I FOUND A HOME TO CALL MY OWN

Today was a BIG step.  I had a list of 9 potential apartments to look at today and I was excited.  I haven’t had a place to call my own since the day I walked out of my dream home in Brisbane on the 20^th August 2010.  That’s nearly 2.5 years ago. 

What does a place of my own mean to me?

It means a place where I can pack the monster away for a while.

I am going to be staying in one place for longer than 2 weeks.

A washing machine to wash my own clothes-this is a big one.

It makes my stay in Kenya more realistic.  I am renting in Nairobi…..

Finally a place can call and make my own-it is all very exciting.

GG (George) rang me and said he would be at the hotel at 9.30am.  As parking (and traffic) seems to me the BIGGEST issue of this city, I told him I would wait downstairs for him so he wouldn’t have to park and I would just jump in.  While I was waiting for him downstairs I to talking to my security buddy, Dominique.  He is this really super nice old security fella that is on the door of my hotel.  I am not sure just what he could do if someone was to accost him, but he has always been really nice to me and always ready with a smile.  I pulled out my list of squash courts that I had written down asking if he knew how far away they were.  They all seemed to be fairly close, so I told him I might go and have a look at them tomorrow and he said he would help with a taxi/driver.  Looking at 2 of the biggest clubs in the city, they seem to be quite exclusive and it would seem that you need to be a member to play and you need a member to sign you up.  Crap.  I don’t know anybody.  So I am just going to rock up at the clubs and see if I can talk to some-one and ask some questions.  I really like the idea of getting back into the game and it is a double winner, I get fit and meet people at the same time.  I have also posed the question on my newly formed friendship on Facebook NES where it is a forum where expats ask each other questions and people reply back if they know the answers or their experiences.  It’s pretty cool-so I have asked if there any ‘squashies’ around that know of courts and if anyone is interested in playing.  So we will see what comes back. 

GG was right on time and with a wave to Dominique, we started our quest to find me a home.  We had an order we were going to stick to-doing one side of the city and then the other, trying to avoid the traffic where we could.  Our first viewing was not far from town, but as we drove around the area it didn’t look like the place that I would want to live.  I guess the problem for me was I had a preconceived idea on what I wanted and this picture didn’t match that picture.  But as this was our first apartment, with not knowing what to expect maybe they were all going to be in suburbs that looked like this.  I kept an open mind and after we parked the car we asked for the property manager and we were taken up 4 flights of steps and shown the place.  I have to say it was a little basic and for 35,000KSH (411AUD) and I would have expected a little more than what I was looking at.  The plus side was it had a great view of the city, really was speccy but that is probably the only good thing I could say.  To give you a picture it looked very ‘housing commission’-clothes lines hanging outside your door, babies crying, peoples belongings stacked where they will fit outside-it really wasn’t for me.  He also showed us an apartment on the 5^th floor and I gave it a glance over just to be polite and then we were out of there.  I was just praying that they all weren’t going to be like this.  I had a sinking feeling in my tummy-but it was only the first place.

I had rung all the real estate agents yesterday to ask about getting into the apartments and they all just told me to call them today when we had times and knew where we were and they would organise to be there.  So we phoned the next guy and he said he had just come from that apartment and is no longer available.  Dang it.  So we phoned the 4^th property and she told us that she would phone us back once she had a time that we could see her site manager and would you believe she never phoned back.  Bad business.  We phoned the fifth property and after getting directions to where it was GG said it really wasn’t going to be an area for me, so we called him back and said thanks but we won’t waste his time.  So it was 10.30am and we had crossed off 5 properties already, this wasn’t looking good at all. GG knew of a few complexes along the way to our next viewing, so said to keep our eyes open if we saw something we could just stop and see if they had any free apartments and if we could have a look.  This worked out to be a GENUIS idea and is how we actually found THE ONE; it wasn’t even on the list.  Driving along the road, we were passing sheds/shops that had hand-made furniture and their goods on show beside the road.  I told GG that I had checked out prices of couches yesterday and they were all leather and had a leather price to go with it (which I’m not really a fan of leather anyway.  So he said on the way back, we’ll stop and have a look at them and get a price. 

