Finding a House

When we got my husband’s job offer, we honestly did not think too much. Of course, we talked, discussed, and I also did my homework: searched the Internet, read books, blogs, magazines,  etc. And that was it! We made our decision and said "yes." Prior to moving to Nairobi, we lived in Istanbul for less than 4 years, and before Istanbul, we lived in US for so long that you get to a point where you are so spoiled that you forget how things work in countries other than the US...

We boarded Turkish Airlines (6 hours flight, not bad:)) on a direct flight to Nairobi. My first visit to Nairobi was in the month of February, 2012. Since we had done our research, we pretty much knew which areas we would look at for a house. Our first option was Karen, then Westlands, and Kileleshwa. But honestly, after reading so much about Karen, which is a very popular suburb among expatriates, I had kind of made up my mind. We stayed in Nairobi for five days for housing and saw many houses. Just a quick note here-- we "saw only gated compounds." A gated compound is a secured place where there are a number of single houses. There are many gated stand-alone homes in and around Nairobi. They are very nice and have huge gardens, staff quarters and so on, but I was never interested seeing one. Personally, I wanted my kids to play outside, safely, with other kids, and live their childhood as freely as possible in todays' high-tech world.

Like in any other country, finding the right house was not easy and quick for us, especially in such a short period of time! You get to talk to so many realtors, call many people, and you want to see as many houses as possible, since the pictures on the Internet can definitely misguide you!!!

Luckily, on our third day, we found our house in Karen. You would probably think it was not that hard at all! But since I had seen many compounds in different areas, I had kind of  gotten an idea of what to expect and what to get for our price range. So still today, I am very happy with my decision:). My priority was to be close to my (by that time, 5 and a half yr old) daughter’s school since road conditions can become a little bit problematic (this will be covered in another blog). And our second priority was to be close to major hospitals or a well-known doctor’s clinic (5 min from us) and, of course, shopping. And please, do not think I forgot the security. A compound has got to be a well-secured place with good and trustworthy security guys (askaris) with good recommendations from people who live there.

In Karen, single houses in gated compounds have half an acre of land, which is pretty good when you compare it with other areas in Nairobi. So here is a little info: In Karen, when you build a housing development, you must have at least half an acre per house. So, these days, there is so much construction going on in Karen that most of these houses are very big and expensive. I even came across an article about it on cnn.com.

So, if you plan to move to Nairobi, make sure to give yourself enough time to find the right house.

International Schools in Nairobi

Here is another important subject all expats will want to know about before moving here: what schools are like, whether there are good internationals schools in Nairobi, what type of curriculum they have, and so on.

We all come from different parts of the world, but a common expectation for all of us is finding a good school for our kids. There are more than enough international schools in Nairobi-- not in the downtown area, though. They are mostly located in expat areas, which makes sense. (I guess nobody would want to send their kids to a downtown school...Nairobi is not like other major metropolitan cities around the world; remember, this is Africa). So, there are three international schools where we live in Karen. They are Brookhouse, Hillcrest, and Banda International Schools. Since my daughter attended Brookhouse International School for a year and is now attending Hillcrest, I can comfortably make comments about them.

Brookhouse has the best structure in terms of the building, surroundings, gym, pool, and open field for sports activities.  Education-wise, my daughter attended for 4 terms, and during these terms, the teachers were local English speaking teachers, and I was not impressed with the quality of teaching. Unfortunately, Brookhouse has no parent involvement. The school does not provide for much socializing outside the school (commenting for Yr 1 and Yr 2). There are sports events, since it probably has best open field in Nairobi. Brookhouse provides British curriculum adopted to Kenyan and international students. The student profile is mostly Kenyan with not many, but few, expat children. For Yr 1 and Yr 2, the student profile was 80% to 20%. Because of our expectations, we have transferred my daughter to Hillcrest International School, and we are very happy with our decision, so far. On the first day of school, we were welcomed personally by the kids who were playing in the garden. My daughter has attended many schools for her young age, but we had never been welcomed like this before. All teachers are native speakers, and they are very hands-on. There are many activities in and out of school. The children’s education is very well balanced with social activities. Hillcrest provides British curriculum. There is a good mix for the student profile; it is very balanced. It also provides French and Kiswahili classes starting in Yr 1. It makes you smile when your child speaks Kiswahili with the locals. Both schools have a very well-run and established bus system. My daughter used a one-way school bus for both schools, and we felt very comfortable.

There is also the Banda School, which I have heard so many great things about from my expat friends. We could not choose Banda because of its distance to our house.

In the Runda area, there is the International School of Kenya. The majority of my friends who live in the Runda area send their kids to ISK, and they are very happy with the school’s education and social activities. ISK has an International curriculum adopted couple programs; ISK has IB as well.

In Runda, there is also a German School, but it has German curriculum, and it strictly provides education for German speaking children. English is their second language. There is the Peponi School in Runda as well. There are many expat children attending Peponi, and I believe it is not a big school, so they have a waiting list, especially for the younger ages.

There are also the Braeburn Schools. They have campuses in different areas in town. Braeburn is also an international school that applies British curriculum, and they have a long waiting list for certain areas. If you are planning to send your kids to Braeburn, you should definitely apply as soon as you make your decision.

