in december i was lucky enough to travel to kenya for a truly epic and once-in-a-lifetime family reunion! 67 family members convened for a week that had been in planning for years. due to the fact that it was interview season i didn’t think i would be able to make it, but i managed to avoid scheduling any interviews for that week and a couple days prior, when airfares remained exceptionally cheap, i decided to go for it!
i got to spend a day in doha, qatar on the way over, which was a place i’ve always wanted to be able to visit. qatar is famous for being the richest country in the world thanks to its exports of natural gas, and recently for punching well above its weight in the sphere of international relations. it is scheduled to host the 2022 fifa world cup despite concerns over the treatment of many of its foreign workers, a demographic which constitute 90% of population. my south indian taxi driver in doha ranted about how they took away his passport for the duration of his 5 year work contract, and how qataris are so entitled and do nothing with themselves, treating foreigners with zero dignity. his words. i went to the new atmospheric museum of islamic art, built on the waterfront with a view across the gulf to the impressive doha skyline. the building is probably more impressive than the art inside. i then spent the rest of the day visiting malls, including one themed after venice, where you can take gondola rides through the mall's canals.
then, to kenya! it was so great to see my extended family, many of whom we don’t see for years. also many young children who i had not yet had the chance to meet. we stayed at a mission-run guesthouse in nairobi for a few days, visiting an elephant orphange one day. another day we went to the town of kijabe, where all my mother’s siblings grew up. we visited the gravesites where some of those who went before are interned. the family has lived in kenya since the american civil war! then we took some croweded buses to tsavo game park for one night, where we stayed in an opulent game lodge! then we continued through mombasa to turtle bay, a resort on the indian ocean! it was all-inclusive and amazing! then it was quickly back to america, with a residency interview dinner on the day of arrival. it was a really special trip; memories forever!
