Karibu Kenya!

In an almost empty plane I am flying from Zurich to Nairobi. I feel estranged, and the tears of saying goodbye are not yet totally swallowed. Completely blank I stare out of the window, for hours in a row. Underneath me the landscape is gradually changing. The Egyptian – Sudanese border marks the East African time zone. The Nile is meandering like a fertile ribbon in the arid landscape.

Dusk has just turned into dark when the plane starts descending and proceeds with the landing. Finally I am setting foot on Kenyan soil again! My first priority is acquiring airtime. And then passport control is waiting for me. I already received my entry form for Kenya in the plane. It proved quite challenging to complete. What to fill in when asked for my country of residence? I have just left the Netherlands, planning to stay away for at least two years. And what to answer when asked about how long I am planning to stay in Kenya? Fortunately, my plans are not questioned. I am welcomed to Kenya, for a period of three months to start with. “Karibu Kenya!”

A small gathering of people is waiting near the luggage belt. No tourists this time, with their anxious expectations of their upcoming safari. This time it is only Kenyans on their way home and a few people with a mission – be it business, religious or non-governmental.
Usually I am the Queen of Travelling Light, bringing only one small backpack. This time it is four fully stuffed suitcases and bags I am picking from the belt. And of course customs decides to select me for a small inquiry. Fortunately, I know a little already about the African art of making conversation. A question-and-answer game, exchanging many pleasantries before coming down to the sole purpose of the talk. Playing it by the rules, we talk about the situation in Kenya and the fact that I was supposed to arrive in January already. The customs officer points at the little elephant that is part of my necklace with lucky charms. The elephant bringing luck, I admit that I am purposely wearing this necklace today, especially since the elephant is the ultimate symbol of Kenya in my view. He claims he really likes that. By the way, do I have anything to declare? No? Welcome to Kenya then!

The arrivals hall is remarkably quiet. Not the usual pushing and shouting – there is no point in trying to seduce tourists at this moment, as there are none coming. Which makes it an atypical arrival in Africa – for me personally this is quite comfortable, but it is quite painfull if you think of the many Kenyans that are anxiously awaiting the travellers to return, as they need the income generated by tourism.

In the car on the way to the hotel, I am catching flashes of the radio news. There is an item about “Prime Minister Raila Odinga” and this sounds so natural, that it almost seems unimaginable that this prime minister’s post was created only very recently. Listening to the news, I would almost forget that the post-electoral agreement is still very young.

The hotel serves as my temporary home. Here I can acclimatise for a couple of days, before I move into my apartment. A real home needs music, so I put out my iPod and speakers and press shuffle. Each new song that starts playing, is reminding me of Wham!’s Club Tropicana. Until it hits me that the intro is coming from outside – the crickets are playing live tonight. The sounds of the African night, how could I forget! These sounds unmistakably include the endless barking, shouting and crying of the dogs. Although I am not realising this until I notice the dogs’ noises – not missing them, until I am hearing them. Only then do I realise: yes, I am really in Nairobi now. Satisfied I fall asleep.