Walking distance to the office - check.
Safe neighborhood - check.
Walking distance to the grocery store - check.
Internet - check.
Fully furnished (even a washing machine - what?!?!?) - check.
Off and on hot water - check.
In price range - check.
Didn't have to deal with creepo fake realtor - check.
Hallelujah.
CORRECTION:
Uncheck the internet. I thought it was a little optimistic.
Showing posts with label Nairobi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nairobi. Show all posts
Saturday, June 20, 2009
P.S.
For anyone who thought the last post was the opposite of funny -
We were with two members of the Ecotact staff who smelled this guy out from a mile away (as did I - every red flag in the book was going off in my head), and there was no way we would ever have done business with him.
I don't want to worry anyone.
More apartment hunting will ensue today, surely with more stories.
I'm still jet lagging - spent the better part of the night last night staring at the ceiling scheming and planning about who knows what.
On a side note, I FINALLY started reading One Hundred Years of Solitude, and I love love love it (thanks Pearsy!!!!).
We were with two members of the Ecotact staff who smelled this guy out from a mile away (as did I - every red flag in the book was going off in my head), and there was no way we would ever have done business with him.
I don't want to worry anyone.
More apartment hunting will ensue today, surely with more stories.
I'm still jet lagging - spent the better part of the night last night staring at the ceiling scheming and planning about who knows what.
On a side note, I FINALLY started reading One Hundred Years of Solitude, and I love love love it (thanks Pearsy!!!!).
You know you might be getting scammed when...
1. You show up at the building that the “realtor” says his office is in, but no one in the entire building has ever heard of him
2. The “realtor” shows up after you call to ask again where his office is, laughs off the fact no one has ever heard of him (including the people in the offices directly next door), and shows you into an office with a different company’s logo on the door.
3. The office that you are shown into is approximately 2 feet by 2 feet large, so he has you and your 4 companions stand, one outside the door, while he talks to you.
4. He asks you what price he quoted you on the apartment, then tells you he charges 10% commission, then asks you what 10% of what he quoted you is.
5. He takes you to an apartment building, but doesn’t have keys to get in, so you just stand outside.
6. He adamently insists at least three different times that you just need to trust him.
7. He then tells you that there is another apartment for triple the price just down the block and he can surely get you in to that one.
8. He tells you he doesn’t ‘trek’ so you have to take a cab to the apartment down the block.
9. When people in your group have had enough and argue with him, he disappears under the pretense of looking for a cab, never to be seen again.
Ah, apartment hunting in Nairobi.
2. The “realtor” shows up after you call to ask again where his office is, laughs off the fact no one has ever heard of him (including the people in the offices directly next door), and shows you into an office with a different company’s logo on the door.
3. The office that you are shown into is approximately 2 feet by 2 feet large, so he has you and your 4 companions stand, one outside the door, while he talks to you.
4. He asks you what price he quoted you on the apartment, then tells you he charges 10% commission, then asks you what 10% of what he quoted you is.
5. He takes you to an apartment building, but doesn’t have keys to get in, so you just stand outside.
6. He adamently insists at least three different times that you just need to trust him.
7. He then tells you that there is another apartment for triple the price just down the block and he can surely get you in to that one.
8. He tells you he doesn’t ‘trek’ so you have to take a cab to the apartment down the block.
9. When people in your group have had enough and argue with him, he disappears under the pretense of looking for a cab, never to be seen again.
Ah, apartment hunting in Nairobi.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Safe and Sound in Nairobi!
I made it!!
We arrived last night at around 7:30, were picked up at the airport and taken to a student hostel.
Today we are getting oriented and figuring out more permanent housing, because even the brave "I will sleep anywhere" Haley thinks the hostel is a bit sketch.
We will most likely rent an apartment close to the Ecotact office we will be working at (which is in a lovely neighborhood - the office is actually a small gated compound surrounded by flowering trees and grass - very charming).
The plane trip was very long but smooth. My luck apparently turned for the better (after having my phone stolen AND losing my car keys in the last week) as I was able to get on a standby flight, so I got into Amsterdam earlier and didn't have to sprint to make my next flight. We arrived pretty disheveled but upbeat.
Most exciting/traumatizing event so far was almost running over a dead body last night on the way from the airport- apparently someone had been expelled from a truck a few minutes before we drove by and he was still laying in the middle of the road. We were so exhausted that we actually started laughing, and then were horrified at ourselves. Welcome to Kenya.
Everything here is pretty familiar - it wasn't so long ago I was here last time (December) so I'm not having a huge shock. Still its a bit of an adjustment to realize that once again I'll be living in a state of semi-discomfort for a while, at least until we are more permanently settled. This morning I had an audience of 5 workers (3 men and 2 women) stare at me while I brushed my teeth in the communal bathroom. I'm sure they were just concerned about my dental hygiene.
The girls I am with are so great - we have found ways to laugh through a lot already, which makes a HUGE difference to quality of life while travelling out of one's comfort zone.
I love you all and will check in again soon.
Malaria pill is digesting, sunblock is on, and generally, I am happy and healthy!
Here's to the next adventure!
haley
We arrived last night at around 7:30, were picked up at the airport and taken to a student hostel.
Today we are getting oriented and figuring out more permanent housing, because even the brave "I will sleep anywhere" Haley thinks the hostel is a bit sketch.
We will most likely rent an apartment close to the Ecotact office we will be working at (which is in a lovely neighborhood - the office is actually a small gated compound surrounded by flowering trees and grass - very charming).
The plane trip was very long but smooth. My luck apparently turned for the better (after having my phone stolen AND losing my car keys in the last week) as I was able to get on a standby flight, so I got into Amsterdam earlier and didn't have to sprint to make my next flight. We arrived pretty disheveled but upbeat.
Most exciting/traumatizing event so far was almost running over a dead body last night on the way from the airport- apparently someone had been expelled from a truck a few minutes before we drove by and he was still laying in the middle of the road. We were so exhausted that we actually started laughing, and then were horrified at ourselves. Welcome to Kenya.
Everything here is pretty familiar - it wasn't so long ago I was here last time (December) so I'm not having a huge shock. Still its a bit of an adjustment to realize that once again I'll be living in a state of semi-discomfort for a while, at least until we are more permanently settled. This morning I had an audience of 5 workers (3 men and 2 women) stare at me while I brushed my teeth in the communal bathroom. I'm sure they were just concerned about my dental hygiene.
The girls I am with are so great - we have found ways to laugh through a lot already, which makes a HUGE difference to quality of life while travelling out of one's comfort zone.
I love you all and will check in again soon.
Malaria pill is digesting, sunblock is on, and generally, I am happy and healthy!
Here's to the next adventure!
haley
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