Epic day today. In the groove. Such beautiful places and people. Great team. Amazing trip and awesome pics. Very happy to be here. Day 22 in africa and creating life time memories. Can't wait to share thoughts and pics from addis.
Will be at Gheralta lodge tomorrow night. Google it. And today saw an old church that supposedly has the ark of the convenient beneath it. Ten commandment tablets kinda stuff. Urban myth! Still, good fun.
Amazing people along this trip. Heavy hitters and donors.
Much much more later. But I wish you all could have been along with me today!'
Xxoo
DDM
Saturday, 22 October 2011
Friday, 21 October 2011
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia. 3 minutes of wifi a day. No time to blog. Busy doing the charity:water shoot. Team 2 from NYC just arrived. 5 hour drive to the north today. Amazing scenery. Great folks. Good time on a trip of a lifetime! Much much more to come next week!!
Thanks for coming with!
Xo
Ps more pics to come also! Back in addis tuesday!
Thanks for coming with!
Xo
Ps more pics to come also! Back in addis tuesday!
Friday, 14 October 2011
things coming together quickly
heart beating faster day
woke up and my heart was beating faster. was up til after midnight getting my flights and hotels sorted out for my trip to ethiopia. i leave tomorrow (saturday) til oct 26th!! fly into addis ababa sat nite and stay at the beer garden inn (an actual bona fide hotel...i can't make all this stuff up, folks). then sunday at 3pm i join the US donor team from NYC coming with charity:water and we fly north to makale. then it's mondo videography of donors seeing what fresh water wells they bought. and how they have impacted forever the lives of that village. real National Geo channel stuff. i thought it might be the trip they are doing with will smith, but not this time. i think will might come later this year.
airtel
the airtel spot went away. they changed the script into a green screen animation thing. not my specialty. but all is well. i really wanted to go to ethiopia, the cradle of life in my eyes. the oldest country on earth...or at least it should be. so wild. so ancient. and such an assignment. the flights in and out of addis are terrible. ethiopian airways have a monopoly on good flight times so the connections coming and going are rough. kenya airways isn't allowed to fly in on the weekends. at any rate, i have to stay overnight on the way up and the way back. otherwise, it's like departing at 3:30am to arrive at 5:30am and wait til a 3pm flight. useless. oh well, the beer garden inn sounds good enough. recommended by CW (charity water) so i'll give it a go. a buck fifty USD per night isn't cheap. africa isn't cheap. but seeing addis after hearing about it since 1974 when i almost did famine relief there is pretty cool. airtel is off the table but the CW shoot is on and i'll be gone for 10 days. a long trek. and total adventure. yippee.
vehicle problem solved
my indian mechanic friend Mandeep came thru in the clutch and found a cool 1999 turbo diesel toyota prado for me. i saw it yesterday and drove it and ended up buying it today. he had looked at 16 prados and liked this one the best. the diesel engine is clean, has never been opened, has 110,000 km on it (68,000 miles), and was 16gr USD. in the states it be worth about $7500. the roads are brutal here and maintaining a vehicle here is hard. the roads are dirt or dusty and it's just a battle to keep a car well. this one is a cream puff in comparison. suspension is good. interior is clean. paint is decent. the whole car is sufficient. not something i'd look for in the states, but a perfect africa car for ddm. and mandeep says it can go another 200,000 kms. my heart was beating faster cuz it's an all-cash deal today. imagine carrying around 1600 ten dollar bills. that's what happened but in kenyan schillings. i had to go to the bank. first the seller wanted dollars, then said schillings as the dollar is unstable with this inflation going on. so i got 1.6 million schillings in cash in my shoulder bag and stealthed around til we got to the used car dealer. felt like a drug deal. "you got the cash? yeah, i got the cash." like i was waiting for tony montanya to bust thru the door. hilarious.
then i had to get insurance and mandeep again to the rescue. hooking me up with his broker and finally getting all that sorted. so voila, vehicle problem solved. a decent rugged, ranger-style 4wd safari-ready Prado with a snorkel intake so i can forge the mara river when its window high. pretty stinking cool overall. my german friend manny will love it. a prime africa sled. and does the job. in less than 2 weeks, i have a good dependable off-road capable ride. i can drive to the mara or lewa or cruise the nairobi game park whenever you come visit. and it's a big relief to have it sorted. especially before i leave for ETH. car problem solved. mandeep will service it when i get back and maybe we'll throw a bull bar (cattle guard) on the front bumper to keep the mutatu's (taxi vans) from cutting me off. the bars look mad max scary. and work. plus i can push water buffalo out of the way. ha. yeah, fat chance.
lodging problem solved
the other thing is the place i found in hardy. a 3 month sublet. i took it. it again was good enough and for $200 a month (that's right friends, 200) it's quite a bargain. the ole pension is looking like it'll stretch a little further. the guest house is free standing, on a secure compound, has a veranda, and is small but charming. the bulbs are low wattage and the place is dark but some new brighter energy saving bulbs will cheer it up.
it's a little daunting moving into a little place all by myself. living in DTLA is surrounded by restaurants and friends. total urban. this is beyond rural, as this is a separate compound. some brit guy named clive lives in the big house. he comes and goes. maybe we'll be mates and hang, but not likely. mark & su live fairly close. but let's face it, i'm abe lincoln in a lost cabin in the woods. make it thoreau. it's outer hardy. and dark at night. no tv. which is fine. it'll be interesting. a 3 month test. me myself and i. to maybe find out why i came here. it'll be an interesting introspective time. and the reality (gulp) of moving here is soon upon me. got a car, got a place to live, got some work, but the bigger thing still lurks. what i am here for? did god lead me here? do i have a purpose here? will i find my mate here? a life long companion? work? a mission? i'm so curious to see what it is exactly that pulled me here. some bigger call? or simply moved by boredom? i'd like to think there is something significant in the big scheme of my life and death. whatever it is, i am here to see it unfold. big or small.
misc.
been raining alot this week. ETH will be sunny but also cool. highs of 73 and lows in the low 50s. even 48. have to pack accordingly. also need to sig up for swahili lessons when i get back. really want to get into that. be able to talk to the locals. here are two locals that work at chris & lindy's. zippora and thomas. so lovely. zippy speaks so softly. they both do. and they are teaching me "kitchen swa" as long as i keep asking how to say stuff.
the other favorite around here is their english mastiff Wallace. so much personality. guaranteed to make you smile. such a character. they got him in tanzania.
he's huge. and very lovable and huggable.
wrap up
so, it's been a busy 2 weeks. everything is so different. every time you spend money the currency is different, the cars drive on the left side and driving today i confess i have no feel for left side driving. knowing how wide the car is on that side, how to steer, how to drive, it's all different and awkward. but i will adjust. and am slowing adapting everyday. but when you think it's one way you see it's another way. the culture is deep and the language is a constant reminder there are two separate worlds here.
