23rd of February, 2018.
Volunteer work in Kenya: Mombasa
Mombasa is quite different than I imagined. What catches my attention first is how dirty the streets are; they are full of plastic bags. The main transport is the tuck-tucks followed for the matatus (public buses which are actually sprinters / vans) and the motorcycles. And it is hot. So hot that makes me question how and why people like heat so much. You can only sleep at night, not possible to take naps during the day, and that piss me off sometimes.
First day is rest day. I meet some of the workers, choose my bed, arrange my stuff, take a shower, cook something to eat and go to the beach. It looks nice but unfortunately, and I do not know if it is like that in all beaches, there are a lot of sea leaves all over the place.
The hostel is amazing and huge. I will work at the bar at night so I have the whole day free and one day off. There is a big supermarket just two blocks away and the food is not expensive. The sad thing is just that I do not have money. I have been thinking on buying another flip flops, a comfortable one. Better: one that I can walk on it and not die. I was even thinking about buying some hiking sandals. Laugh. They are around thirty Euros here. Should I? I think it would be better for my feet walking in this hot weather with those. Without even mention the blisters. But do I have the budget to do that? Nope!
Most of the workers here are really nice and kind to me. There are a lot of managers, more than I can understand. At night, I work most of the time with I. and also F. is around.
I met a lovely girl called Judith, from Netherlands. She made a cute drawing of me working on my laptop. I love her not “girly” way and simplicity. Unfortunately we just talked for two days and she left. It is how everything works in a Hotel, hostel, Albergue, Backpacker or whatever: is always about leaving. We have a nice conversation about first experiences with another girl. And she even arranged me a school to stay in Tanzania. She staid there for three days when she was coming here. I was not that happy with my options in Workaway so I think I will just settle down there.
I also met a nice guy called Mantas, but I don’t remember where he is from. Judith and I even helped him to recovered from a fever.
They both are staying in this “hammock area” on the back, which looks a lot like the hospital from the movie The Ghost and the Darkness, with the Kenyan style hammocks hanging from the ceiling, the mosquito nets and the white bed linen and walls. Whenever I pass by, I can even see the lion walking around. Laugh.
The biggest problem at the bar is to understand what the clients are ordering. Also to know how to spell it or understand their names. Laugh. The work itself is not that difficult or hard. Last night I got my first drink (the homemade liquor called Juju) and my first beer paid by a client. And also my first tip! It was 100 Kenyan Xelins, less than one Euro but I was very happy. There are a lot of locals who come here often, as a regular bar somewhere else that it is not also a hostel.
Everything is so different from La Locanda. All the guests here are… crazy travelers. Most of the time. And they are young and just want to enjoy life, drink and go out and talk with every single person they found around. To be honest, I thought I would be more irritated with all that attitude and drunkenness but I am kind of OK.
I start with the swimming classes just three days ago. A funny guy from Germany (contradiction?), called Till, help me in the first day. We laugh a lot together, making jokes at each other all the time. He reminds me that actor, Josh Lucas, but I did not tell him that to not make him feel so great. Unfortunately, I got some kind of inflammation in a blister on my foot, so I today no classes. It is really hard by the way. I am just trying to remember how I use to think the same of the bike stuff at the beginning: that I could not do it, that maybe I was the only human being not meant to ride a bike and all that bullshit. At least, I tried to float in the sea the first day and it worked!
The world is a unfair world, isn’t it? The men already have everything and still, all the women are so gorgeous compare to the men. It is so unfair.
10 Years Around the World 