Travel Time: 30 hrs and counting

Am back in Dulles, sort of draped over a bench in a bizarre state of mind and time...Despite the 24 hour trip from Nairobi back through Addis to Dulles, I thought a la Forest Gump, what the heck, why not just keep on running...wouldn't it be nice to be back home for Canadian thanksgiving? Forget this Columbus day whathaveyou... I want turkey and walks with the red maple leaves crunching under foot, and crisp apples, and all that other northern goodness. My traveling companion on the flight back was the antithesis to the one on the way there...I got a friendly, smiling, American Marine, straight from training in Kenya, via Djibouti. And after talking for a good 45 mins about fried turkey (who knew of such a marvelous sounding creation - fried in peanut oil no less)... I was sold... there was no way I was going to wait a whole extra month and a half to savour the beast.... I needed to get home now.

Kenya was interesting... still processing... but in the past 24 or hey maybe it's 48 hours, I've been really fortunate. I've managed to have two incredibly long and stimulating conversations with two individuals (coincidentally both called John) that I would have normally thought as quite different from me but in fact we wound up having a lot in common...

I spent my last day in Nairobi with John 1. John 1 is a taxi driver in Nairobi. He gave me a great rate on Thursday night on the way back to the hotel from an event and so then I asked him if he would mind taking me around Nairobi on my last day, hitting all the key places: the Village Maasai Market, the Animal Orphan, and National Park, Nairobi's slums, etc. In between we talked and talk. About the beauty of Kenya, Kenyan National Pride, HIV/AIDS, unemployment, illegal arms trade, Kenya Politics, politicians, social norms, differences between Kenya and Namibia (the African country I lived in), Kenya vs. Canada. The whole day was really touching, I mean he really wanted me to have a nice time and enjoy the day and feel safe and welcome in his country...which I did.

John II was my traveling companion from the Addis - Washington leg of my trip. John II is in the US marines. And contrary to common stereotypes (which I am no less guilty of having), he was extremely bright, well read, and though we didn't agree on everything he was extremely articulate in arguing his points...At the end of our trip he left me with recommendations on books to read on the civil war, fried turkey cooking tips, and things not to miss around DC, as well as underlining the need of the 3 Ds (Defence, Diplomacy, Development) to listen to each other a bit more....He said I left him with a new view of Canada (i.e. I talked to him about softwood ha ha... he said he'd be pissed too if he were Canadian).

...Though I am coming back to N. Am exhausted, I feel like I am coming back with a new set of views and ideas and points of view... regardless of the length of time between showers, the customs, the security checks, the packing and unpacking, the hard work during the trip...talking to people like my two Johns always leaves me feeling refreshed....


All and all, it's been quite a ride...I leave you with pictures of the Maasai market and Addis’ overthetop opulent Sheraton hotel… oh and just for the hell of it, an enormous warthog from behind...

...oh and as for Canadian politics...well, I watched Rick Mercer's clips from last week's show and brushed up on my Jane Taber...and the only thoughts they invoked in me was to reinforce my desire to keep on traveling - despite the 7 hour wait in Dulles - back to my home and native land for my warthog, uh I mean turkey, dinner and my family.