So THE ONE was the next apartment to look at.  GG saw it and said let’s stop here and have a look.  So we drove into the drive way, tooted for the security guard to open the gates and we asked some workers if the duty manager was on and he was one of them.  We asked if he had apartments free and he said he has 3 left.  They have just been completed and people had only started moving in yesterday!  There are still some finishing touches that are getting down to the place, there were still a lot of workers around and all the public places haven’t been 100% finished but I just had a vibe.  So we were shown down one floor to a 2 bedroom place and the second I walked in I liked it.  It didn’t have to grow on me, or think I wanted to have a look at more, I LOVED it.  AND I loved it more when I was told the price of 25,000KSH (294AUD) per month.  I had a maximum budget of 45,000KSH at a push and would have paid that to be somewhere safe, but this was perfect.  Well things got better when he said he could show us a lower level apartment.  So we went down another flight of stairs and this apartment at first glance looked the same as the other one, but as it was a lower level/ground floor I had a long courtyard at the back an additional smaller room for the washing machine (the other one didn’t) it is a corner unit, so no walk through traffic and as I am at the end I have the additional space at the front of my apartment if I want.  It was PERFECT.  It has hot water, built in robes, it is satellite TV ready and I could move in whenever I was ready!  We asked about the additional costs (like body corporate equivalent) and all there is above the rent payment is the garbage collection fee of 300KSH (3.50AUD) per month and its collected twice a week and there was a payment for the security guard that is there 24 hours a day and that cost, get this, is 200KSH which is 2.35AUD PER MONTH.  I kid you not!  The place hadn’t been properly cleaned since they finished building it, so there was still paint on the glass and grout on the tiles etc…. but we were told that could all be done in a day to have it all spotless for when I love in.  So we told the manager we would let him know by the end of the day, got his number and with a smile on my face we headed for property number 7. 

While looking for apartment 7, we stumbled on another set of apartments that looked quite nice.  So we popped in there and they didn’t have any available right now, but there would be one available next month-but they could show us one that had just been vacated.  The whole compound was beautiful and it was something that you would have found back in Australia.  Landscaped gardens, plenty of parking and the buildings looked well appointed.  So we were taken to the second level and the apartment was MASSIVE.  The lounge was as big as the last ones kitchen and lounge put together, the main bedroom had an en-suite, the kitchen was massive and overall it was a beautiful apartment.  It was also nearly double what the other cost was and to be honest I think I still would have chosen the other apartment based wisely on cost, but also for the vibe.  But it was nice to see inside a nice place.  In our quest in looking at both of these places we didn’t get to see the place we actually drove out here to see, we couldn’t really find it and I am not sure how hard we tried with the one we liked still in our minds.  We decided to do the right thing and check out the last 3 properties.

So on our way out we stopped at the furniture guys and I could see a set of couches that I liked straight up.  The whole 7 seats wouldn’t fit into the new apartment (it wasn’t massive) but I could leave the day bed and take the 3 seater and 2x2 seater.  So we got a price of 70,000 and after having as eat in them and GG and I working out our game plan I really like them.  I am not a fan of the super soft sofas, I like a bit of hardness to them and these were perfect.  As luck would have it, there was a cabinet/bed maker next door and I saw a beautiful bed base that was 100% mahogany.  It was stunning and he said they can make one to order and he suggests we get the measurements for the room/mattress and then he can have one made in 4 days.  Of course-100% mahogany bed made in 4 days for 400 bucks.  I asked about matching tables (no drawers) and he said for 7,000KSH (82AUD) for 2, I could have them made out of the matching mahogany.  We told him we would think about it, but I LOVE the idea of giving work to locals and both the couches and the beds looked like quality work.  GG went out the back to check it all out and they make everything on site, so it was a win win.  This seemed to be all coming together quite well after a disappointing start.  We drove via the super highway (new arterial road that opened in September, turning a 2 lane highway into 4 lanes each way) and we started making our way to the next property.  After driving, and driving, and driving, GG said that this one was going to be too hard to get public transport to the further we drove and still not getting to our final destination.  I would have to catch a bus and then get a taxi to my place and he said that it wasn’t going to be safe for me.  So luckily this property had a site manager 24-7 and we could just turn up for inspections, so we were letting anyone down by not showing up.  By this point I just said to GG, I’m happy with ‘the one, so let’s just call Charles (the site manager) and tell him we will take it, get deposit money for the bed man and for the couch man and go back and sign the paperwork with Charles.  I had found THE ONE!!!!!

