Week 1 in Nairobi

Parts of this city are right out of Born Free or the Lion King (not that I have seen either of those
movies) with the rolling savannas and acacia trees, while other areas give support for the city’s nickname, “Nairoberry”. My digs are located in the southwest part of the city near a major tourist market called the Ya Ya center. I was pleased to find my office was only a few blocks away and housed in the top floor of the tallest (and nicest) building in the area. It got even better when the president of the bank (Aleke Dondo) showed me my corner desk with spectacular views of the rolling highlands in the distance. Aleke is a local and international celebrity who seems to care a lot about my experience in Nairobi. I have found most of the local Kenyans and K-Rep employees to be overwhelmingly friendly and welcoming.

My immediate role at K-Rep is to assist the organization in building up their financial reports to qualify for some major financing from the Grassroots Business Fund. I sit with a small army of young accountants and try to decipher as much of the relevant financial and accounting statements as possible. Yes, I am the only American in the office which gives me flashbacks of my intern days in Shanghai. I never thought I would miss high-speed internet access but life is rough without it. Things like Skype, streaming fantasy football scores and even Facebook are nearly impossible to use. It will be tough to post any more pictures until I figure something out...