the trip to ETH should be a very wild experience. we will be going to the very remote ends of the earth kinds of places. villages from the beginning of time. in remote country. i'll try to take stills (always hard to remember to do when i'm in video mode). i'm a little nervous. wanna do a good job. make some art. but i know once i get boots on the ground with my canon 5D in my hand, i'll know what to do. and scott harrison and his wife vik are old friends and real doers. it'll be an amazing trip. and an amazing time already being here. things have happened fairly fast. i'm getting settled and moving into a new phase. the next phase of settling in. own place. own vehicle. on my own. wow. a little scary. but all worth coming for. to find a new life. maybe to find me. might be my last blog for a while. for 2 weeks maybe. but i'll try. no idea what the wifi sitch will be.
love you all. thanks for coming with me.
woke up and my heart was beating faster. was up til after midnight getting my flights and hotels sorted out for my trip to ethiopia. i leave tomorrow (saturday) til oct 26th!! fly into addis ababa sat nite and stay at the beer garden inn (an actual bona fide hotel...i can't make all this stuff up, folks). then sunday at 3pm i join the US donor team from NYC coming with charity:water and we fly north to makale. then it's mondo videography of donors seeing what fresh water wells they bought. and how they have impacted forever the lives of that village. real National Geo channel stuff. i thought it might be the trip they are doing with will smith, but not this time. i think will might come later this year.
airtel
the airtel spot went away. they changed the script into a green screen animation thing. not my specialty. but all is well. i really wanted to go to ethiopia, the cradle of life in my eyes. the oldest country on earth...or at least it should be. so wild. so ancient. and such an assignment. the flights in and out of addis are terrible. ethiopian airways have a monopoly on good flight times so the connections coming and going are rough. kenya airways isn't allowed to fly in on the weekends. at any rate, i have to stay overnight on the way up and the way back. otherwise, it's like departing at 3:30am to arrive at 5:30am and wait til a 3pm flight. useless. oh well, the beer garden inn sounds good enough. recommended by CW (charity water) so i'll give it a go. a buck fifty USD per night isn't cheap. africa isn't cheap. but seeing addis after hearing about it since 1974 when i almost did famine relief there is pretty cool. airtel is off the table but the CW shoot is on and i'll be gone for 10 days. a long trek. and total adventure. yippee.
vehicle problem solved
my indian mechanic friend Mandeep came thru in the clutch and found a cool 1999 turbo diesel toyota prado for me. i saw it yesterday and drove it and ended up buying it today. he had looked at 16 prados and liked this one the best. the diesel engine is clean, has never been opened, has 110,000 km on it (68,000 miles), and was 16gr USD. in the states it be worth about $7500. the roads are brutal here and maintaining a vehicle here is hard. the roads are dirt or dusty and it's just a battle to keep a car well. this one is a cream puff in comparison. suspension is good. interior is clean. paint is decent. the whole car is sufficient. not something i'd look for in the states, but a perfect africa car for ddm. and mandeep says it can go another 200,000 kms. my heart was beating faster cuz it's an all-cash deal today. imagine carrying around 1600 ten dollar bills. that's what happened but in kenyan schillings. i had to go to the bank. first the seller wanted dollars, then said schillings as the dollar is unstable with this inflation going on. so i got 1.6 million schillings in cash in my shoulder bag and stealthed around til we got to the used car dealer. felt like a drug deal. "you got the cash? yeah, i got the cash." like i was waiting for tony montanya to bust thru the door. hilarious.
then i had to get insurance and mandeep again to the rescue. hooking me up with his broker and finally getting all that sorted. so voila, vehicle problem solved. a decent rugged, ranger-style 4wd safari-ready Prado with a snorkel intake so i can forge the mara river when its window high. pretty stinking cool overall. my german friend manny will love it. a prime africa sled. and does the job. in less than 2 weeks, i have a good dependable off-road capable ride. i can drive to the mara or lewa or cruise the nairobi game park whenever you come visit. and it's a big relief to have it sorted. especially before i leave for ETH. car problem solved. mandeep will service it when i get back and maybe we'll throw a bull bar (cattle guard) on the front bumper to keep the mutatu's (taxi vans) from cutting me off. the bars look mad max scary. and work. plus i can push water buffalo out of the way. ha. yeah, fat chance.
lodging problem solved
the other thing is the place i found in hardy. a 3 month sublet. i took it. it again was good enough and for $200 a month (that's right friends, 200) it's quite a bargain. the ole pension is looking like it'll stretch a little further. the guest house is free standing, on a secure compound, has a veranda, and is small but charming. the bulbs are low wattage and the place is dark but some new brighter energy saving bulbs will cheer it up.
it has a good sized bathroom, lots of hot water, a clothesline in the side yard to hang and dry my laundry (thinking it's a hand wash deal. hmm)
and a single bed. the decision was based on a new policy i've adopted this year, including moving to africa..."why not?". seems kinda trite, but i'm looking at this place, i can't stay at chris & lindy's forever, i'm waiting for the primo 2 bedroom to become available in february, and this place is affordable and available and furnished and and and. so, why not? and if i can't find an answer, i go for it. move to kenya full time? why not? gee, i can't think of a good reason not to! so here i am. and here is the old cabin i'll be living in.
i confess, it looks bigger thru my iphone camera : )
misc.
been raining alot this week. ETH will be sunny but also cool. highs of 73 and lows in the low 50s. even 48. have to pack accordingly. also need to sig up for swahili lessons when i get back. really want to get into that. be able to talk to the locals. here are two locals that work at chris & lindy's. zippora and thomas. so lovely. zippy speaks so softly. they both do. and they are teaching me "kitchen swa" as long as i keep asking how to say stuff.
wrap up
so, it's been a busy 2 weeks. everything is so different. every time you spend money the currency is different, the cars drive on the left side and driving today i confess i have no feel for left side driving. knowing how wide the car is on that side, how to steer, how to drive, it's all different and awkward. but i will adjust. and am slowing adapting everyday. but when you think it's one way you see it's another way. the culture is deep and the language is a constant reminder there are two separate worlds here.
the trip to ETH should be a very wild experience. we will be going to the very remote ends of the earth kinds of places. villages from the beginning of time. in remote country. i'll try to take stills (always hard to remember to do when i'm in video mode). i'm a little nervous. wanna do a good job. make some art. but i know once i get boots on the ground with my canon 5D in my hand, i'll know what to do. and scott harrison and his wife vik are old friends and real doers. it'll be an amazing trip. and an amazing time already being here. things have happened fairly fast. i'm getting settled and moving into a new phase. the next phase of settling in. own place. own vehicle. on my own. wow. a little scary. but all worth coming for. to find a new life. maybe to find me. might be my last blog for a while. for 2 weeks maybe. but i'll try. no idea what the wifi sitch will be.
