Not Just Another Town Day
Every Wednesday afternoon is our town day. We usually drive into Nairobi to a Nakumat (either Junction or Karen), and buy groceries. Usually that's it, unless we're riding with another family and they have errands to run, or we're going searching for things, like a couple of weeks ago when Richard needed soccer boots--cleats--and a hair cut. It's nice to get off campus, and being Wednesday afternoon, it's just what I need to get me over through the rest of the week. However, this week, our town day got off to a bad start and just seemed to keep getting worse. Here's a copy of the email I sent my mother in the evening:
"Hi, Mami. It's late, so I'll have to make this short.
We went to town this afternoon and because Richard talked on the cellphone for a split second before we were to turn into the shopping center, we almost got arrested. The police pulled us over, then got into our car. They wanted to take us to the station and charge us 7,000 Ksh (about $100) for the violation and we would have had to go to court the next day. At least that's what they were threatening. I was scared! Newayz, we begged, we pleaded--they just wanted a bribe--and finally...I cried! It's funny now, but I was just so fed up. We'd been pleading for like fifteen minutes and I just wanted them to go away. As soon as I started crying, they started apologizing. "No, Madam, we don't mean to hurt you. We'll let you go!" One of them got of the car quickly and came to my window and asked, "Why are you crying? Because you handed him the phone?" The other guy gave Richard a phone number (still have no idea why), and they left. THANK GOD! Come to find out, it's against the law to speak on the cellphone and drive...but, it's also against the law for the police to get in your car like our fellows did. They just wanted money."
We went to town this afternoon and because Richard talked on the cellphone for a split second before we were to turn into the shopping center, we almost got arrested. The police pulled us over, then got into our car. They wanted to take us to the station and charge us 7,000 Ksh (about $100) for the violation and we would have had to go to court the next day. At least that's what they were threatening. I was scared! Newayz, we begged, we pleaded--they just wanted a bribe--and finally...I cried! It's funny now, but I was just so fed up. We'd been pleading for like fifteen minutes and I just wanted them to go away. As soon as I started crying, they started apologizing. "No, Madam, we don't mean to hurt you. We'll let you go!" One of them got of the car quickly and came to my window and asked, "Why are you crying? Because you handed him the phone?" The other guy gave Richard a phone number (still have no idea why), and they left. THANK GOD! Come to find out, it's against the law to speak on the cellphone and drive...but, it's also against the law for the police to get in your car like our fellows did. They just wanted money."
That's not the end of the story, but it is the end of this posting. Here are a few pictures I took on our drive home of the city. I was feeling slightly better, but I won't be hurrying back into Nairobi--at least not until our next town day, and even then, I think we'll stay closer to home.
This is the church on the grounds of the Union Office.
This is my favorite kind of tree. The flowers are so beautiful! We have one like it in front of the elementary school.
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