Dirt and Beauty

One of the things that struck me when I got back to Nairobi a month ago from my 7 weeks away was that the sky was a strange brown colour. And going out of town a few weeks back, I was shocked at how brown the countryside had turned in the time I was gone. There too, the air was brown, a result of all the dust that is kicked up by both vehicles and wind. In town, I rather suspect that it’s a combination of dust and pollution. Upper Hill, where I live, is not the prettiest part of town, though decidedly smarter than a lot of places. With all the construction that has been taking place in the neighbourhood, it’s been noticeable that a lot of the roads are covered in dirt. Well, either dirt or rubble and rubbish! (No mechanized roadsweepers here!) Marks for aesthetics therefore would not be great! However, right now, it’s easy to forget this because of the glorious lilac-coloured jacaranda trees that are flowering profusely. Maybe it’s the contrast from the dirt that is making them stand out, or maybe I just marvel at them every year, but they really are very pretty (though some of my friends who are very strong on only having indigenous trees might disagree) and a wonderful distraction from the dirt.