Life at home in Nairobi

It turns out that you spend a lot of time at home in Nairobi. It's where you feel safe and far away from the chaos of the streets. I was questioning whether we really needed the big house we have here (4 bedrooms and a large garden) but I now realize that this is a very good thing. You want to have a beautiful, roomy home to recoup energy needed to tackle Nairobi. Also that the house is in a secure complex with 9 other houses is a great setup. As a result Sascha has a large area to ride her bike safely in and the kids in the neighborhood have the freedom to run in and out of each others houses at will.

Here are some pictures taken along our daily commute to and from the German School. The huge billboard signs are typical as are the private minibus mutatus which function as the main transportation system for the Kenyan population. It costs something like 60-80 cents for the ride, often many miles long. But, this is on the limit of affordability for many Kenyans but if they have to cover long distances to work they don't have a choice.

At the end some pictures of our compound and the house. I'll follow up with more tomorrow.

The sides of the road are often filled with makeshift plant stores, each plant growing in a plastic bag. It makes for nice scenery while driving.

Our front gate. The security guards know us by now and don't hesitate to let us in anymore. No hooting allowed!

The first thing you see when you enter our compound. We live around to the right. More pictures tomorrow.

The table serves inside and outside purposes.

My home office, for the time being.

Ta da! Our new stove with first home-cooked meal.

Our first dinner in the house