Nairobi by Night

From the moment I knew I was coming to Nairobi, the first thing that every travel guide said, every concerned parent reminded me, every friend who had ever visited the city made sure I knew....was not to walk around after it gets dark. That's when the muggers come out. That's when your purse and jewelry become reasons to kill for. That's when the working world goes to sleep, and the city of thieves wakes up.
But leaving work late one Friday evening to grab a drink with my co-workers, Nairobi by night was nothing close to those tales. As we stepped outside the building, the first thing I noticed was the sound of African music blaring loudly and lively from a nearby club. People were everywhere, girls in tight jeans and heels, boys in casual shirts and runners, gearing up for a night bound to be filled with booze, dancing, banter and flirting.
After leaving one club and heading to another around 2am, call me extremely naive, but the cunniving scoundrels who would cut off your hand to steal your gold bracelet and the sexual predators waiting to lure you into a dark corner seemed to have the night off that Friday.
Walking in the early hours of the morning in town, it felt a lot like walking in any other big city really. The air was crisp. Conversations echoed on the street. Heels clicked on the sidewalk. A hollow drum beat and some bass were released each time someone walked in and out of the entrance to a club. Granted, I wasn't walking alone -- I was with a bunch of locals which probably made a huge difference where safety was concerned -- but by night, Nairobi seemed almost calmer. Less abrasive. More fragile.
After numerous attempts to hide this blog from my co-workers in Nairobi, who I thought didn't really know me well enough to comprehend the lens I'm seeing this whole experience through, a few managed to find it anyway. I was worried what they might think after reading it. But then, one of them said this to me:
"You seem to have had a lot of preconceptions about Kenya but you can tell the more time you spend here, the more you're seeing the place as it really is. Your perspective is changing."
And he's absolutely right.
What's more, it's not just me getting to know the city and its inhabitants better. I may have underestimated the friendships I'm developing with my coworkers. I think the city and the people here, are getting to know me better as well...as I really am, and better than I thought they ever would.