Imagine.
Being an expat, there are groups of all sorts that one
can join in. Whether it is for selling
things, dinner groups, social groups, travel groups, accommodation groups and
the list goes on. There are also
associations that one can join and they can be a great way to meet people with
a common interest. I joined SAWA, the
South African Women’s Association, the first year I was here and it was a God
send for my social life and I’ve made some lifelong friends.
So you can imagine my excitement when I heard about
ANZA. It is the Australian New Zealand
Association. Its funny I have been here
2.5 years and I had never heard of this group, my friend Moira had been in the
country for 3 months and went to an ANZA lunch in January! In my defence, the main person organizing the
group left and it fell down the way side till another soul, Nicole, took over
the group a few months ago. It runs
differently to the SAWA group as it is solely a social group. No money is raised, no charities, no funding
and no pressure. It is a monthly get
together with other Australians (and Kiwis), it is a chance to discuss home,
Aussie jokes that only we get, anything Australiana and everything else we can
think of. The venue changes every month,
basically from one side of town to the other to make it fair for everyone.
This year, 2015, I have decided to be more social, actually
it is more of a necessity than a want, as my base core of friends all leave Kenya
in the coming months. It is a sad fact,
but a certain reality as Kenya has a massive expat community, a community of
people that ebb and flow through the country every six months, 12 months, 2
years and 4 years. Not taking into
account other contracts that are of a shorter duration and there you have a
mass influx and exodus of people all the time.
There are only a handful of people like myself that have long term plans
to stay. I never really thought about
that until my African best Friend left this time last year, then the reality
set in and it will always be a constant thing to network and be social. Otherwise I could wake up one day and find that
all my friends have gone and I have no-one, besides my husband of course!
The February lunch was a small affair of 5, and I already
knew 3 people, so it sort of defeated the purpose of the lunch. But I got to catch up with newly acquainted
friends, I ate lunch somewhere new and I was not going to be defeated. The March lunch I was not here for and I went
to the April lunch which was at J’s Bar and Kitchen at Karen and it was a
rousing success. When I went to my first
NES Cake and Coffee event in 2013, the organizer and my now friend Uch, said if
you just make one friend at these type of meetings then her work was done, and
I am happy to say I made a few new friends and finally my social circle starts
to grow once more, with AUSSIES (oh and 2 Kiwis) none the less. Since the lunch, Sharon and Peter have come
to the farm to look at our greenhouse for tips and advice, we are heading to a
BBQ on Saturday afternoon and we are staying the night at ‘The Wrigley’s’. So I think it is safe to say that they also
like us and it is a great feeling when you meet new people you like, I am
extending my social group and even though I will never forget the friends I
have made here, life does go on, people will leave Kenya and it is going to be
a fact of my new life that I will just have to accept.
Previous to these social outings, I could count on one
hand how many Aussies I had met in the last two years. It is great to know that there are others ‘like’
me, 'my' people, and I am looking forward to the May lunch.
I hate this chant but it seems appropriate for this:
Aussie Aussie Aussie
Oi Oi Oi
Aussie Oi
Aussie Oi
Aussie Aussie Aussie
Oi Oi Oi
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