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| on the road to nairobi |
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. next
tale . road to arusha: getting there is half the fun! |
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. more
tales . index |
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Check out Dennis'
debut novel
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Feeling safe is a good feeling. No worries.
I feel safe at home in Silver Spring. Maybe I should worry, but I don't.
Even with all the killings and break-ins in D.C. and surrounding areas,
I still feel safe. I felt safe during our travels in Europe. There were
no bars on the windows and as long as you kept your wallet someplace other
than your back pocket you felt safe. I felt safe in Chili staying in the
home of a local family. I felt safe during travels in Australia. I felt
safe sleeping in the car at rest areas while driving to North Dakota and
Texas. 
On the ADRA compound, which is completely walled in, are
Masai guards that carry big sticks. Maybe they strap knives
to them at night, I don't know. They wear dark clothes
and walk silently. All the windows on all the buildings
have bars and all outside doors have locks. In the main
house there is a lock on the door which separates the living
areas from the sleeping areas. When a vehicle leaves the
compound the guard opens the gate long enough for the vehicle
to go through. Returning, the guard opens the gate after
you blow you horn and wait. I should feel safe.
We are now at Maxwell Academy just outside of Nairobi.
There are 12 foot walls around this place with 4 feet of
electric wire on top of that. I thought I was driving into
a prison. Again there was the guard at the gate. The hire
the Masai who stay in small cement buildings with a cookstove
and piped water. You see them in the daytime carrying sticks.
At night you see them in their dark clothes in the shadows
carrying bows and arrows. Again all buildings have bars
on the windows and locks on the doors. The Gazelles that
live here on the campus couldn't get out if they wanted
to. I should feel safe.