Back in Nairobi

We’re back in Nairobi and settling back into our routines. The girls have been back in school for a few weeks and I’m full-on back at work. I’m tracking news again with the same vigor that I do normally when I’m not on vacation. It’s partially because I need to track news for my job but it’s also something that I’ve done for decades. I began to take an interest in reading and what was going on around me (outside of the sports world) when I lived in Switzerland in the late 80s and early 90s. As bad and depressing as the news is, I’m more at ease knowing what’s going on than not.

As a child, I remember my father turning on the evening news around 5pm. It would make my eyes roll and often prompt me to change rooms. But I remember sometimes taking in some of the information. Having a screen on, especially at that time, it was hard sometimes to avert my eyes. I remember passively catching bits here and there. There was the waning days of the Vietnam War (including ongoing totals of US war dead) and dramas in the Middle East. I remember hearing about the Cold War and Watergate though I had little understanding of what was going on at the time. I would overhear my parents' occasional comments, some of which would sink in. But it wouldn't be until many years later that life as an expat would play a key role in clearing the fog from my brain.

My children do the same. But they’re more curious than I was at their age and they have an infinitely better frame of reference to start with. We also spend quite of bit of time and energy providing them “teaching moments”. It’s hard to frame some of these complex situations in a way that a child can understand (in spite of the childish behavior of people in power), but over time they will at least know the basics. It’s important, not only that we are preparing them for rapidly approaching adulthood, but even now some of these issues are impacting their lives. Some events are taking place in countries where their friends are from. Some things might impact their dad’s job or their aunt’s job. In addition to living in an important East African hub, through globalization and the inter-connectivity provided by the internet, their proximity to the rest of the world is far closer than mine was in a small corner of Idaho several decades ago.  

the nightly pre-bedtime read - this time, Harry Potter

While at my parents’ house, I was reading a calendar with the theme, “You know you’re a hillbilly if…”, followed by some humorous description, often stereotype, of rural America. One that caught my attention was one that said, “…the only books in your house are propping up a table.” It is funny but I think it reflects a certain uninformed bravado that I find puzzling and potentially dangerous. Admittedly, we didn’t have much literature in our house growing up, but there was no defiance of the literate – equating literacy to elitist and elitist to out-of-touch, and thus being informed would be seen as negative. On the contrary, there was a strong pursuit of information. My parents were tracking news, religiously reading newspapers and my dad was always scanning brochures, maps, etc. I think that curious nature, combined with a strong puritan work ethic, were conveyed to us and it was up to us what we did with it. All five children have master’s degrees or higher and have done alright professionally. I'm happy that education and critical thinking are valued in my family, in spite of them being in a context where there's often a puzzling lack of these qualities.

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In Somalia, to some degree it reflects the old adage, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Election drama has been amped up again as tension between the president and prime minister grows. The historically complex and multilayered context, as in many countries, continues to polarize. Fallout could be serious, particularly in and around Mogadishu if partisan troops are mobilized. So far it’s mostly political power plays on both sides. We watch in the hope that level heads will prevail.

The pandemic continues to wreak havoc though it’s unclear how bad the situation is. People tend to not talk about it much. Hospitals are inundated but less than you would think given the lack of vaccinations and minimal Covid mitigation protocols. I had intended on being in Mogadishu before the end of September but it will not happen. My schedule has filled with meetings in Nairobi and upcoming travel will push my time in Somalia to October, assuming the security and Covid situation permits.

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In the meantime, we host my mother-in-law and for four weeks. Tourism weaves its way in and out of my work schedule. It’s busy, but it works.