love you all. thanks for coming with me.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
the plot thickens
new developments
got an email monday from scott harrison at charity:water to hire me for a 9 day shoot in ethiopia to shoot a team of donors at fresh water well sites. dates are oct 16-23. i would fly into addis ababa, the capitol of ethiopia, and have a fun week with new folks of field work. the only conflict is the airtel commercial spot, i wouldn't be able to do both. but i have heard only crickets so far this week from my production peeps. it's a long shot at this point. and i'd love to direct a commercial spot and get that going over here, but ethiopia for a week all expenses paid (and a little extra) sounds very adventurous. it's a win win, either way, either job. we shall see. but i kinda think addis is going to happen.
this popped up this morning...an ex-pat yank (deb) is leaving on furlough to the states for 3 months starting oct 27. i could sublet her place...a cozy one bedroom with a sitting room out in the hardy area for under $300 a month. so i could be there til feb 1, and if that other 2 bedroom opens up with my name on it end of january, the whole timing thing could be perfect. so i'll look at it today. it sounds ideal. could be very cool. more on that later, but it sounds promising.
things i miss
so far the things i miss (in no particular order) are big fresh juicy apples (and some sliced cheese to go with), having a car (still sorting that one out), my bathroom and shower back in LA (room to turn around and lots of hot water), my iphone (still needing to be jailbroke but waiting for new software break the iphone4) and that's about it. the mosquito net every nite is a little tiresome to crawl in and out of and probably overkill (some folks here don't use em) so i'm in limbo about it. but it's a good precaution and keeps the mozzies from buzzing in your ears.
overall
overall, i'm freezing!!!!! lots of cloud cover this week and it's bloody cold. especially in the morning. surprised at that. just a cloudy, rainy week. it'll be hot enough come january! that's summer time here! really hoping this sublet works out. be nice to have my own place for a while although i've loved being here with chris and lindy and lots of family vibe, just what i wanted actually. to land and have some community and land and not live alone right off the bat. but i can't stay here forever and if i go to addis, then when i get back i'll have one more week here. then move into deb's place in Hardy. kinda on the far side of Karen, but a good part of town. feels more like malibu west. bigger plots of land. more open feeling. i just hope she has decent wifi. chris and lindy have great wifi and i love my work station here. wifi speed is almost 1mbit/s so that's pretty fast for over here. the internet speed overall is really picking up here, another component to kenya being an emerging place.
my new indian mechanic, mandeep, is helping me find a toyota prado. i met him this week and felt good about him right away. he also is a part of the karen vineyard community so i feel safe with him, i trust him. he had found a diesel prado for under $20 gr and it sounded good...7 years old (considered a new car here), had a new engine, and and, but alas it turned out not being for sale. a new one came on grid today (a petrol, not diesel) but i can't believe how much used cars are here. a 2002 prado (like a forerunner) with 76,000 miles is @ $20gr! insane! but that's how it is. well maintained vehicles on these bumpy roads are at a premium. and new cars are off the charts!
visa stuff
have decided to chill out on the work visa stuff and forming my own prod company for now. no need to start my own business. we'll see how the freelance directing goes. and if anything more comes from ogilvy africa after this airtel spot. not sure what will come my way. but the cost of living so far has been very reasonable and my monthly pension is stretching pretty far. every day i get more settled and get the lay of the land. last night had a fun fondue dinner party at the Talisman with brown's cheese sponsoring the event. it was chris's birthday as well and his family is in town. it was a nice night out. but visa wise, i can take it a month at a time. i might go to jo-burg, south africa, over christmas so maybe i'll get a new visitor visa coming back into kenya jan 1.
so...so far so good. some things in play. and much more things happening here than were happening for me in LA, so a good choice to move here. hopefully the charity:water shoot will happen and i can do more for them. i love fresh water well projects and everyone is so happy to get fresh water after generations of walking 4 hours a day to get dirty swamp water! i really love charity water and scott harrison and look forward to working with them. this particular trip of 25 donors requires more B roll footage for scott, so i really hope it works out (plus for some reason i'm craving a hotel stay!) wish i could do the airtel spot AND the addis trip. interesting to see what opens up. will know tomorrow.
all for now. sorry no pics in this entry. everyone loves the pics!!!! i promise more pics soon. i need to be in the habit of shooting more. i'll get on that!
thanks for all the love and support. life in africa is surpassing all expectations so far. i'm busy and surrounded by loving folks already. not lonely or depressed. and not watching any TV whatsoever so my life is not a total waste! i was getting pretty pathetic there in DTLA. a couch potato for sure. watching all my little favorite programs all day like at an old folks home. it's time for judge wapner!!!!!! (kidding).
all for now. gotta finish this UK promo i'm working on. love you all!
ddm
got an email monday from scott harrison at charity:water to hire me for a 9 day shoot in ethiopia to shoot a team of donors at fresh water well sites. dates are oct 16-23. i would fly into addis ababa, the capitol of ethiopia, and have a fun week with new folks of field work. the only conflict is the airtel commercial spot, i wouldn't be able to do both. but i have heard only crickets so far this week from my production peeps. it's a long shot at this point. and i'd love to direct a commercial spot and get that going over here, but ethiopia for a week all expenses paid (and a little extra) sounds very adventurous. it's a win win, either way, either job. we shall see. but i kinda think addis is going to happen.
this popped up this morning...an ex-pat yank (deb) is leaving on furlough to the states for 3 months starting oct 27. i could sublet her place...a cozy one bedroom with a sitting room out in the hardy area for under $300 a month. so i could be there til feb 1, and if that other 2 bedroom opens up with my name on it end of january, the whole timing thing could be perfect. so i'll look at it today. it sounds ideal. could be very cool. more on that later, but it sounds promising.
things i miss
so far the things i miss (in no particular order) are big fresh juicy apples (and some sliced cheese to go with), having a car (still sorting that one out), my bathroom and shower back in LA (room to turn around and lots of hot water), my iphone (still needing to be jailbroke but waiting for new software break the iphone4) and that's about it. the mosquito net every nite is a little tiresome to crawl in and out of and probably overkill (some folks here don't use em) so i'm in limbo about it. but it's a good precaution and keeps the mozzies from buzzing in your ears.
