Or, a vision in a dream. A Fragment.
someone has unkindly placed me on my stomach. this is how I get out of it. STEP 1: Make sure all my surroundings are clear. STEP 2: Start the momentum going by swinging my enormously heavy head to one side, while simultaneously pushing off with the opposite foot. STEP 3: Follow through with my arm. STEP 4: Wait for the … Read More
One Sunday we took a walk in Uhuru park, the large park just west of city centre. I wanted to visit because I knew from there you could see the Nairobi skyline (so what if it’s dominated by a giant Johnny Walker ad??): “Uhuru” means freedom in swahili, and the park is actually the place where the first Kenyan flag was raised … Read More
While looking for apartments in Nairobi, it was quite useful to check out the various bulletin boards at shopping centres in our neighbourhood. It’s interesting what kind of ads turn up: Nice try with the (clearly photocopied) UNICEF letterhead–though I do like the “Mr&Mrs Anne.” But even better are these “public notices” that are frequently published in the newspaper. Must … Read More
We’ve finally signed the lease to our new apartment! We’re living in the Kilimani area of Nairobi–basically where all the NGOs are based. The apartment is furnished and as such a bit overpriced, but what clinched it for us was the large lawn in the back–the only complex we saw that had a green space at all, unfortunately. And in … Read More
7 pieces of luggage, 1 stroller, 1 car seat and 5 carry-on pieces later — and we’re in Nairobi. we’re here until the end of 2014 for G’s work, while also taking advantage of parental leave (which in Norway is a shared m/paternal leave of 49 weeks at 100% pay or 59 weeks at 80% pay). we’re camped at a serviced … Read More
I think this ad, by the public transportation authority of Oslo (ruter), is hilarious–and passive-aggressive. It says: “THANKS for showing a queueing culture…”. And yet if you’ve ever been on a bus or train in Norway you would know that Norwegians don’t queue, they mob (while jabbing with their elbows, or at least that’s how it feels to me). Same … Read More
oh, did I fail to mention that I’ve tasted the cronut here in Oslo? Quite tasty, and didn’t cost me $100 on the black market. (Surprisingly, at 29 kroner it’s about the same price as in New York–and not any more expensive than other pastries here.) You can get them at Maschmanns, an ultra fancy (read: awesome) food market in … Read More
Winter is generally a crappy time to visit Oslo: it’s cold, it’s dark, and it ain’t pretty. But upon my family’s visit this February, I decided to take my brother out to try Korketrekkeren (“the corkscrew”), a toboggan run I’d often heard about. So one afternoon we took the subway all the way to the end (about a 45-minute ride), … Read More
Over the past year, my colleague Cindy Horst has been researching how inclusion and exclusion processes have affected the Somali community in Oslo. As part of a larger “Somalis in European Cities” project, it has just released a wonderful set of illustrated stories depicting life in seven different cities around Europe (click image above to access). Somalis are one of … Read More
I don’t usually write about work, but there has been a small project that’s been fun lately: I’ve been putting together videos for three projects as a test pilot in profiling different kinds of research. Here’s the first one, which is the simplest: a slideshow based on some great photos by my colleague Jason for his work on conflict diamonds: … Read More