Guest Blog: ALL IN 24 HOURS-PART 3

The final part of the 3 part series by guest blogger Esther Neema. I have enjoyed this read immensely!! Please read Part One and Two to get all the juice! Enjoy!

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My eyes open and it is 6.00 am, then I open the curtains, YOU MEAN WE ARE NOT YET IN

NAIROBI???? At that point, I am sooooo pressed all I was yearning for was a private space. But since I cannot even see any sight of building yet, I know we do have a long way to go, so I just close my eyes to help me forget that I gotsa pee. STILL THE DRIVER IS DRIVING AT 50 KM PER HOUR? Oh Lord why is this happening to me and the other passengers of course?

It is 8.00 am and now we are closer to south C. of course we are now caught up in the Nairobi Traffic. Then the driver refused to take “short cuts” and so of course we were stuck there. I secretly wished he could overlap, overtake or anything so that I just reach destination house. At least there was a promise I would be taken to the prestige bus stop which is closer home. I could even walk, run and if I felt a bit adventurous maybe crawl. But why crawl when you can take a cab for 200 bob surely.

I am still mad at the driver for driving us at the ridiculous speed, but happy that he brought us home

safe and sound. We are in Nairobi and the bus stops and everyone leaves with drama as usual. But we

have not gone through Prestige, why, I ask the bus conductor. Who reports that he was not told there

was one going to prestige. My heart sinks. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WERE NOT TOLD YOU I AM GOING TO PRESTIGE. ISN'T THAT WHERE YOU PROMISED TO TAKE YOUR

PASSENGERS. NOW SURELY WHERE IS THIS SURELY” my mind speaks to itself. Then I let out a weak “Ni sawa” Hmmmm, I was so bored. He blabbered something and I just saw his lips moving but heard nothing. I was too tired for Drama.

So I look around and I am just seeing buildings I have not seen my entire life. Honestly in this my 27

years I have not been everywhere in this city. “uuurgh where is this place now” So I start walking

towards wherever with my bearing being Hilton Hotel. In Nairobi, Hilton has always been my land

mark from the first time I went to town by myself until today when I am a grown woman, I knew I

had found my way once I could see hilton. Now at this moment, I COULD NOT SEE HILTON. Do you understand. I could not see Hilton.

I took my tiny suitcase, disgusted of course. It is madness to drop people off at different stops than they expected. But ey once I saw Ronal Ngala street, I knew I was home. I headed straight for Kencom. At exactly 10.00 I was in Kilimani. Welcomed home with the beautiful jacaranda flowers all in purple. And some other cute orange flowers. Some gracing the streets. Some covering the roads and some forming umbrellas above me. Beautiful.

It was beautiful. In one week there was already a change in season. It was flowering in Nairobi.They were serenading the streets. Home sweet home.  And I was suddenly in the rush and city

madness once again from the calmness of Mombasa. I always feel the urgency to do something, just anything whilst in Nairobi. Oh this town.

But alas, I had been to two different towns in such dramatic events, with very dramatic peeps, but these dramatic people, who sometimes made me so angry, had delivered me from one home to another. All in 24 hours. Reminding me to be grateful for Matutus and Buses and wonder why we should always have this fight relationship when we both need each other.