I’m Homesick

Nairobi-It all started last week with the beginning of the short rains. I mean what is the point of being in Africa in late October if it isn’t warm and sunny? Instead it was grey and overcast all week. Then there was the mud. It got me a little depressed.

Then I started to book my ticket home to my parent’s for December. I am also toying with the idea of staying an extra week here so that I can go to Uganda or one of the Kenyan refugee camps for another refugee interview trip. All of which got me thinking about my life back home in NYC, and that is when I realized I was officially homesick.

I have a lot of wonderful and amazing friends and the thought of making more here in Kenya was a bit unwieldy. Although I met one of my best friends on the planet, Nia C. (and several of her friends also became great friends), when I lived in Sri Lanka, I was kind of relishing the thought of 3 months where I didn’t have any social engagements. If I wanted to sit home and watch 4 movies, I could do it and I wouldn’t be letting anyone down for missing her birthday or house party or going away party or after work drinks. I mean I love doing that, and I am often the one planning it, but I was excited to just be.

Now I would die for a good 8pm beer after swim practice with my friends, especially my girls. I miss having girl-time. I realized that for the last 3 months I have been hanging out predominately with men. While I do love men and enjoyed running hotel Nikita in Beijing and living with 3 men here in Nairobi and having a boyfriend, I miss gossiping, being silly and just laughing with the girls.

It kind of hit a head late last week when I realized that some of the people I’ve become friends with here have very, very different ideologies than me. It started with a little bit of racism, moved onto sexism, then ended at homophobia. I was so shocked that all I could do was make jokes to get out of the situation. In hindsight I realized I’ve just had enough adventure and I want to be home.

I am here for another month, and the sun is shining beautifully today. I go to Ghana next week for a refugee interview trip and then the time will fly by trying to get in a few more weekends away. Specifically, I have to see some rhinos and flamingoes before I leave! But try as hard as I can to be an internationalist, I am a New Yorker. I love my city and my busy, cozy, safe, familiar life there. Plus I am pretty sure I will be able to find enough adventures in NYC to keep me entertained…At least for a few months anyway.