21.06.2006
previous entry Tim Metz
Written Diary Tim Metz <tim@outofafrika.org>
Press Play - Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
Press [Pause]... Two weeks pass. Press [Play]. That was a very long and unexpected silence. It was unintentional but the first days after returning from Kenya were full with meeting people, sorting out administrative stuff that hadn't been done for months and getting used to "normal" life again. That was harder then I'd expected and therefore I decided to take a little break the past week. Now I feel a bit better and down to earth again so it's time to answer the big question: what's it like being back in Europe?
First and foremost everything is the same again as always. I think I've changed quite a bit in my head, but here nothing spectacular has happened. Especially the first days that made everything very surreal. It was on the one hand extremely familiar, like walking around in a computer game (to be more specific, The Sims, for those who know). Everybody seems to be dressed to the latest fashion trends, everything is organized and the traffic seems operated by robots, cars following each other in perfect lines without any racing matatus in between. The internet was so fast it scared me and my friends were very surprised when I ended my phone conversations after some brief remarks as it felt awkward to have long and meaningless chit chats over the mobile.
How do you compare Europe and Kenya? I've been doing it a lot in these diaries, but now I'm back I find it very hard to find the right words. It feels now like these two places exist on two separate planets as they're so different. Not necessarily in a more positive of negative way, just a dissimilar system of operation so to say. The best symbol for that is maybe traffic: a big city like Nairobi operates almost without traffic-lights. If that's the system you're used to, you might find it hard and frustrating to move around a city like Barcelona where you run into traffic lights on every street-corner. But coming from Spain, the streets of the capital of Kenya would probably turn into a nightmare.
Sometimes it's nice to enjoy a bump free ride without being cut by matatus, but sometimes living such an organized and structured life can also be very boring. I don't miss the people hassling me on the streets for safari's, but I wouldn't mind a ride in a matatu to Ruiru with some loud reggae music. Everything seems to be more alive and real in Kenya, whereas here most people are way too focussed on their careers and what clothes they're wearing.
My confusion probably finds it source in this division in my head, one part wants to be in Kenya, the other part doesn't mind to be back home again. No doubt about the weather though: today is the official start of the summer and I'm wearing my thick winter jacket that I didn't need once while in Africa. 0-1 for Kenya!
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