Guest blog from Wendy

I didn't know much about Nairobi before I came and even if I had started to build up a picture of what I thought it was like, there is no way I would have been right! My 2 weeks was definitely sharing  Libby's daily life rather than MAF's direct work so I can't share any aviation experiences! Some of my observations will have been commented on before, but being here has brought them to life so forgive me if you feel you have already heard some of it!

Even with the traffic I could not have correctly guessed how frustrating and at the same time amusing it could be. Libby tells me that I haven't even seen the traffic on a bad day! At every crossroads it is 'merge in turn',  but from every direction at the same time unless there happens to be a policeman directing the traffic which really helps.  Everyone wants to be first, but in doing so slows everyone down. The minibus taxis often decide to overtake all the traffic even whilst cars are coming in the opposite direction towards them. Then it stops in a place that blocks the queues in both directions. So we wait until the traffic moves forward  and then the untangling begins. Libby breathes a sigh of relief every time she has come out of the compound drive onto the road. She has managed to find a space in the traffic whilst a pedestrian wasn't walking in front of her car! I can see how the traffic is a cause of stress. You never know how long a journey will take. As soon as Libby drives into the school grounds  she has also driven into her haven where she can relax, chat to parents, get a coffee in the coffee shop and have a break from a traffic queue.

I was astonished as to how expensive everything is here. Eating out is the only thing that seems to be cheaper than the UK and fruit, vegetables and petrol (by a bit). The cheapest thing to buy here seems to be a bunch of flowers but unfortunately these aren't edible! There aren't the offers such as  'buy one get one free' or supermarkets' own brands that make a lot of difference to the cost of shopping in the UK. A lot of items such as cereal and meat are probably at least twice the price. Even coffee which is grown in Kenya is very expensive.

It has been a good two weeks of just mucking in with the normal routine. Waking up at 6:30 to allow enough time to get everyone ready before the 7:30 departure time. The unpredictable journey to school, chatting to parents, driving home, tidying the chaos,  picking the kids up before the homework, dinner and normal bedtime routine begins and then the whole thing starts again. There are challenges I am not used to, such as power cuts and the water nearly running out. However, it is the traffic that could take between 15 minutes and two hours for the same journey and the new very strict  traffic laws that casts a shadow over the day. Killing a pedestrian means life imprisonment and with pedestrians stepping out in front of the car on a regular basis, this is very stressful.

One thing that is wonderful is the community that has built up amongst the MAF people. Libby has a lovely group of friends who are very supportive and she is kept busy with Ruben, but also organising different MAF events. Another lovely characteristic of Nairobi is all the trees and flowers that are everywhere around the city. In places it feels like a city within a jungle.  Daniel and Libby's garden is also truly amazing and with the warm weather is a great source of enjoyment for the children.

I go home tomorrow and it will definitely feel cold and strangely quiet back in the UK and I feel privileged to have been able to come and experience rather than just hear from far away what their lives are like.