Last Episode: The Adventures of Moses Nyaemo; Coming to Nairobi.

I was excited, overwhelmed and full of joy when my eyes first saw what Nairobi looked like. This was my first time to see
such tall buildings, in fact, skyscrapers, lots of cars, classy to say and my wish then was to be involved in a traffic jam. Yes! I literally begged God for one, I needed time to look at it all and compare what I saw with what I heard from our urban friends, the born – towns.

The quiet and serene environment in Westlands painted a whole new picture in me and Nairobi now seemed like an overseas land mass, a city dropped in our sorry part Kenya that I knew. All cars around us looked new, class and expensive and as a man, then a boy, I couldn’t help but feel that urge to go out and run my fingers on those appealing machines.

Slowly, we moved into the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) and the morning sun made everything look differently annoying. Our first stop was at a media house. To be precise, Nation media and as we alighted the bus, it felt good to finally set foot in Nairobi. Coming to this place for the first time, everyone who passed by us, tried to read our school’s name and they walked away with that funny face like we just stepped out of a spaceship from a different planet.

The patron; who had come to Nairobi in a few trips of course, came forward trying to pull us together and making his presence known. High school teachers; he looked at me like “boy if you dare open your mouth and ask me a word about this place I’ll whoop your bottom right here right now”. I got scared but it was just a look.

He looked at one of us then said in a cheeky way,” Omaiso, which way” being an English teacher, I have to admit he had a funny way of concealing our accent but we smiled the other way to avoid trouble. The innocent young man felt sweat roll down his face, that was a million pound question that even the teacher confused a little could not get around.

The moment passed and we were on our way, moving up and down the busy streets led as sheep by our shepherd lest we stranded off to the unknown. We visited a few common places in which we were told, were potential employers once we completed our higher education, but look at us now…

Everything moved so fast and the day that meant a lot to me was coming to an end, we were ushered into a hotel/church. Then I realised in this place, a building was just a building and the purpose of each building differentiated only by days. During the weekend it was a quantum of solace for believers and during the week days, an eating, business or meeting place. This people were really good master crafts.

That last supper was something, as we were led to believe. We were served chicken inclusive of sodas! Yes! Believe your ears if listening or eyes if reading and the braille if you know what that is. Surprisingly, boys are boys, and the trip wouldn’t be ‘successful’, before one or two of us could pull a long range stunt. Some of us snuck and had two plates as it were norm back at school, now that was something. Everybody was happy and the ever complaining driver had turned black from insisting that we should hit the road. Of course we did all we could to lengthen our say for we knew that following day, we would have a math test, and you can imagine how we ‘passed’...

The end...

 By Moses Nyaemo