Today was my second go at using local transport and exploring downtown Nairobi. My mission today was to buy an internet stick, go to my friend Cynthia's house and submit job applications. A 15 min walk from my house is the matatu station to downtown. Matatus only depart when the van is full to capacity and the preferred method of getting full is lurching the van back and forth along the pick-up area. Once full it takes only 15 minutes to get down-town as there is little traffic. During rush hour, I am told it can take upwards 45 minutes. The transportation works as such - the privately own matatus cannot enter the city centre and so drops passengers on the edge of downtown. Matatus, although private, are owned by wealthy business men which primarily include current and past government ministers. Buses that are allowed downtown are semi-private/public.
Once downtown, I walk across town to meet my friend at the Safaricom Centre - the mobile phone store. Nairobi's downtown is actually quite small - much like the downtown of St. Paul, Minnesota. The Safaricom store is chaotic and reminds me of Sprint stores in New York a couple years ago that were filled with unemployed or part-time customers, including myself, arguing and paying our bills. The major difference is the lack of respect for waiting one's turn. So after my friend and I successfully blocked several people from cutting in front of us, I left with my new internet stick and boarded a bus back to my friend's house.
Today's job application was for a UN post. As many people might know, it is quite hard to penetrate the UN system if your family has not worked there or if you don't any relations with hiring managers. But, like with most things, I refuse to give up so I'll keep on trying.
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