A Foreigner In Kenya, Chapter 3

 In the hotel

I have chosen a middle class hotel. There are some good hotels in Nairobi, but the prices are heavenly. These hotels are so expensive that I wonder who can pay for them? And yet there must be people who can afford it. I'm not one of them, it hurts, but it's the truth. The lady at the reception is friendly, nice, helpful. I have to fill out an application, but after a long journey, I find it difficult to read. It is also dark, little light, a small lamp hangs on the wall, can barely illuminate the reception. She helps me, points with her finger where I should write the information. This procedure is finally over, I straighten up with relief, stretch myself; with a friendly smile she hands me the key. I go to my room. I'm a little surprised, the rooms in Kenya are a little different from those in Europe. On the left, right next to the door, is a wardrobe, in Europe they are closed, here I can see through the bars. Does not look bad. There are African paintings and decorations on the walls. The bed is just huge! There is certainly room for four people, not just one. This is not a bed, this is a battlefield! The light, ie the lighting in the room, is also not bright enough, much is in the half-dark. But it's nice. I go into the restaurant. I don't really have an appetite, only thirst torments me. I order a beer, then another. Finally, I still get an appetite. My first meal in Kenya. "I want something to eat," I say to the waitress. At the same time I notice that she is extremely pretty. "What can I get you?" She asks with a smile. I have no idea what is out there, I shrug my shoulders. She enumerates a few things, doesn't understand anything. Just order with good luck and luck was on my side. How amazed I was when she came with a bowl and I had to wash my hands. A little strange! After a while a young man comes with a huge bone and puts it on the table. He must have seen my face, which must have had an astonished expression. "Here is your order, sir!" I can't stop being amazed. By the way, an excellent meal. Some mzungus are just lucky! I stayed a few days. Make friends with me. A friend is a manager of this hotel. I was sitting in the restaurant, it was afternoon, having a beer, he came by, saw me, came to me, started a conversation. I wasn't averse to doing some conversation. He told about himself, his family, where they live, how they live. After a while he asked me if I could invite him for a drink. I agreed. "What do you want to drink?" I asked him. "A beer." I wanted to order a beer, but the good man held me back. I asked him why I shouldn't order. He told me that, as a manager, he was not allowed to have a beer with a guest. I got that. "How do I order now?" I asked. "It's easy," he replied. "We have a code here, if I have a beer, I'll just order a hallelujah!" To this day I don't know his name, for me it's simply called Hallelujah! And it will stay like that. Later Hallelujah came to me with another friend. The friend is also an employee of the hotel. I think he's a subordinate of him. I think that should also be true. Hallelujah came to me first. "May we disturb you?" I had nothing to do so I replied it's ok. "What's up?" I asked and looked at the two of them. "We want to leave the country. We want to go to Europe and you should help us." I was a bit surprised because I thought that the work in the hotel should be fine