Kenya: living like a local

Today I had every intention of sleeping in but was up at 6:30 (the time I've gotten up every day since I arrived).  For the first time since arriving in Kenya, I went on a morning run outside the gates of the compound of the guest house I'm staying in.  It's hard to find places to run in Nairobi.  It was certainly a unique run (and I was certainly the only muzungu out running!!). 

I headed to Red Rose for a day of observing and teaching.  I taught the civil rights anthem "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" to Classes 4 & 8.  I had a spot of chapati and chai in the (incredibly tiny) teacher's lounge.  I had lunch with the students (rice and lentils) and spent some more time with them.  Around 3, one of the CoKF staffers, Seje, brought me to Bomas of Kenya, where I'll be taking some classes before I depart.  We from the school in Kibera to Bomas via matatu, a popular mode of transportation here.  It was nice to finally travel like the locals rather than rolling in and out of Kibera in a 30 passenger bus, which you can imagine is quite conspicuous.  There were three legs on three separate vehicles:

*From Kibera to Prestige Plaza Mall on the #8
*From Prestige Plaza to Galleria Mall in Karen on the #111
*From Karen to Bomas

A matatu ride costs 10-30 Kenyan shillings (10-50 cents US), depending on how far you're going.  Matatu drivers are constantly pulling off the pavement onto very bumpy and unpredictable shoulders of the road.  Different matatus have very different kinds of music, through reggae is the music du jour here from what I can guess.  The most popular radio station in Nairobi seems to be Ghetto Radio.  All these little pieces of Kenyan culture are fascinating to observe.

Between two legs of the matatu ride to Bomas, Seje bought me a bag of sliced up sugar cane bits from a street vendor.  Delicious.

I will return to Bomas Saturday, Sunday and Monday to take courses in Kenyan traditional music.  I hope to come back with several folks songs to re-teach and possibly arrange.  I will also chaperone the Red Rose School field trip to Thika on Friday. 

Tomorrow I have a session with the Kenyan Boy's Choir before a dinner with good friends of my cousin Wendy.  Things are coming together quite swimmingly.  Tonight I'm off for dinner with an acquaintance from DC.