overall
overall, i'm freezing!!!!! lots of cloud cover this week and it's bloody cold. especially in the morning. surprised at that. just a cloudy, rainy week. it'll be hot enough come january! that's summer time here! really hoping this sublet works out. be nice to have my own place for a while although i've loved being here with chris and lindy and lots of family vibe, just what i wanted actually. to land and have some community and land and not live alone right off the bat. but i can't stay here forever and if i go to addis, then when i get back i'll have one more week here. then move into deb's place in Hardy. kinda on the far side of Karen, but a good part of town. feels more like malibu west. bigger plots of land. more open feeling. i just hope she has decent wifi. chris and lindy have great wifi and i love my work station here. wifi speed is almost 1mbit/s so that's pretty fast for over here. the internet speed overall is really picking up here, another component to kenya being an emerging place.
my new indian mechanic, mandeep, is helping me find a toyota prado. i met him this week and felt good about him right away. he also is a part of the karen vineyard community so i feel safe with him, i trust him. he had found a diesel prado for under $20 gr and it sounded good...7 years old (considered a new car here), had a new engine, and and, but alas it turned out not being for sale. a new one came on grid today (a petrol, not diesel) but i can't believe how much used cars are here. a 2002 prado (like a forerunner) with 76,000 miles is @ $20gr! insane! but that's how it is. well maintained vehicles on these bumpy roads are at a premium. and new cars are off the charts!
visa stuff
have decided to chill out on the work visa stuff and forming my own prod company for now. no need to start my own business. we'll see how the freelance directing goes. and if anything more comes from ogilvy africa after this airtel spot. not sure what will come my way. but the cost of living so far has been very reasonable and my monthly pension is stretching pretty far. every day i get more settled and get the lay of the land. last night had a fun fondue dinner party at the Talisman with brown's cheese sponsoring the event. it was chris's birthday as well and his family is in town. it was a nice night out. but visa wise, i can take it a month at a time. i might go to jo-burg, south africa, over christmas so maybe i'll get a new visitor visa coming back into kenya jan 1.
so...so far so good. some things in play. and much more things happening here than were happening for me in LA, so a good choice to move here. hopefully the charity:water shoot will happen and i can do more for them. i love fresh water well projects and everyone is so happy to get fresh water after generations of walking 4 hours a day to get dirty swamp water! i really love charity water and scott harrison and look forward to working with them. this particular trip of 25 donors requires more B roll footage for scott, so i really hope it works out (plus for some reason i'm craving a hotel stay!) wish i could do the airtel spot AND the addis trip. interesting to see what opens up. will know tomorrow.
all for now. sorry no pics in this entry. everyone loves the pics!!!! i promise more pics soon. i need to be in the habit of shooting more. i'll get on that!
thanks for all the love and support. life in africa is surpassing all expectations so far. i'm busy and surrounded by loving folks already. not lonely or depressed. and not watching any TV whatsoever so my life is not a total waste! i was getting pretty pathetic there in DTLA. a couch potato for sure. watching all my little favorite programs all day like at an old folks home. it's time for judge wapner!!!!!! (kidding).
all for now. gotta finish this UK promo i'm working on. love you all!
ddm
Monday, 10 October 2011
week one
wow...so busy
i love it when you ask me questions, cuz i don't always know what to write about. someone asked me if i was lonely. a legitimate concern for sure. but after week one, the answer is i'm too busy to be lonely! things have been happening fast and furious. it's like i long for my down time now. after my motorcycle taxi meeting with ogilvy africa on thursday and sound & pictures on friday, i had a black tie gala dinner friday night for the TOP 100 MEDIUM BUSINESSES in Nairobi held at the famous Carnivore restaurant. a sit down tented affair for 1000 folks with dinner, drinks, entertainment, and awarding the top 100 businesses with a trophy. a ritzy affair for sure. (took an hour in friday nite traffic to get there! 20 minutes to get home!)
the gala
i was invited by delia stirling of brown's cheese. they ended up 30 out of 100. pretty impressive. we had a fun table. a very funny indian attorney woman to my right with her hubby.(Indians from India, not Cherokees). the whole room had a esprit de corps vibe...we were all winners! very fancy and fun. old mr. gin killed me the next day with a wicked hangover, so i have some adjusting to do. may just give up drinking altogether. at this altitude (5450 ft) it makes you sleepy and headachy much faster. maybe i don't have my chops yet, but i'm not sure if i want them. hardly drank all week. a big shift from DTLA days. i'll figure it out. but it will be less for sure. i think...
artcaffe
after a busy friday and friday nite i met with "winston", my secret contact into the commercial and film world here. we met at artcaffe at The Junction. tres chic. had a two hour meeting. touched base for the first time in person. a great coach and mentor, the takeaway was relax, see what happens, don't rush into a work visa or opening my own prod company, just be patient and see what happens and see if i love it here and and. good advice. my visitor visa is good for 90 days, then i get a 90 day extension, then i must leave kenya for a few days (maybe even leave east africa) and then come back to start over with a new visitor visa. in the meantime, i can get my alien card and my kenya driver's license. little things. and i already got my flying doctors airvac medical insurance to fly back to nairobi if something grim happens out there. i need to get health insurance and then car insurance.
power outage
i love it when you ask me questions, cuz i don't always know what to write about. someone asked me if i was lonely. a legitimate concern for sure. but after week one, the answer is i'm too busy to be lonely! things have been happening fast and furious. it's like i long for my down time now. after my motorcycle taxi meeting with ogilvy africa on thursday and sound & pictures on friday, i had a black tie gala dinner friday night for the TOP 100 MEDIUM BUSINESSES in Nairobi held at the famous Carnivore restaurant. a sit down tented affair for 1000 folks with dinner, drinks, entertainment, and awarding the top 100 businesses with a trophy. a ritzy affair for sure. (took an hour in friday nite traffic to get there! 20 minutes to get home!)
the gala
i was invited by delia stirling of brown's cheese. they ended up 30 out of 100. pretty impressive. we had a fun table. a very funny indian attorney woman to my right with her hubby.(Indians from India, not Cherokees). the whole room had a esprit de corps vibe...we were all winners! very fancy and fun. old mr. gin killed me the next day with a wicked hangover, so i have some adjusting to do. may just give up drinking altogether. at this altitude (5450 ft) it makes you sleepy and headachy much faster. maybe i don't have my chops yet, but i'm not sure if i want them. hardly drank all week. a big shift from DTLA days. i'll figure it out. but it will be less for sure. i think...
artcaffe
after a busy friday and friday nite i met with "winston", my secret contact into the commercial and film world here. we met at artcaffe at The Junction. tres chic. had a two hour meeting. touched base for the first time in person. a great coach and mentor, the takeaway was relax, see what happens, don't rush into a work visa or opening my own prod company, just be patient and see what happens and see if i love it here and and. good advice. my visitor visa is good for 90 days, then i get a 90 day extension, then i must leave kenya for a few days (maybe even leave east africa) and then come back to start over with a new visitor visa. in the meantime, i can get my alien card and my kenya driver's license. little things. and i already got my flying doctors airvac medical insurance to fly back to nairobi if something grim happens out there. i need to get health insurance and then car insurance.
power outage
Quiet day today. The power has been out all day and still is. It’s 3pm and i've been sleeping and reading and having a quiet day. All week i was jamming so it feels good to have a day off. To recharge. Finished the week with a tea in my honor up in Tigoni with delia (Brown's cheese) and some friends. Saw my old friends Sean and Adrian from Encounter Africa and i may shoot some safari footage for those guys next month down in the Mara at their new safari camp. plus hope to see calum and sophie at the elephant peppers camp as well. could be a week to 10 days down there. it'll be awesome. love that part of the planet. so serene and breathtakingly beautiful and so much game. and the skies are gorgeous.
