all ok in Nairobi

Though there is chaos in various parts of the country, we are all fine in Nairobi, and also our family in Kitale. Koffi Annan is here now and hopefully those negotiations will bear fruit. There is not much difference to our lives, though the area in which we travel is constrained, and the shilling is losing value daily. Not SO bad for me since I get/got paid in USD - more shillings for me! But some prices have correspondingly gone up, notably fuel. Up to 90 Ksh/l, which is about CAD$1.30/l. And since the USD is also falling, it really sucks to send my USD back to my Canadian bank account and get LESS Canadian dollars!

Speaking of our home in Kitale, we found out the other day that a eucalyptus tree was felled in the wrong direction - and crashed into our house! These are at least 20m tall, so I think our little mudhouse is fairly squashed. But the perpetrators are going to repair everything, so I expect it should be ok.

I will likely be going to Yei next week sometime to do some IT training for the SPLM - they haven't confirmed the dates, but it will be my first post-job NPA contract! As well I have been pursuing various options in Kenya, Rwanda, and Sudan. We'll see what pans out, but it's looking good!

We will hopefully submit the Canada application next week - we just have to get a bunch of photos and book a full day for the official medical examinations. Most everything else is collected, though I do need to get a couple of documents from Kitale. Not sure how to do that since it isn't really safe to travel on the highway through Naivasha/Nakuru/Eldoret - which is the only way to Kitale! I may submit the pplication with a letter stating why we couldn't get those items yet, and forward later in the process. It'll take 8-9 months minimum for them to process us anyways....!

I've been meaning to post a Toby update, so I'll do that next.