suprisingly efficient for such an inefficient town.

On Wednesday, we go to Nairobi- Susan, Willie and I. We leave around 9 and pack into a crowded matatu which winds its way slowly toward Ngong town. Under the influence of their British colonizers, Kenyans drive on the left side of the road, but in general this is loosely maintained. We weave to the right side to overtake another bus, then back to the left when faced by an oncoming vehicle; right again to avoid a pothole the size of a swimming pool, then left when an elderly man wants to get off. The driver snaps at him when he doesn’t move quickly enough and Susan scolds the driver in Swahili for treating an old man so poorly (there’s a reason we are friends).

The roads are dusty and dry: Susan says it hasn’t rained since October. I’m very, very grateful for the warm weather, and I’ve had more than my share of rain lately. Still, out of guilt, I vow to say a prayer for those who are suffering from drought every time I benefit from or enjoy the sunshine.

The bus stops briefly at the junction near Susan’s mother’s home and we meet her brother, who reaches into the vehicle to shake my hand and then to grab a package from Susan: he is traveling to their home village today to deliver wedding invitations to family. He is wearing a Visible Grace t shirt.

In Ngong town we disperse briefly. Willie meets his aunt to deliver still more wedding announcements while Susan and I check our emails at a nearby cyber café. Then we board another bus which will take us into Nairobi town.

Nairobi is crowded and its population grows daily. The slum dwellers on the outskirts of the town suffer exponentially more as the city becomes more and more westernized: last week a fire drove some thousand people from their homes, and as bus fare increases they are forced to walk the several miles into town in the hopes of finding daily jobs.

We reach downtown by eleven and divide again; we have about a thousand errands to run and very limited time. Willie pursues insurance of some sort while Susan and I pursue bank papers of some sort: this consists of first going to the bank to retrieve a form, then to our friend – and Visible Grace treasurer- Peris’s office to obtain her signature, then back to the bank to deliver said signature and request VG bank statements, then back to Peris’s office: she will compile our annual report.
From there we reconnect with Willie, who buys us lunch, then Susan and Willie apply for a marriage license, then order wedding rings. Then Willie disappears again and Susan takes me to the bridal shop to get my measurements for my dress. At some point Susan and I duck into a shoe store to buy me some basic black flats- my sandals are killing me and I have a blister on my toe. At this point we board a bus to go home. I head to the American grocery store to buy cheese, coffee and face wash; Susan and Wilson head to their pastor’s office for pre-marriage counseling.

These small, trivial events bring me alive. I love Nairobi, love the hustle and bustle and noise and crowds and grime. It’s been a long day. I’m still fighting jet lag and I’m exhausted. I get home shortly after 7 and keep my eyes open just long enough to make a small bowl of pasta. I’m in bed and asleep long before Susan gets home from counseling.