We decided to stop at ‘my shopping centre’.  The one that will be called my local so that I could have a look around, get some money from the ATM and we also decided to have a look in the Nakumat which is like the Kenyan K-Mart/Target equivalent and price some of the ‘immediate’ goods that I would need for Thursday.  Nakumatt has it all.  It is like a food supermarket, a hardware store, a clothes shop, a stationary shop, a haberdashery shop, a furniture shop, an electronic and white goods shop all rolled into one.  We had picked Thursday as move in day, as I had paid for my accommodation until then and it meant I was in before the weekend AND I also didn’t have to pay anymore ‘hotel costs’.  What I pay for a night at the hotel is a week’s rent and what I pay for a week in the hotel is more than a month’s rent.  I think that was part of the reason I was feeling anxious, the cost of what I was paying and what I could have been paying.  Now that I have stopped travelling I need to stick to my allotted budget and it was getting worked to the max with my current situation.  Well not anymore.  It was a high five moment and GG and I had smiles from ear to ear.  I told him I was totally happy with the choice and he said he was too, both for my point of view and that it was also a nice pad.  So we priced a TV, a washing machine, a fridge and then looked at a plastic table and chairs for outside, a TV cabinet, a mattress, microwave, the good ol cutlery, glasses, plates, pots-you know all the boring stuff, a kettle etc……. GG asked about delivery, I wasn’t sure we could fit a washing machine, a fridge, a mattress, a TV and the rest of the things into his car and we were shocked when they said they could deliver and the cost would be 500KSH to MY PLACE, which is like 5.80AUD.  We couldn’t do that for that cost even if we tried.  SWEET.  So we can buy it all on Thursday and get it delivered the same day along with the couches.  PERFECT.  We were smart and I bought a tape measure and we measured the mattress for the bed guy, the TV stand and the outdoor setting and we were also going to measure the couches on our way back through and check it in the apartment when we returned just to make sure it would all fit.  Pretty smart huh!!!!  I have to say the centre is very ‘western’.  Even the Nakumatt is amazing.  It is large and has a massive variety of foods; it really could be a Coles back home.  It felt familiar and I was at ease here.  It is the centre of the ‘consulate people’, so its appeal is for the ‘posher’ clientele.  There were a lot of white people walking around and I’m going to call it my ‘soft’ introduction into African life.  Well the centre at least.  Where I am living is not 100% in the city or directly near the centre.  My apartment overlooks banana plantations and it feels like it is a long way from the city, when in fact it is only 12km and I am not far from the main arterial that runs into the city.  The location is in a smaller village-with all the local stalls and shops (sheds) lining the street.  I am in an area just down from where all the consulates located and about a 10 minute drive to the 2 shopping centres, one which I was at.  While we were at the centre we saw the ‘internet’ people and enquired about internet packages.  I have to get a dish and a modem to have internet at home.  The guys who normally give the prices weren’t in the shop, but they said once I have filled in the form and paid the deposit, they get a technician out to my place to surveyor where the dish will go, check the facilities and then within 4 days I will have internet at home.  Again, everything was just coming together nicely and as we walked out of the internet shop there was another high five.  I can’t see the internet being that expensive, but even if it is, it is my access to the world and I will pay.  Especially now that I am only paying 290AUD a month for accommodation, I can splash more for the connection and monthly payments if I have to.  We drove past the American Embassy and gosh it’s huge!!!  We also saw the Canadian (massive) the Moroccan, the Chinese (we think it was super massive) and a few others.  We also passed the UN (United Nations) Headquarters complex and it was like a city in a city.  It was MASSIVE and with 17 branches working from the site it is a no wonder.  It would be a dream job to work for them and to know they are only a 10 minute drive from my place it renewed a fire within and as we drove past I told George I was going to get a job there.  I WILL.  I will hound whoever I need to, to get a job in there.  It felt a little like a ‘sign’ of the whole day to get me to that point, gazing at the UN front gates like a small child looking at Disneyland for the first time.  I want in-and I am going to try damn hard to get in. 

