Friday Night in Kisumu

Frank, a Dutch VSO colleague living in a remote town near Homa Bay, arrived on Friday with his employer to meet with people from TICH to discuss future collaboration possibilities. Frank is stayed with us for the weekend to visit and do some shopping. Being the only ex-pat where he lives he went through a bit of reverse culture shock in Kisumu. He couldn’t get over how big Kisumu is compared to his town and how much is available in the stores. It was great catching-up with him and as we exchanged stories we realized how many new experiences we’ve had in a short period of time.

We went into town for dinner on Friday evening at the Lake View Hotel (I don’t think there is actually a hotel there) and later took boda bodas (bicycle taxis) to the Sunset Hotel for drinks and some local music. We were joined by Ugutu from TICH and later by Reverend Bondi. I should have inspected the boda boda bike I was riding on more closely because on the downhill section leading to the Sunset Hotel it came to my attention that we had no brakes. First, we hit a speed bump hard and my cell phone ejected from my pocket to the side of the road (it survived). Using my shoes as brakes I slowed us enough so that I was able to jump off the back of the bike and come to a running stop without losing my balance. When I paid my 30 ksh ($0.50) for the ride I suggested that he put the money towards brakes.

The music and the setting at the Sunset Hotel was worth the boda boda debacle. It’s a comparatively fancy place by local standards and sitting in the outdoor gardens drinking a cold Tusker beer was really pleasent. There have been times over the past few weeks when I’ve questioned my African adventure and wondered to myself if I’ll last six months, let alone 2 years. However, at times like Friday evening I'm content with my new path.