a new life

i made it. after months of debate and finally committing to move to africa, i am here. okay, maybe there wasn't THAT much debate. after i did a movie in nairobi in january of this year, i felt a pretty strong tug to move here. a divine nudge, if you will, that only got stronger and more confirmed as the year progressed. to the point that when i finally did leave, it felt like i had no choice. i had to try something new. and during my shoot here i found that thirty years in hollywood in east africa opens doors and people want to meet you, while thirty years in hollywood in hollywood means you're over. it was time to explore something new.

the back story

i've been to africa 6 times now. it started when i was 19 years old doing famine relief in west africa with sudan interior missions. i spent a whole summer working with 40 nationals doing odd jobs at a bush hospital in the tiny town/village of bemberreke, benin. i think it impacted me more than i realized. i fell in love with africa. after that (15-25 years later) i visited south africa (joburg, durban, san le mer, knysna, capetown), botswana (maun, okavango delta), kenya (nairobi, kima, dandora), tanzania (kilimanjaro, moshi), zanzibar, kenya (nairobi, lewa, isilolo, tigoni, limuru, karen, the masai mara) and now back to kenya again (karen). there is something about africa that is indescribable. the smells, the sights, the sounds, the people, the sky, the game, the wildness, the sheer adventure of it all. anything can happen here at any time. good and bad. it keeps you on your toes. but i have always loved it when i was here. and admittedly it was hard not to love it here last time in january as i was on location shooting a movie getting paid with expenses covered surrounded by fun cast and crew and having the experience of a lifetime. not reality. but it was my reality for close to a month. and although perhaps not the best thing to base a life-move on, i was starving for something more in my life.

the LA story

i had had a great career in hollywood as an actor and more recently as an award-winning director (cold play, johnny). but doors were closing and business was slow. at 56, if you're not george clooney, tom hanks, or bryan cranston, it's hard to keep working from one project to another. but i had a great run. i was dubbed "the king of commercials" and had made a nice living as a working actor doing television and film. i even starred in a sitcom with jennifer aniston before she went on to do friends. but i had a steady acting career and did well. however, the last 7 years or so has been mainly day player stuff on night time episodic and some occasional film roles. it led me into directing more which was where my true interests always lied, but audition wise the phone was ringing less and less. for me, living downtown in a groovy loft in the continental building in the old bank district and directing commercials and a webcom ultimately wasn't enough to keep me there. i wanted more for my life. as much as i loved my loft (see the adventures of nick & lila; http://vimeo.com/channels/239957) it wasn't going to cut it staring across the street at an old building for another 10-20-30 years watching tv all day and checking facebook. i needed more. i wanted more. i had to make some bold choices.

how does it feel?

what does it feel like to pack up your whole life and move half way across the world? well, with no wife, no pets, and no commitments or responsibilities, it was fairly easy. you get rid of all your belongings (tossing old photos is always the hardest) and make a plan. i had made friends in kenya and knew nairobi rather well, so i knew what to expect more or less. abe hooked me up with chris and lindy at the livingstone guest house in karen by the ngong hills from out of africa...my sister heidi's favorite film...may she rest in peace, although she would flip if she knew i was living here! i'm plugging into the karen vineyard church which helps build instant community, and i have old friends here as well in andy and delia at brownscheese.com in tigoni in the hills above nairobi.
what was it like the day of the move? well, a rather restless night of sleep, partially because of the air bed i had slept on for the past week, and partially because i had 15 bags of luggage i wasn't 100% sure was going to get on the plane. but after a nice DTLA send off with friends held at miguel's art studio http://miguelosuna.com/

it was time to wake up at 5am and start the long trek. la-dubai-nairobi.
(friends elizabeth, leslie, brooke, sam and LT!)

the journey

my good friend dan donley (donleyfilms.com) (yes, all my friends have websites. kinda cool and creepy all at once) helped me get all my bags to the airport by 6am at the air emirates check in. i was allowed 2 bags, paid for 3 more on line at $140 per, but still had 10 bags left to get on board! (let alone getting thru kenya airport customs. but that's later.)

as as my dallas wingman dminer likes to say "it couldn't gone better" and the emirates girl said "sure, let's start with the largest ones first" and instead of $180 per bag at check in as stated on line, it was only $175 per bag and she threw my tripod in for free. so 9 bags total or...for $1575, my entire life's belongings were safely checked in and booked for nairobi. big relief, believe me. then dan helped me shop for a cool backpack thingy that sits on top of my roller carry-on bag so i look like a professional traveler (think clooney in up in the air). bag problem solved. then the check-in cutie gave me a window exit row for mas leg room. and i was flying posh...port out, starboard home, to be out of the sun. couldn't gone better. air emirates is awesome. and 15 hours later i was in beautiful dubai for a 3 hour layover. and i'm not sure if it was the red wine with the lamb or the double scroogie after take-off, but i had a killer headache in dubai. maybe it was the cabin pressure at 5000 feet while we flew at 36,000 feet. (BTW, eastbound flights fly at even altitudes, westbound...odd altitudes. it's a safety thing) dubai airport is huge and busy, and i couldn't wait to get going to my connecting flight.

i met a nice chap next to me to dubai from ethipoia named mohammed and then to nairobi met a nice chap next to me from iran named mohammed. the latter mohammed helped me get thru kenya airport. he and 3 other porters pushing carts, but not before the nice customs man asked for my photographer's "license and letter" allowing me to enter the country with all my gear. hmmm. no letter. no license. no problem. turns out $200 USD later, it was no problem. (so i guess i paid for that 10th bag after all, but no biggie. i had made it. all my bags included. and that means camera gear and edit bay stuff. whew). then my driver from the film LEO in january, peter, loaded me in his van and drove me to karen. and chris and lindy are awesome. and their guest house is homey and quiet. especially after living on 4th street in DTLA. this old 1966 rover is very ralph lauren-esque but not so smooth. i'll need a smoother ride for my sled here. that hunt starts this week i suppose.

closing thoughts

i slept very well that first night i assure you. so exhausted from trying to wrap up my life in the usa before i got here. lots of loose ends and pressure getting everything done, but i made it. i'm here. and the adventure begins. i landed on the date 10-01-11 on jewish new year. by all signs, a new beginning in the offing.

it's monday. wonder what this week will hold? cheers.