Finished my commercial treatment for Airtel and emailed it before the power went out. so funny to have the power out all day. nothing you can do about it. no email, no internet, no electricity to do wash, nada. that's africa. and all the more adventure. candles at night i'm sure could become common. kinda cool. hey, it's africa!
KVC (karen vineyard church)
Church here is great. Love the pastor. Good crowd. We got a church retreat the 20-23 so that’ll be fun. meet more folks. haven't been lonely or homesick yet. i'll probably have a rough day sooner or later, but i've been swamped with activity and peeps. amazing really how quickly things are moving. Already have been asked to shoot a vid promo for an intern program. I’ll shoot tomorrow and cut it asap. Cute couple named mark and sue from wales are great and are doing the spot. it'll be fun. we met sunday at Tamambo, the karen blixen coffee gardens place, to go over some ideas. so old colonial and cool. really am digging the british colonial vibe here. always have.
Stomach has been pretty puny. Borderline diarrhea. Seems like any alcohol at this altitude is an instant hangover and effects my stomach. first it was mr. gin, then it was beer and wine. Gotta adjust. Or just give it up altogether. Could be part of my life change. Just give up booze. Okay, a gin and tonic on occasion. But seriously thinking about not much booze over here. Dry out a bit. Why not? give my body a rest!!!!! (BTW, still working on the karen country club membership. contacted a couple members i've met. they're helping me get in front of the committee. it's moving forward.
family
Chris and lindy (MY HOSTS at the livingstone guest house) are great. Like cool roommates. like brother and sister. really fun. And such southern accents from NC! Thick southerners! But lovely and loving and love ddm! And the southern accent somehow takes all the pressure off! They all sound so relaxed and chill. they are lovely sweet. And his family/team just arrived today and they are a riot. Doing well over here. Not lonely at all. Not homesick at all. but my living situation is very social and family like. No chance yet to be lonely. But that day may come.
airtel
Somewhat anxious about the commercial gig. Anxious if i get it, probably bummed if i don’t. whatever. It’s all good. god is in charge. I will work when and how i’m supposed to work. regardless, i feel right about being here. it was the right move for me. and the new life will unveil itself in time. very glad to be here. not missing spring street in the slightest! the great journey has begun. and my transition is like i haven't missed a beat.
Been cold and rainy all day. Dirty sheets can’t be washed now because no electricity and they don’t use the dryer cause it’s takes too much electricity to run and it costs too much. Weird. Plus its raining anyway and we can't line dry it. Can’t check email all day cuz no power and my new phone doesn’t get email and my iphone isn’t jailbroke yet so no email service by phone. Hopefully will jailbreak it soon. Miss my iphone like crazy. what a great device. thanks mr. jobs.
Lots of family now in the house. Pushing my comfort level. Yikes. My 4 years of loftville solitude in DTLA is being shattered! actually, a lifetime of living alone is shattered! Ddm has to interact 24/7 now! but it's all good. beats being lonely. so weird not to have any power all day. So Africa! No power would never happen in the states! (well, maybe NYC!) All part of the adventure!
So cold and wet today. Feels like England more than Kenya! Today is the first day it feels like a vacation. Probably cuz this team just arrived from the states to be here for 10 days. and i've been able to sleep and read and chill out and have no power to anything.
cool crib
Life is good. the adventure continues. A day at a time. Found a potential 2 bedroom + office to take over in January in a total African compound over in Karen/hardy part of town. Insane open floor plan with lots of character and cool neighbors from KVC living on the compound. Just what i was looking for. Quiet, lots of nature and vegetation, very African feeling, the cabin has lots of windows and a cute little office space for my edit bay. Too cool. could be quite the pad. i'll do an african theme makeover with it. geeked about that possibility. just what i was picturing. this new compound is in a nice remote part of town near the giraffe center with lots of nature and is big and secure. Totally safe and safe for my gear. There might be one couple ahead of me in the cue for the flat, but hopefully it's for me. It is very nice and open and African feeling and the guest room is huge. i'm pumped about it. can handle company easily!
(sorry no relevant photos in this entry but jailbreaking my iphone i lost my most recent pics. oh well. next one).
a vehicle
The car situation still looms overhead. They say for $16,000 - $20,000 i should get a good Toyota Prado. Like a smaller land cruiser. For some reason i’m stressing over it. You wanna try and get a non-Kenyan owned one cuz they maintain their vehicles better. But finding the right sled has been a stressful thing for me. Need to trust the right one will come my way. Motorcycles are death over here. Everyone says don’t go there. So…guess i’ll not go there for now. bummed about that. but could still jump up on a motorcycle taxi on occassion! maybe one day i'll get a bike. it would be too cool, but not worth dying over.
went to take a shower but rainy day means no solar power so no hot water so no hot shower. no bueno. african camping indoors! no power and no hot water! more adventure! at least the power just kicked back on a second ago after 8 hours. i can at least check my email and finish my blog. i'll shower tomorrow if we get a sunny day. classic. it's going on three days. yikes!
at the tea yesterday at my table was a housewife who was carjacked on the main road thru tigoni (limuru road) and was held at gunpoint for 5 hours after being transported to another car and lost her nice toyota land cruiser. scary stuff. then the guy to my right confided he carries a gun on him. and it was stuffed in his backside waist belt. a glock? i asked. no he said, a beretta. talk about the wild west!
overall
well, all for now. week one has exceeded all expectation. great decision to be here. meeting lots of nice folks, finding community and professional opportunities, and loving the cultural change and adventure, from business meetings to black tie to taking food to the slums to no power to no hot water. an exciting time. feels like i'm alive again. motorcycle taxis, coffee gardens, nairobi traffic, rainy days, open skies, the full gamut. just the adventure i was looking for. and my work station here at the house is awesome. good move so far. thanks for taking the ride with me. feel free to ask me anything! either here or on facebook.
love knowing you are all there. the support of y'all means a great deal!
