A Sunday Drive to Remember

I think I would have enjoyed my family's Sunday drives more when I was a kid, had they been more like my day yesterday. I went with two friends to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, the Giraffe Sanctuary, and then about four hours cruising around Nairobi National Park on a little mini safari.

I didn't mind going back to see the baby elephants, particularly when there was a little weenie one this time and they also had a mud bath to play in. This was my favourite pic of the day:

and I thought this guy was particularly talented...'look Ma, no hands!'

We stopped off in Karen (the suburb named after Karen Blixen) for a delectable lunch in a lovely garden before heading on. I hadn't been into Nairobi National Park before, so it was somewhat surreal to be on safari with high rises visible on the horizon. There were so many zebras, we saw three or four huge herds, but I liked these four the best.

We'd almost given up hope of seeing any of the big five and were heading back to the entrance when we pulled up behind another car. You know when a car is pulled over it usually means there's something to look at...it took me a minute, but I spotted her eventually.

We sat and watched the lioness for a while, and finally agreed to leave her as the sun was beginning to set and it was time to get back to the entrance. The 'thuhdump thuhdump' we could hear as we pulled away from the lion wasn't a good sign. Paul, our lovely driver drove for a little while to get us away from the lion before jumping out to confirm that it was a flat tire. If you're ever looking for a way to speed up a tire change, just imagine you're surrounded by man eaters that you can't see!! Thankfully Paul got it changed very quickly and wasn't attacked by anything lurking in the long grass.

We hadn't made it much further when he slowed the car down again. There was a great herd of buffalo winding across the road. I'd only seen a couple of buffalo when I went of safari a couple of years ago, and didn't really see why they were so threatening. But when there are tens upon tens of them looking at you, it is a bit nerve wracking (particularly when you're in a little Toyoto hatchback!)

We were happy to sit back and wait for them to cross, but the car behind us drove around us and up to them, so we stuck close to him and made it through the herd with no problems. We were covered in dirt and hot and sweaty by the time we got home, so after a quick shower we settled in with beer and popcorn, and watched The Lion King...fitting!

Confined

It's ironic that I came to Kenya to do my work because I wasn't allowed to work in the UK, only to be told last Friday that I should work from home for the next week (at least) as there might be a spot check by the Immigration department and I (and others) don't have a work permit for Kenya!! So I've spent the past few days shuffling from couch to couch as the sun moves around the sky, cursing the internet as it drops out consistently (the skype icon turning green again is always a cause for mini celebration), but also enjoying the pleasures that working from home include (like working from the couch).

There hasn't been a whole lot going on otherwise. Last night I caught up with a friend who was part of the very small expat circle in Tripoli, Lebanon. She's been doing amazing things with ICRC since then, and it was really great to catch up on all her news, and the news of mutual friends.

So in recognition of days spent at home, here's a photo of a sunset from my balcony...

Spamalot

I was telling a friend last night that I continue to receive spam emails from a number of strange places (not strange like Nigerian bankers, but strange like places I've lived) and recalled the Hotel Agrabad in Chittagong - a hotel I never stayed at, and I can't even remember where the Agrabad district in Chittagong is.

Anyway, there were 2 messages in my spam folder this morning, and what a coinkydink:

Greetings from Hotel Agrabad, Chittagong!

Dear Guest(s),

We would like to inform you that, we are fully booked from February 17 to 23, 2012. During these period we are unable to provide you any room. If you already have given the room reservation then, kindly ignore this massage.

Have you ever had a hotel that you've never stayed at, nor are you planning on staying at, send you an email to tell you that they're fully booked up for six whole nights in a couple of weeks? Also, I don't believe anyone should ever ignore a 'massage'...

Back in Nairobi

The only times I've been to Kenya were in winter, and I must say, I much prefer Nairobi in the summer! It's sunny and warm (in the high 20s) and I find it much easier to function when it's not below 10 degrees. Thankfully, a number of my friends are still here, I've moved back into the same apartment block, though a floor up to an apartment that has much more comfortable furnishings than the last one! And conveniently, the office moved in the months that I was away, it only takes a few minutes to walk - in fact, the longest part of my walk home is up the four flights of stairs!

The work I'm doing is a combination of fascinating and drudgery; I have to really motivate myself to do the more laborious bits and pieces and not focus solely on the innovative, interesting parts. But at least I get to do that in a nice building where my desk looks into a sunlit atrium, and not in the dreariness of cold England.

And perhaps most excitingly, I went into my old apartment yesterday to borrow some coathangers (I never truly feel like I'm "home" until I can hang up the few items I have that require hanging) when lo and behold I found an old friend...

bwwwwwwwwwwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Oh Development Ryan Gosling....

...how did you know??

Courtesy of http://developmentryangosling.tumblr.com/

Holly, Sandy and Lara

I was thrilled to pieces when I found out I'd be in the UK for my friend Charmaine's 30th birthday. On the weekend I journeyed 4 hours to get to Kent, for one of the best costume parties I've ever been to. With a Hollywood theme, there was a wonderful array of movie characters, including Harry Potter, the boys from Brokeback Mountain, ABBA, Catwoman, and of course:

Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sandy from Grease, and Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. It was so great to catch up with Chaz (whose Sandy impersonation was superb) after a good 5 years at least and to have Jules there as well (who actually did fly all the way over from Australia) was brilliant!

There was much reminiscing about high school, and it's nice to know that some things never change.

Letter to and from the NYT Public Editor

Recently, the internet was up in arms over an article that was published in the New York Times by a reporter who stopped at nothing to get 'the scoop' on a young Afghan girl who was brutally tortured by her husband and his family. A scoop that had already been reported by another news organisation. The reporter, Graham Bowley barged his way into her hospital room to further interrogate her to tell the story that had already been told.

The team over at Wronging Rights brought the reasons (and there are numerous) why this was a horrendous practice to the attention of many, and included a form letter (or email rather) to send to the editor to express our anger at this, which read as follows:

Dear Public Editor,

I recently read your reporter Graham Bowley’s description of his attempts to interview Sahar Gul, an Afghan girl in her early teens who was the victim of horrific abuse at the hands of her husband and in-laws. Bowley states with apparent pride that he “pushed past ‘no,’” and interviewed her after hospital workers informed him that she did not wish to speak to reporters, and was too psychologically fragile to repeat her story.

It’s difficult to formulate a response to this story that does not begin with the words “what the…” As Bowley notes in his article, Gul had already been interviewed by other news organizations. Her story had been told, and was already available to the press and public. Bowley was not adding substantial new information through his reporting (the mango juice does not count). Rather, he appears to have returned to the hospital to soothe the burns to his ego from getting scooped by the AP.

How is it possible that this was not only acceptable journalistic behavior for a Times employee, but that Bowley and his editors saw fit to crow over it by publishing a blog post about the reporter’s heroic success in overcoming the resistance of a traumatized child?

Once again: what the …?

Sincerely,

I sent off the email, and have just now received the following:

Thanks for your message about Graham Bowley's coverage of Sahar Gul, the young Afghan girl. I am concerned about the girl's privacy as well and have raised the question with the Foreign Desk. I do concur that news organizations should be careful to respect the privacy of crime victims. This is a case where, I believe, the benefits of doing a story were outweighed by the potential harm to the girl.

Best,

Art Brisbane

public editor

hmmmm