident as I was, I thought to myself "Who cares. I won't get cheked". I went back to just relaxing. Then a policeman knocks on my window. I open it and he asks "are you wearing a seat belt?". I answerd honestly that I wasn't because the one installed here wasn't working. He answered me that there was no worry and we could continue.



I felt a mixture of relief and worry as we drove on. Relief because I wasn't in trouble. But how on earth could he tells us just to keep driving. The answer was so obvious.



After that incident I always put in my seat belt the moment I enter the Mat. But the thing is that the police haven't checked us after that. They stop us, the conductor talkts to them and at the same time they slip them 100 Shilling. This happens almost everytime we travel to Nakuru. It's is safe to say that Miriam and I get quite provoked everytime they stop us. The questions is why do the people put up with this for years and years.

I read in the newspaper later that week, that if you pay 100 shillings a day in transportation, 30 shillings of the goes directly in the poket of a corrupt policeman. If you do that for one year you pay the police almost 11 000..

Time to move

To all of my followers in Norway. Starting from now I'm mostly going to write in English in my blog, so it is time to start practising. If not, then I recommend to use the google translator gadget on the right side of the webpage.

I have now moved out of Nairobi and ended up in the small town, Nakuru. It is a nice place, but I can't help missing Nairobi and all the great people we met there.. But this will not be a sentimental farewell-blogpost, because I know that I will return to Nairobi shortly.

But instead, let me take you around in my new room.

As some of you might have heard Miriam and my room is purple. But the most facinating thing about it is that not a single corner is 90 degrees. I hope that the photo will show the space that is between the wall and the bed.

This works as our kitchen/work place. Here we store a bit of food and also we have our school books here. The fact that we have a desk will come in handy when it is time to write the schoolpaper.

Here is Miriam's little hut. She got the corner. We have decorated the place with the Kenyan flag, to feel a bit like Kenyans. Miriam will be my team-mate for the next two months as the two other have gone to different places.

This is my bed. Yes, to all you who know me. This picture is taken shortly aften we had cleaned the room.

This is the door to the washrooms.. We have decorated it with friends and loved ones.

This is our "Mathare mirror". On both sides of the mirror we have lots of pictures of the children from the daycare and also the friends we made while working in Mathare. Everytime we look in the mirrior we will also remember all the great times we had.

This is our front door.


Welcome into our washroom. The walls are green. Quite a disturbing color when you want to take a relaxing shower. But we have decorated it with postcards from Norway.

So this is where I'll be spending the next two months. I'll be working with students at different campuses around Nakuru.