When I was searching for a school for my daughter, one of my priorities was to be close to home. Traffic can become such an issue with these unfinished roads, especially during the rainy seasons. So, I would definitely urge you to find a house near the school you choose or do it the other way around. Otherwise, your child will have to spend so much time in traffic. My other priority was finding a school where my child would be getting a good education, where she would be happy and fulfilled socially as well. Another recommendation I can give is to just visit the school during weekdays and see it yourself. Being in the school with its students can make a huge difference, as well as having a conversation with the teachers. Many smiling face will help with your decision, and, of course, definitely talk to people around you, including your neighbors, and get their thoughts.

For Fitness Enthusiasts

Not a lot of people are fitness enthusiast, but hey, I am one of them. If I skip my exercise routine, I feel something is missing. Right after we moved here, I started my research. So even though this subject is not a priority for most people, I am sure there are some who move to Nairobi or are planning to move who would like to know where to exercise and what the options are.

Nairobi weather can be the best in terms of exercising outside, especially for activities such as jogging, walking, and cycling. The only downside is the altitude, which is 1,680m. In Karen, it is a little bit higher. If you are not used to exercising at high altitudes, you will probably have a little bit of a breathing problem[AA1] , at least at the start. When you are out, especially on Ngong Road, you can see Kenyan marathoners getting ready for next one. You probably know by now why they always come in first! Exercising outside here will be one of my best memories to look back on in future. Where else can you see baboons playing on trees when you exercise:)?  All these big trees give a wonderful breeze and the birds are singing along. If you use back roads, it is much quieter and nicer, so you indulge in more of a one-of-a-kind experience.

For indoor exercising, since I am living in Karen, I can only talk for my area. There are not many gyms around in terms of what you expect if you come from a country like the US or a major metropolitan city. There is one on Karen Road, but I have never gotten my foot[AA2]  inside, and there are some small studios that are run by ladies (mostly). They are on a class basis and include no major equipment. According to my research, there are some in Runda area as well. Since I am a regular student in one of these studios, I would definitely recommend you to be a part of one that is close to you. These studios are ran by wonderful ladies, you make friends, you get to know your trainer, and there are coffee stops at the end of class. It is a wonderful way to exercise and socialize).

Lastly how could I forget to talk about the stables? There are many stables in and around Nairobi that are run by the locals. They have wonderful instructors for a very reasonable price. They provide horses, depending on your skill level, and equipment is provided. My daughter goes to one in Karen, and she loves it. It is one lesson she wants to go back to, which is a miracle for 7years old!

Roads in Nairobi

I have been planning to write a blog over this past year, and all of a sudden, I have finally started, and here I am blogging almost everyday!

In this blog, I want to cover roads in Nairobi. Personally, I am still trying to figure out the huge potholes on roads. I am amazed by how quickly a hole can become deeper and deeper, and on the other hand, how slowly it can be fixed. Driving on these roads is like a game every day, especially during rainy season. There are not many roads in Nairobi when you compare it with other big cities around the world. (Ok, I will try not to make any comparisons. That was my first promise to myself when we moved to Nairobi! ). But the good news is there are some major road constructions going on in the city. Unfortunately, until these constructions are finished (who knows when!), driving is getting crazier every day! The other funny thing is that most roads are one way-- let me take that back-- they are not even one-way because both ways end up in one! Every time it rains, the road narrows down little by little. But you cannot imagine how quickly you can adapt and become animated when driving. My 2-year-old, especially, finds it so much fun that he puts his arms up like he is on a rollercoaster.

Most expats have these big 4x4s, (“bigger is better” is the motto here), so here I am in my little tiny Toyota trying to own my way on these narrow roads! But hey, as long as I stay away from the water filled potholes, I am 'the queen,' since my car can fit anywhere!

Would I recommend 4x4s to other expats?  Probably,' yes ' because most of us are used to driving on huge roads with signs, lights and everything. So probably, a 4x4 would be a better option. From my point of view, being Turkish, it prepares you for these kinds of situations very well, and you adapt pretty quickly (that is a must in today’s world).

I forgot to mention the bumps. Every road has bumps; I have never seen anything like this. But from another point of view, I guess you need these bumps because there are hardly any road signs, lights, etc. By the time you try to go a little faster, you have to slow down to go over one of these bumps. And your car must be high enough to go over these bumps easily (another reason why people choose to drive 4x4s). Some bumps are so high that you feel like you are going to end up like the Flintstones!

Now, let's talk about matatus. I had read so much about them before I moved here. So, whatever you read, that is the truth, nothing less. As far as I know, there is no government-run transportation. Transportation is mostly, maybe not all, run and owned privately. So up until recently, matatus owned and ruled the roads. However, beginning in 2013, the government issued new regulations for matatus, which caused protests all over the city. The good thing is roads are safer now because matatu drivers are checked on frequently by cops.

So, good luck with driving.

First day of blogging

From the first day I put my foot into Nairobi I wanted to start a blog, unfortunately never got a chance to do it,ok lets put it into a different word, never put my mind into it:) Now, it has been over a year, after going through so many things I can do this! You would probably say why it took a year to blog? Well yeah I agree, I thought moving to Nairobi would be a quick and easy transition, obviously it was not. But here I am. Lets start:)