reality unplugged.

yo.

first things first: my luggage arrived. i've found a lovely apartment. will have own wheels again after transmission is fixed. have even arranged wireless internet in my new pad - my, how things have changed technology-wise here since a mere six months ago! - and have already had several interviews with foreign press agencies here. basically? no one's hiring, but they'd love another freelancer. so it seems i'll have enough people to work for here without even having to resort to looking for contacts back in the states. but i imagine i'll begin doing that soon enough.

wrote a story last week about kenya's new found appreciation for reality television programming. they're even attempting to shoot an east african version of american idol here in nairobi. i went to the open casting call (held, of course, at the local movie theatre - an obvious choice for acoustics?) and was treated to a seemingly endless thread of would-be reality stars singing mostly forgotten early 1990s r&b hits (what they hear on the radio constantly). the judge's response to those whose performances left a lot to be desired was the brisk, "your voice is below average" modified sporadically with the adjectives "slightly," "far," and "extremely." despite its initial entertainment factor, i soon began to feel sorry for the judges who had to sit around for a whole weekend of auditions - especially when i realized the frequency of which several whitney houston, mariah carey and phil collins tunes were performed. needless to say, if anyone sends me a burned cd - please refrain from including "the greatest love of all."

i ended up interviewing this kenyan model/actor who was just featured in survivor africa as the kenyan representative in a pan-african version of the show who said that basically, africans are at a disadvantage when it comes to this television format because they're smart enough to know the consequences of having their words and actions broadcast to a national audience. unlike americans who will debase themselves for whatever lurid reputation their fifteen minutes of fame will afford them. his words, not mine.

later this week or early next am heading up to a refugee camp on the kenya-somalia border to dredge up some details about this massive influx of somalis fleeing the spreading (and warring) islamist presence in what passes for their "country."

speaking of a free-for-all, is it true? the terminator's ahead in the polls and it actually looks like those soggy-brained californians are going to re-elect him?

baggage.

ahoy! greetings from east africa.

i've arrived, warmly welcomed, back in nairobi - although my luggage hasn't yet. meaning, basically, that i've moved to another country with nothing other than my laptop, three novels, a couple magazines and the clothes on my back (which i've been wearing since tuesday). and yet, i'm still excited to be here.

i'll start working on monday, stringing for the frogs and making the rounds to all the other media organizations in town. i've already a long list of features that i want to work on that i figure i can sell to some unsuspecting american newspaper after i put it out on the wire. that's the beauty of working for the french - they're not in direct competition with any of our own outlets. we'll see how successful i am.

i was able to secure a two-bedroom apartment in my old complex (it's really a three bedroom but the landlord loves me so much he'll rent it to me as a two bedroom if we don't use the third bedroom) for myself and the new grad school intern that's heading over in a couple of weeks. i've already moved what few belongings i have into it this afternoon.

that's the news for now. it will be much more interesting once i get back into the swing of things and then i can post about more exciting things than lost luggage and how i'm going to find work.

love to all.