Nairobi again

 And again and again Nairobi - Na tena na tena Nairobi

Once again I am going to Nairobi. Actually nothing new, nevertheless I would like to tell something about my trip. There is always something to tell when I make a trip.

Quite early in the morning I go to the bus station. A bus is just leaving, the conductor sees me, the bus stops. A seat is still free, at the very back, in the last row. It is a small bus, that must be emphasized here. We leave. After a short time, the bus stops and someone else gets on. The passenger squeezes into a seat, the bench has only 3 seats, now they sit there 4. We drive on. Not long, the bus stops again, someone else gets on. It's getting damn cramped in the bus! We drive on. And again the bus stops. A young woman, a girl gets on. Where is there still room? The conductor says, in the last row, with me. She squeezes through, which is not so easy. First, I slide a little to the side. The person next to me also slides a little to the side. She has a nice, sweet face, I can see that, it's the first thing she holds out to me. She must be tall too, because she has to bend over a lot. Then she has to turn around, which is not easy at all in this small vehicle that is so densely loaded. Her face eludes my eyes, but she holds her ass right in front of my nose. What else can I tell you? I love driving the Matatu! At my age, such a young lady, never ever would she do that anywhere else, especially not for me! Long live the matatu! She wags her ass back and forth! It is not easy to sit down. Finally she makes it. I'm getting all hot. We drive on. A little fresh air is good! I'm sweating, the conductor has a wool cap on, I look closer, no, he's not sweating. I do! That's the sun shining on the matatu, what else? We are so packed that we have no stop until we reach the station.

When father and son return from home, the boy tells his mother, "Mom, Mom, when I was riding home on the bus with Dad, he told me to give my seat to a strange woman." 

The mother praises, "Yes, that's right, too!" 

The son is irritated: "But Mom, I was sitting on Dad's lap!"

Too bad I don't have a son, I would have done the same.

Are you free? Answer, answer

or are you locked up waiting for me

Are you free? Answer, answer

or do you fight to hold the key

but when no one's praying for you

I am out looking for escapes

or ways

away

I have to change the bus. I get on a completely empty bus. I wait. Apparently I am the first. Coincidence or not. I wait. It will take a long time until the bus is full, I think to myself. After a few minutes the driver comes, gets in, starts the engine. I wonder, I am still alone. Instead of driving forward, he drives backwards. He is obviously trying to find a parking space, the bus was on the street after all. He squeezes past other matatus. It is getting tight. He drives further and further into the thicket of buses. He turns off the engine, gets out, walks away. I sit in a bus, in the last row, somewhere, on a free parking lot, all alone, abandoned and lost. Finally, someone comes along and says, "Get off, the bus isn't moving, someone else is!"

Somehow I feel like I'm being taken for a ride. 

I might as well ask the bus driver, "Could you maybe tell me the fastest way to get to the cemetery from here?" 

"Of course, just stand in front of my bus!"

I change buses. After ten minutes it is full, we leave.

Nairobi here I come!

Waiting, whining, lying, crying, trying, flying, dying

no no. stop, stop, stop

We're waiting, I'm whining, they're lying, you're crying,

no no. stop, stop, stop

Almost trying, always flying, never never dying

I can hear you

Just scream louder

I can hear you

a little closer

fight your way

Fight the step that's blocking you

"Oh, hello, am I on the police force?"

"No. I'm with the police. They're out there somewhere on the phone."

Sad but true.

What upsets me in Kenya is that I have to re-register my sim card. This is an unnecessary procedure! Costs only time, brings nothing! So, it is quite simple, you would think, but this is Kenya and everything is complicated in Kenya. I have an Aim card, registered of course, some time ago. Now I got a new ID, the old one expired. I went to the provider, explained it to him, was no problem, my ID was changed. Now comes the hammer! Now everyone has to register again. As already mentioned, completely unnecessary and pointless. Long live the Minister of Communications! Now everyone knows that he exists, that should also be the reason for this arrangement. I go back, new registration.

"You registered your card with a different ID?"

"Yes."

"Do you have it with you?"

I have it with me, I hand it to him. He types around, hands me back both my IDs.

"Done, it's done!"

I leave.

I dial this code a day later, where I can check to see if everything matches. What a miracle. Long live Kenya!

"You have not registered with your original ID, " and so on. I investigate. It is quite simple, Kenya does not accept my ID! I still have time, I don't want to go to an office again, wait in line again, wait again. Unnecessary. I simply have this sim card blocked. It costs me nothing, especially no time.

The biggest advantage of the cordless phone is: The minister of communication can only make calls as long as the battery lasts. Maybe that will help him! I can only hope so.

We're waiting, I'm whining, they're lying, you're crying,

no no. stop, stop, stop

Almost trying, always flying, never never never dying

Are you free? Answer, answer

or are you locked up waiting for me

Are you free? Answer, answer

Cheat me down now

Cheat me down now