“A day in the life of Tali” (Vacation Day 2)
on A Serendipitous Journey (Kenya), 09/Oct/2009 12:16, 34 days ago
As part of my parents’ trip, we all felt it was important for them to understand what I actually do every day.So for a day they rode matatus, came to my work and experienced the traffic and hectic life in Nairobi city centre.We started the day by hopping on a party matatu outside my building, allowing my parents to“enjoy” the blaring rap and hip hop music videos as we were stuck in morning rush hour traffic, along with the heat and pollution. (My dad still thought it was “fun”). We then met my good friendEmmaand her mom at Nairobi Java House (my favourite coffee shop chain in town) for some delicious Kenyan coffee. As my parents go to know Emma and her mom, they were overwhelmed with their spirit and optimism despite everything they have been through and are also determined to do something to help them out in any small way they can. After cheery goodbyes, we hopped on a second smaller matatu in town to head to the Kenya Union of the Blind, passing slums, hundreds of Maasai cows and street vendors selling everything you could possibly imagine.After meeting all of my colleagues at the Kenya Union of the Blind and the African Union of the Blind and giving everyone small Canada souvenirs, we headed to the Maasai Market where my parents had a hay day buying souvenirs! (Their grandson has an African Safari themed bedroom, so you can only imagine the fun they had.) And of course we headed to Kazuri beads to spend ALL of my mom’s birthday money. Somehow in a period of two weeks she managed to build a collection of necklaces as big as the collection I’ve acquired in a year. Impressive!We ended the day by meeting my neighbours, especially adorable baby Michelle, who my roommate and I borrow all the time to play with. My mom had brought her a teething ring which she LOVED! Michelle and my nephew are the same age, so this helped my mom's Nana role and ended the day on a very happy note.