kwaheri (adios)
ddm
Thursday, 6 October 2011
my big day
the panic attack
it started at 3am. i was up, walking around, seriously wondering what the heck i had done with my life. all my creature comforts were dis-possesed, given away, done with, and here i was in africa with no leather sectional sofa, no 65" plasma tv, no customized vertical work station, no stainless fridge, no groovy loft space, no more closet space or shelves for clothes and stuff, no more car, no more nothing. all gone. whaaaaaaaaaaaaa. the big spoiled american had hit rock bottom and it was only day 4. geesh. what a baby. but living out of one suitcase is hard. living out of 5 is kinda crazy. but i have food and lodging and shelter and good company to stay with, so what's the big deal? did i just miss my things? or was it the bigger elephant in the living room...what had i done with my life? and what the heck was i doing here? i mean really, what i am doing here? what's the plan? the target? the strategy? i don't even have a car to get around in! or a place of my own to properly unpack all my stuff. i'm a transient orphan. waiting on god to move on my behalf, and scared to death. people said i was brave and courageous for leaving. well, chicken little was showing his true feathers. i was overwhelmed with loose ends and had a slight panic attack. it happens to everyone who goes all in in moving to a foreign land. i had a one way ticket here. literally. i was all in. and now what? what did i think was going to happen? i was freaking. trying to keep it together. i had coffee with my new pastor form karen vineyard at the karen blixen coffee graden at 9am so that helped. he felt my panic and reassured it was quite normal. a mere case of everything that was familiar in your life was now 12,000 miles away. and it was a cold reboot of a new operating system of life as i knew it. hey, it could only get better, right? i just thought i was cool for another week or two before i hit rock bottom, a little longer honeymoon thank you very much, not day 4 of the first week. nonetheless, it had hit. i was out of sorts, as in i was no longer sorted. pastor doug dropped me off at the karen center where i ran into chris and lindy and got a ride home. whew.
it started at 3am. i was up, walking around, seriously wondering what the heck i had done with my life. all my creature comforts were dis-possesed, given away, done with, and here i was in africa with no leather sectional sofa, no 65" plasma tv, no customized vertical work station, no stainless fridge, no groovy loft space, no more closet space or shelves for clothes and stuff, no more car, no more nothing. all gone. whaaaaaaaaaaaaa. the big spoiled american had hit rock bottom and it was only day 4. geesh. what a baby. but living out of one suitcase is hard. living out of 5 is kinda crazy. but i have food and lodging and shelter and good company to stay with, so what's the big deal? did i just miss my things? or was it the bigger elephant in the living room...what had i done with my life? and what the heck was i doing here? i mean really, what i am doing here? what's the plan? the target? the strategy? i don't even have a car to get around in! or a place of my own to properly unpack all my stuff. i'm a transient orphan. waiting on god to move on my behalf, and scared to death. people said i was brave and courageous for leaving. well, chicken little was showing his true feathers. i was overwhelmed with loose ends and had a slight panic attack. it happens to everyone who goes all in in moving to a foreign land. i had a one way ticket here. literally. i was all in. and now what? what did i think was going to happen? i was freaking. trying to keep it together. i had coffee with my new pastor form karen vineyard at the karen blixen coffee graden at 9am so that helped. he felt my panic and reassured it was quite normal. a mere case of everything that was familiar in your life was now 12,000 miles away. and it was a cold reboot of a new operating system of life as i knew it. hey, it could only get better, right? i just thought i was cool for another week or two before i hit rock bottom, a little longer honeymoon thank you very much, not day 4 of the first week. nonetheless, it had hit. i was out of sorts, as in i was no longer sorted. pastor doug dropped me off at the karen center where i ran into chris and lindy and got a ride home. whew.
then some magic happened
their english mastiff, wallace, greeted me outside the rover and it's hard not to lift your spirits by this big gallunk of a dog. he's big and clumsy and loving. just what i needed. then i got an email from my secret connection here to get me work directing commercials. a top freelance producer whom we'll call winston. well, i had emailed winnie to say i was in town and ready to hook up whenever, when i got an email back asking if a had a dvd of my commercial reel. truth was everything is posted on my vimeo commercial channel, but i could burn one easy enough, so said sure. problem was we had no blank dvd media in the house and this reel was needed asap. so...i drove the 1966 land rover to karen center to get some blank media.
this old bucket of bolts is pushing 40 years old, has the turning radius of the titantic, and is a bear to drive. no power steering, no power anything, and the stick shift knob comes off in your hand. plus i'm driving on the wrong side for the first time in years in this train wreck. scary! but i made it. got the media, and caught sight of an old bmw rt 100 for sale on the community bulletin board. very interesting.
no telling how old it is or the mileage, but it was stinking cool and had rear bags. and for a guy striking out and having anxiety attacks over finding a decent used car here, this looked rad. more later.
the big dream reset
when i was here in january, winnie said the top ad agencies to work for were ogilvy africa and scangroup. the top commercial production company was sounds & pictures. here's where it gets freaky. winnie wanted my dvd reel for ogilvy. asap for something in the works. i thought it would take me 8 weeks to get this email. not day 4. but alas, they wanted my reel and i was burning one to get to them. today. no fancy stickem labels, no fancy jewel case, just a basic dvd with some handwriting on it. not pro style looking at all! but it was all i had. so now it's time to deliver it in town, at oglivy africa offices neat the ya ya centre off ngong road. so, i call my driver peter to come fetch me. and walk down to the main hwy to meet him. but he doesn't come for an hour. i had turned off my new cell phone by accident and couldn't reboot it without the factory pin number back at the house, so i missed peter's text saying traffic was too bad and he couldn't make it. enter kevin, a kid with a 100 cc motorbike ( a glorified moped really with me on it) and kevin drove me home, i got the pin, peter was out, so now kevin and motorbike were my transpo all the way into ya ya centre. like going from bev hills to santa monica. except on a two lane road, driving on the dirt shoulder, the sidewalk, splitting lanes, you name it. mr. toad's wild ride, like some video game, an old school E ticket, with so many close calls you just had to let go and hang on and say okay, i may fall off this thing. so be it. problem was lil' kev didn't know exactly where the ya ya center was, so we passed it by a few miles and had to turn back, meanwhile trying to get to ogilvy africa by 5pm at the latest!
we had to find the atrium building on chaka road and we finally made it. and i swear my blood pressure was no higher than my last check up in century city before my colonoscopy! i was zen, cruising ngong road on this moped like i owned it. i mean, this was the adventure i had signed up for! splitting traffic on a motorbike, in insane traffic in africa! too cool! and alas, we made it. got to the lobby, waited for my contact, DM, and he offered a coffee and i gladly accepted. any excuse to hang and feel a part of it. we gabbed and then he said BTW, the sounds and pictures (remember, my hero prod house), had just lost one of their top directors and i should give them a bell. eureka! really? seriously? that too? all in one day?!! what cool news! so, it appears i'm in the mix to direct my first spot over here AND may get a shot of being in S&P's stable of directors. all by day 4! insane! the day went from zero to hero! yay!
