My City

I think we Kenyans take it for granted how fortunate we are to be in such a unique country. It's amazing if you sit down to think how amazing our country is. I have lived in and around the capital ever since I was a child and looking back I now see how I  experience the best of both worlds, to me it seemed like almost two different worlds at the same time. Living in the capital, especially when you come from a middle-class family, is normally a cocktail of experiences. It's almost as if you are living a double life, as a kid I could do the stuff I saw on Nickelodeon like go to water parks (Splash was THE place to be), visit zoos, go to amusement parks and at the same time we would still experience more African elements of our childhoods like boarding matatus, going to markets, being part of traditional functions and being taught African values (by a wooden spoon or slippers). I don't know if you get what I'm trying to mean. See it's almost as if there are two extremes right? The extremely rural life and the extremely modern. The way I see it, Nairobi (some areas of it) is a combination of both, there is aspects of Nairobi that people from both those extremes can relate to. So in a way, remotely we have experienced the best of both worlds (especially if your parents sent you to school upcountry). Think about it. I mentioned I live in Kitengela and it is insane the amount of diversity I experience. See from where I live I can take a 20 minute walk and be able to see wild animals like Antelopes and Wildebeest roaming in the wild, in their element. I can see the sun rising over very beautiful hills in Ukambani a 10 minute walk from my home. I'm able to see Maasai men and women in their traditional garments taking their animals to the slaughterhouses and I could go on and on but I think you get it. At the same time I can board these crazily modified an extremely fun matatus (s/o to this culture by the way) and get my eardrums blown out by the music or get taken by an uber or personal car. I can go shop for clothes at a place like LC Waikiki (but I'm broke as a joke) or go to a flea market like gikomba and haggle for second-hand wear. I can go to a nice club like 1824 and party with the who's who of  Nairobi or take a shady back-street into a local pub where the shots are just 50 bob but will have you seeing stars in bright  daylight. You see how there's almost always two extremes at every given time. This to me presents an opportunity for endless experiences, which I live for. Most Nairobians are quick to complain about conditions, which I understand, but at the same time we are so bent on emulating other major cities that we forget to embrace the uniqueness of our own. Nairobi is a beautiful place to be and before you come at me remember that beauty does not exist without ugliness. I love my city.

What experiences do you think most Nairobians have in common? Share them down in the comments