We headed back to Charles and MY PLACE.   We stopped at our mates again to tell them the great news that I would take the couches and we gave the dimensions for the bed and paid them both their deposits.  The couch guy has people with a van and was delivering for free on Thursday and the bed people will ring me next week when it is finished and they charge a 12AUD delivery fee and they assemble the bed when they get it to my place.  In the meantime I will just sleep on the mattress on the floor.  We remember to take the measurements of the side tables for the bedroom and the couches, GG seems to think the couches will fit no problems but I am just note sure of the 2 singles, we’ll check it and worse case I can put the singles into the second room as an office thing.  Back to MY PLACE to fill in the paper work, we asked Charles if we could take a look at the apartment again.  When we walked in there was already a guy in there starting the clean-up process and Charles said it will all be done for my arrival on Thursday.  WOO HOO.  We checked the bedroom with the measurements and it is all going to fit.  I have chosen the smaller room (by 1m in length only) as it is the side of the window facing the natural light, and it still fits.  We checked the courtyard with the outdoor setting measurements and it fits and we checked the lounge room and the couch measurements and what do you know it fits!!!!  While we had the tape measure, we measured the windows, GG has a friend that makes curtains so he will get a price from her and we measured the fridge spot so when I buy one on Thursday we know it will fit.  Smart cookies that we are.  I followed Charles up to his office and the paper work consisted of an A4 piece of paper to be filled in with my name, phone number, passport number and a signature and a piece of paper given to me with the account details of where my 2 month’s rent was to be deposited.  That was it.  No references, no asking to check my passport, no previous address.  No siree, not here.  I did glean some information about some of the other tenants and there are some city workers and 3 people from the UN living here!!!!  WHAT…….. J  Charles asked where I was from and I told him and he said there is an Irishman living in one of the top floor units and he works for ….. the UN!!!!  I told him I want an introduction when I move in.  A SIGN?  Maybe-maybe not……. But………..So with all that taking what 5 minutes, a handshake with Charles, I was now back in the land of renting and at 294AUD a month it is a great way to ease myself back in, don’t you agree!!!!

We left MY PLACE at 4.30pm and headed back to my hotel in town.  To give you an idea, I am 12km from the city and it took us nearly 2 hours to drive 12km.  The traffic was a SHOCKER.  It gave GG time to talk.  I would ask a question about the apartment and we would work it out and then he would ask something and we would work it out and with the tunes playing full ball the way I LOVE it we made it back to the crazy, car park traffic of the city at 6.30pm.  So with a hug and a heart-felt thanks to George, we made plans to catch up on Thursday.  I can check out of the hotel and I will need to pack up all my crap that I have strewn all over my hotel room and head to MY PLACE.  The beauty of the pack is it doesn’t have to be for airline travel, so I can have a 100 bags as long as I get it all out of the room.                   

So I have found MY PLACE.  I feel like I am smiling on the inside.  It really is quite a leap to rent somewhere in another country, but it feels right and I can now officially say I am living in Nairobi.  This was one of the major steps to complete what I have been talking about for over 12 months and to see it come to fruition feels great. 

I need to say thanks to GG for all his help.  I definitely would not have been able to do this all on my own and if I did it would have taken me days and probably cost me a hell of a lot more than a gas tank of fuel.  You R-O-C-K George and THANKS.