Halloween and Horses

Though my days, including much of my weekends, are often consumed with work, I do like to mix it up in the blog. As I have mentioned previously, the Somalia work week is Sunday through Thursday. For NY, Kenya and much of the rest of the world, it’s Monday through Friday. As such, it’s difficult for me to have a full day off except Saturday. And even then, stuff happens on Saturdays. It’s hard to ignore critical humanitarian support demands (approvals that need to come from me that support delivery of aid) just because they fall on a Saturday. So it’s rare that I would have a full day without any work at all. Not complaining. Just the way it is.

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Halloween

To go back a few weeks, we did find some time for the kids to partake in some Halloween fun. I realize that they are beginning to age out of this sort of the trick-or-treat thing, but, as when I was young, the treat part of it keeps it alive longer than you would think. It’s not like in the US where you can go door-to-door in the dark. There are many reasons that would not work in Nairobi. I’m quite sure that Americans take for granted how wonderfully safe it is there compared to most other countries. In any case, we were able to join some other families for a Halloween party, in spite of the fact that it’s not a thing in Kenya. 

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Diwali

A holiday that is a thing in Kenya is Diwali, largely due to the significant number of people with Indian origin. In case you’re not familiar with it, Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights. It symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance". Given what I see around the world, I would say that evil and ignorance seem to be winning. But it was celebrated anyway.

Fireworks from the roof

One thing that accompanies Diwali is an impressive display of fireworks. When the girls were young, it was a bit frightening since it was so loud and was most active when they were trying to go to bed. Now, of course, it’s a thrill for them. The last few years we have gone up to the roof of our building to watch. It was fun scanning the city to catch the fireworks popping up from various neighborhoods.

Diwali feast

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Horseback Riding

As rainy season is underway, in an El Nino year no less, you need to weave outdoor activities strategically into your week. Last weekend we took the girls horseback riding. They don’t have much experience with this sort of thing but they seemed to be keen on learning. There are a few stables around Nairobi. There is apparently a long legacy of riding that goes back to colonial times, but it has been vigorously embraced by Kenyans as well as foreigners.

Riding "western" style in Indiana back in 2019

The US does a lot of things differently from the rest of the world, including horseback riding where it is usually called “western riding”. It evolved mostly from utilitarian purposes such as hunting, working with livestock or engaging in war. Riding for sport or as a leisure activity came later and has taken shape in the modern rodeo. There are a number of things about western riding that are different from most of the rest of the world but probably the most notable is the saddle. There is generally a deeper seat and a horn on the front (traditionally used for attaching a rope tied to a lassoed calf, for example). 

English, or classical riding, also has roots in hunting (ex. fox hunts) but was adapted for less aggressive sports such as show jumping and dressage. Helmets are generally worn rather than cowboy hats, often required, as in our case.

There was a considerable amount of rain the night before so we were hoping that precipitation wouldn’t scuttle our morning ride. But the morning was mostly sunny and, with the exception of copious amounts of mud, the ride went off without a hitch. The girls loved it. Could it be a new hobby? We’ll see. 

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As we head towards the holiday season, there is evidence of it in Nairobi. It's not colder temperatures. We're in the southern hemisphere so we're headed in the opposite direction. Usually, the visible manifestation has something to do with marketing. One somewhat humorous example is a billboard I saw the other day announcing a Black Friday sale. In a country without Thanksgiving. I'm quite sure most people in Nairobi don't know what Black Friday is but someone saw fit to copy the American marketing ploy anyway. 

Sitting in a coffee shop noticing a meat delivery truck. Meat? delivery.