August 20th - Journey to Africa

Since writing my last post, I've continued to mull me and decision making – such a key aspect of life really. I realize that it is often the big decisions which I make on my own, quickly and sometimes what must seem like rashly. The decision to volunteer in Kenya was one such decision – “website looks good, what the heck, I'll fill in the application and see what happens” to “oh, I've been accepted, excellent, what flights should I book” ... and once the flights are booked, well I'm off. I do trust my gut – that is the indicator that tells me if I'm making the right decision or not.

However, this decision making style does contribute to the whole lack of planning and research thing that has dominated my travels so far ... and while it has some pros, there are also some definite cons. What drove the point home was reading a travel book on Kenya while I waited for my flight to leave, and getting more of a sense of what awaited me ... off came the necklace and earrings that I thought were simple enough. I also realized just how little I know about where I was going ... this is a huge journey and it feels more than a little half-assed at the minute – especially for having been something that I've said I've wanted to do for the last two years. I just might try doing a little more forward planning in the future … then again ... any takers on the probability?

Because the trip was so last minute, I needed to get a visa on arrival. I'd been advised to not mention that I was volunteering or the organization ... “it was easier that way”. So when I was filling out the visa application form on the plane, I did as suggested ... and then there is the line that says 'I swear everything I've put is the truth' etc. etc. – I thought about it and signed and put the form away … and then 5 minutes later, realized I had a knot in my stomach ... the same one I always get when I'm contemplating something not fully on the up and up ... I just couldn't do it. All I could think about was what I would say it they really asked about why I was here – vacationing on my own, with one nights hotel booked and no guide book ... come on ... So out came the form again and I added a little more information and felt much better. The impact of my grandfather being a tax accountant and incredibly honest has clearly had a multi-generational effect. And so what happened? Well, it could have been because I was literally one of the last visas to be processed, but the woman simply asked if I was on vacation, to which I said yes, and barely glanced at my form before starting to complete my receipt for my visa fee. As usual, the concern of what could happen, was much worse than what actually happened ... but I didn't have a knot in my stomach waiting in the very very long line that I know I would have had, if I hadn't changed my form. That's just who I am ... sometimes, I can live with the knot and other times not.

I had flown direct to Nairobi and then had a connecting flight to Mombasa. While waiting, I sat with four woman, a Malaysian, Croatian, Japanese and Mexican, all off to a friends wedding in Mombasa. As you might imagine, they all worked for different agencies of the UN and had lived in Nairobi for 4 to 5 years and were about my age. I was very intrigued – and in our brief conversation felt like I saw through the crack of a window into their life and work there. I sensed, they were quite settled in their lives, reasonably fulfilled but not jumping up and down with excitement (they also all seemed to be in Finance supporting the agencies ...), they had traveled extensively and 3 out of 4 were single - which wasn't the best of advertisements for their life (yes, I know, definite pot calling kettle judgment there). My disillusionment with the UN didn't dramatically shift - it seemed very political e.g. the debate was whether or not the next leader of a particular organization was going to be African or not, based on the last couple of positions filled (it didn't seem like their HR was rocking any worlds ...). All in all, a very interesting first conversation to be having within my first couple of hours of arriving in Africa!