that BMW
we had to stop at said ya ya center to get some proper dvd labels and guess what? i see the bmw rt100 from the bulletin board ad. in the parking lot. just sitting there. a sign? i'm definitely open! i'll call tomorrow.
too funny
then on the way home, lil kev got lost on the way to the dinner party i was going to on miotoni rd, so we stopped to ask a bloke, who then got on the moped behind me to show us the way! as in, got on the seat with me so now there are 3 of us on this tiny motorbike cruising around speaking swa trying to get to my dinner. too funny. the big mzungu in an african sandwich. very sorry i didn't have a picture of that one. but the day's adventure was now complete. and then DM texted to say S&P may be calling me tomorrow. all too cool. unreal. i thought S&P might never happen, or again, 8 weeks from now. but now things are looking good. fantastic finish for week one. god is good, memsahib. from panic to excitement.
car solution
then, after i get home tonight, my car broker guy sends me this old defender which could be a perfect solution for my vehicle needs.
i wanted a green rover deep inside and here it might be. i'm second in line, but it could be cherry. and the ole bmw bike too. now THAT would be fun. and if the work gates open, panic attack problem solved! i'll worry about hangars for my clothes another day! and keep you posted as to what happens next. zero to hero is good. the adventure continues. and today was quite a day. i've been waiting 6 months to take that meeting at OA. chaka road, the madison ave of nairobi! ha! we shall see. but today was a turning point. a big hurdle crossed, emotionally and possibly professionally. all is well. i'm sure i'll sleep well tonite. good night you nice people. lala salama.
ddm
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
getting settled
wednesday morning - day 5
two surprises so far...how cold it is in the morning. always darkest before the dawn and the coldest too. high 50s. and the solar hot water for the shower never gets quite hot so i have to train myself to take evening showers for a hot shower. this morning was a quick sponge bath. couldn't brace myself to go all under. but it's cold this time of year with the rainy season. two rainy seasons a year, july and short and ones in april and october. lasting about a month long. the hottest month is january and the coolest is june/july. (hopefully i'll be skiing in switzerland with some british friends in january at their chalet. too classic if that were to happen!)
i'm staying in the servant's quarters here at livingstone guest house in the back off the kitchen by the washer and dryer. it's a cozy little bedroom with a small bathroom, but it works and is clean. it's called the mother theresa room. and is off the beaten path when teams come to the guest house. another team of 5 coming soon. they house one or two teams a month for a week or less so it's pretty mellow. just me and chris and lindy and their baby ezra most of the time.
chris and lindy are from north carolina and have been in kenya about 5 years. they have several projects they are doing as missionaries and are the kind of do-gooder folks that are simply off grid to the rest of the world. yesterday i went with chris on his weekly run to distribute boxed food to needy schools and went into several slums including kibera. a great day of adventure, doing good and seeing sights that most would never get to see. it sure beats sitting in my loft all day watching ESPN. the adventure i was hoping for is already happening. and i was doing something for someone else. that felt good too.
two surprises so far...how cold it is in the morning. always darkest before the dawn and the coldest too. high 50s. and the solar hot water for the shower never gets quite hot so i have to train myself to take evening showers for a hot shower. this morning was a quick sponge bath. couldn't brace myself to go all under. but it's cold this time of year with the rainy season. two rainy seasons a year, july and short and ones in april and october. lasting about a month long. the hottest month is january and the coolest is june/july. (hopefully i'll be skiing in switzerland with some british friends in january at their chalet. too classic if that were to happen!)
i'm staying in the servant's quarters here at livingstone guest house in the back off the kitchen by the washer and dryer. it's a cozy little bedroom with a small bathroom, but it works and is clean. it's called the mother theresa room. and is off the beaten path when teams come to the guest house. another team of 5 coming soon. they house one or two teams a month for a week or less so it's pretty mellow. just me and chris and lindy and their baby ezra most of the time.
today we head off to their chicken farm. they bought a chicken farm with some partners and are supplying kenyans with work and a livelihood. i'm shooting a video for their year-end report for their supporters so yesterday was fun shooting and today will be crazy shooting all these chickens. they call them broilers. they don't lay eggs. they are for cooking and eating. should be another fun shoot day. filming in africa is so great because the colors are so vivid and the background is always interesting. never a bad angle. so i am loving shooting here so far. more on that later.
the other surprise is how westernized it seems to me this time. KFC, starbucks, IDK, i suppose i got so used to the exotic and the wild last time that this trip it seems normal as i focus on the familiar. i mean, when you see a WaffleWorld in the local mall, it just doesn't seem that exotic. but you'll have a your occasional masai shepherd steering his herd thru the traffic with no regard to vehicles, and that reminds you this isn't kansas anymore.
but i'm even used to that now. still, it's fun and different, don't get me wrong. and on occasion i'll yell out the window "i'm in africa!" cuz it's so fun and wild. it's a crazy place with it's own drumbeat. i'm sure it will not get old anytime soon. much to learn. like driving on the left side when i do finally get a vehicle. giving way in the roundabouts will be my next hurdle.
money
the currency here is the kenyan shilling...otherwise called a "bob". as in... "it was 200 bob". a bob is 1 shilling. there are 100 shillings/bob to one USD, so the exchange rate is very favorable for an ex-pat like me living off his pension (thank you SAG). i contribute some grocery money here at the house, my room is in exchange for some film work, i have no car yet, so my expenses are fairly low. really low. and it's very weird to walk around with no keys in your pocket. i don't even own a key. that's strange. soon enough i suppose. but for now, it's fresh not even owning one key to have to carry with.
back to the currency, in comparison there are 76 yen to one US dollar and 14 mexican pesos to one dollar and 31 thai baht to one dollar and 49 indian rupee.
but if you are mzungu, a person of foreign descent, or the token white guy, it means you have money. and the local officials will gladly throw their weight around to get it out of you.
customs reset
i was so anxious flying here with all my gear because i didn't know how i would handle getting extorted upon my arrival. it's morally wrong, unethical, and reprehensible, but after you've traveled for 30 hours and some guy at the door to freedom wants $200 to get thru, what are you gonna do, argue about it for another hour? he said i needed a "license and a letter" to bring in my gear. well, it happens to be my personal property so none of that is of course required, but he saw his chance with the big american and collected a cool 20,000 bob by being the bully in the uniform that you can't really fight. corruption is still a big way of life throughout africa and as a westerner, you have to pick your battles i suppose. but my anxiety came from knowing there was going to be a train robbery and i was the train that was gonna get robbed. imagine flying in knowing you're probably gonna get mugged. well, it happened, and it makes the rest of the kenyans look bad when your first encounter is some customs guy bullying you for payola. it is what it is, i'll be firmer next time, i was happy to pay at the time so i could get home, but everyone here is looking for a handout. a missionary wife here said "i'm tired of being an ATM machine cuz everyone's asking for money". something i have to adjust to, be aware of it, and play it as deftly as i can. still, it's lame being under THE MAN and you're the little guy being held ransom. such is life.
