Whirlwind Trip

We are back from Nairobi already! We left yesterday (Tuesday) at 9:00am and arrived in Nairobi at 5:00pm. Right after arriving, we found a hotel to stay at and met up with a friend of George's from high school for dinner. Staying in this hotel made me imagine what it would be like to stay in New York City. We were right in the heart of downtown Nairobi and the noise level was insane. People yelling, buses honking... all night! It didn't make for a good night's sleep, but it was cheap which made it worth it ($22 - including breakfast!).

The next morning, we woke up early. We had to go to Nyoyo House where all immigration issues are handled. I have heard this place is a nightmare and can take all day. So, we decided to beat the rush and get in line early. The place opened at 8:00am and we were there at 7:40. Fortunately, there was no line yet, so we waited until 8:00 and then George stood in the line for a dependent's pass. While he talked to the immigration officer, I sat in the waiting area. He came over five minutes later and said, "we are done", handing me a small paper. The paper was an acknowledgement that we turned in the paperwork.

I immediately peppered George with questions: Now what? Do I have residency? How long does it take to process the paperwork? Do we have to come back? Did it cost anything? Apparently the immigration officer was moody and wasn't helpful so George didn't have the answers. He was just told they would communicate to us by mail. I asked George if we could go back and ask more questions. He was hesitant due to the officer's moodiness. George knew we wouldn't get anywhere if we went back, but he decided to humor me and we went to talk to the guy.

After 30 seconds with the officer, I understood what George meant. He wasn't rude, but he just wasn't in the mood to answer questions. When George handed him the paperwork the first time, he gave George a bit of a hard time and said "why are you giving me so much work this early in the morning, can't you see I am still dressing? (I think he was putting his tie on). George joked back and said "well come over here so I can help you finish." The officer took the paperwork and said "we'll contact you by mail."

When I went to the window, I apologized for disturbing him and asked if I could ask a couple questions. I gave him the acknowledgement paper back (which was good I did because he forgot to put the reference number on it) and asked how long it would take. He said one month. I asked if they call us or if they communicate only by mail. He then said, "come back in one month." Why didn't he tell George that? Before I could ask him more questions, he answered his cell phone and kept talking. I guess we were finished!

So, step one is done. We submitted the paperwork. What happens next? Who knows. Like everything else, we are trusting God to take care of the rest. We'll go back in one month to check on the progress. If it's actually done, I will be so surprised. In Kenya, they tend to tell you what you want to hear to get you to leave and then what actually happens is totally different. George's brother in law has been trying to get his work permit for over a year. They tell him to do one thing and then when he goes back, they tell him to come back with something else. So, we'll see!

Once we left Nyayo House, we decided to check on bus tickets. We hadn't booked return tickets because we didn't know how long it would take. On our way to the bus station, we stopped at one of my favorite places in Nairobi... Java House! I really missed that place. They have the best milkshakes of anyplace in the world. I was very excited to get a chocolate chip cookie shake... yummy! I even saw a waitress that used to serve us at another Java location across town. I asked her if she worked at Junction and she said yes. I told her it had been a while since I was at Java and was happy to be back!



After Java, we went to the bus station and saw a bus ready to leave. Sure enough, it was the 9:00am bus heading to Kisumu! We rushed to buy tickets and hopped on the bus. We made it just in time. As we left, George and I couldn't believe that we were already going back to Kisumu. Things had gone very well (despite the fact we don't really know what will happen next with the residency!).

It was nice to be back in Nairobi if even for only 14 hours. I had a lot of fun in Nairobi over the last two years and wished we had more time there. It's an expensive city so it was actually good we were able to finish our stuff so quickly. Maybe another time we can go back and stay for a day or two so I can show George all my favorite spots.

Downtown Nairobi has a lot of cool, old buildings. Unfortunately, thieves love to target tourists so I can't stop and take a lot of pictures. Here is one I snuck of the Senate.



Our drive back to Kisumu was uneventful,which is a very good thing. It's nice to see the different scenery along the way. Here is a view of the Rift Valley:



Here is a pretty picture from the area around Kericho where they grow a lot of tea:



Around 4:30 we were back in Kisumu. It all happened so fast! 8 hour bus rides on back to back days is very tiring so we were happy to be back home. Thanks so much for your prayers! They worked!