jet lag
doing pretty good on my jet lag. the old wive's tale of one day per one hour of time difference may be true. i'm 10 hours time difference from LA, but it won't take me ten days. i'm doing pretty good, but when i do grab an afternoon nap (a "kip", mate), i sleep very hard. not too concerned about it. it will settle soon enough. and i'm doing better everyday.
karen cc & my health
when i was here in january i had a whiskey at the karen country club. a nice club with a pool! that's my thing! swimming! i grew up swimming and for me it's my best form of exercise. and even though i've run the berlin marathon, i'm not much of a runner. could be a walker, but a swimmer, yes. that's me. and the truth is that sitting in my loft for the last 4 years and becoming so sedentary for the last 10 has not sat well (pardon the pun). one of the reasons for the life change was my health and fitness. time to do something about it. i've been so lazy for so long, not a big fan of joining a gym, and not really a big fan of even sweating if the truth be told (just more dirty clothes to wash). but i had become your basic obese american and needed to do something about it. the "norm" in the states is changing. obesity is even on a shifting scale. as is "high blood pressure". normal is 120 over 80 but the new norm is 140 over 90. that's me. and i should be @ 195 pounds at 6'2" with a body mass of 19-25 but i'm 240 pounds and a body mass of 30.8. in short, i'm obese with borderline high blood pressure and out of shape and not fit. and i say enough. oh yeah i have a large frame and can hide it well, blah blah blah, but i'm sick of my gut and want to do something about it. now you might say moving to africa just so you can join a country club and swim everyday is a little extreme, and i grant you that. it is. i am extreme. but i was desperate. desperately unfit in my old world with no motivation to do much about it, and was borderline hopeless that that world was not going to change much. comfort food and slothfulness had won out. the big fat american. like the walmart photo montages of patrons that float around the web. i was tired of being that guy. i was turning into a fat recluse of a ghoul, stuck in my loft and thinking "so this is what's like to grow old." you eat and watch tv and wait for something to happen. for me it was waiting for the phone to ring or an email audition. at any rate, i needed change. maybe i'm being too hard on myself, but i've been way too easy on myself for too long. when i swam everyday at the pool at pepperdine in malibu i was fit and strong and felt good about myself. i want to be that guy again. but i'm afraid after two shoulder surgeries and fighting cancer last year, i have gone to pot. time to be the change, loose the gut and the flab, and be the tanned adonis i'd like to be. so that means finding two sponsors to join the karen cc and get my vehicle sorted out, and making it into the pool everyday. a little swim, a little equatorial sun, and voila, a new ddm. that's the plan anyway. drop 40 pounds and lose this fishbelly white fleshtone. my feet are so white. ghostly white. i know i might sound weird, but i want some color, on my feet, my legs, i want to look healthy and be healthy. so there it is. maybe i did move here just to swim at the karen cc. there are worse things to be accused of. at least i want to change my body for the better. lower my blood pressure. lose the fat. look and feel good. i'm not over the hill yet but i could be if i don't change the direction of this ship! so here i am. sick and tired of being sick and tired, bored with the usa, bored with my recluse existence, bored with my life path. i made the move, was fortunate and am blessed to have the freedom to make a new life choice and have landed with some great folks who are doing great things.
today
today CT is going to take me to set up some banking at the funds exchange where i can write a personal check for money without having to open a proper bank account. then we'll see the "street boys" who are the sudanese kids on the street hooked on sniffing glue, gambling, stealing, and barely surviving. CT helps with this outreach to the lost and hopeless. but like he says, it's never hopeless as long as one person cares. am i too jaded to be that one person? am i so "not my problem" that i will turn away to focus on my path, or is there room in my heart to care about the lost and hopeless? good challenges. good questions. then we'll hit the chicken farm. (where i'll get to try out my new camera rig to shoot chickens at ground level. kinda geeked about that.) it's only wednesday, but i feel like i'm getting in the groove. shooting CT for his year end report is a good assignment. gets me shooting again and i set up my edit station last nite. my gear is working and i have a project. i am a happy camper. also trying to take it a day at a time. not worry about tomorrow or next week or next month. trust that things will come my way when they are supposed to...like a paying gig, a place to live, and a car. all in god's good timing...if i choose to wait on his divine plans for me. but i'm meeting lots of kenyans and "non-kenyans" and lots of cool international folks. south africa, australia, UK, europe, just a wide mix of folks here. and my ADD embraces all of it. the accents, the sights, the smells, the colors, the culture, the incredible mix. karen is a cool little town. reminds me of malibu. laid back, a small town center, interesting folks. we're a 5 hour drive to the coast, we're a mile high, and we're on the equator. still adjusting to the altitude. have had 2 bloody noses already and i haven't had a bloody nose in forever. it is dry, lots of dust and dirt and exhaust, and will take a while to adjust to all that. even the high altitude. my face is puffy and swollen in the morning due to the high altitude. again, an adjustment. more to love : )
overall
overall, i'm thrilled to be here. CT has a new project everyday that i get to tag along with and i'll send you the video link when it's all done. driving on the left hand side will be interesting, but part of the acclimation. and driving as aggressive at the mutatu taxis will be a challenge. but you got to stick your nose out. the weather is beautiful, the skies are big, and earth is so red. like hawaii soil. a deep, fertile redness. but very happy about moving here. i'm sure i'll hit some dark days, but so far i am engaged and busy and loving the change. i'm afraid africa has been in my blood since 1974. and i am finally here. for better or for worse, but so far it is all for the better. i was dying back home. starved for meaning and adventure. now i have a whole continent to explore and find purpose.
here is CT. he's become a good bud already. and even a role model in caring about others. they give so much to so many needy. their time and their very lives. and expect nothing in return. a good environment for this crusty old yank to be around. life is good. and each day is indeed a gift. i am very thankful to be a part of what's going on ever here.
sorry it's so hard to leave a comment on this blogsite. i know it's a hassle. but i love reading your feedback on facebook. i know i may be longwinded, but hey, it's a blog. i'll try to keep it updated, but i can feel i'm getting busier by the day. and it's only week one! i figure i'll give the blog 100 days, like the president is measured by his first 100 days. that'll be the end of january. wow, can't imagine what i'll be up to by then.
all for now. thanks for sharing the journey.
african hug,
ddm
Monday, 3 October 2011
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.
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.)
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.
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