This guest post is written by Erin Allan. Allan is originally from San Francisco but came to Nairobi via New York. She lives in Langata with her husband and two children. After nine years in Kenya she considers herself an American African although her Swahili is not up to par! She blogs over at Toto Knits.
For the last month before I left New York, I must have blown a whole month’s salary on sushi as I was sure there would be nothing of the sort in Nairobi where I was moving for 16 months.
Nine years later and I am still in Nairobi. Inconceivably. Even more unbelievable is that I am married with two children living the life of the post colonial suburban wife with no housework. I gave up the glitz and glamour of the media world in New York (and it was glitzy then- I never had to buy make up or hair products as I got them all free at parties!) to ’do good’ in Kenya. A month after 9/11, I found out about a job in Nairobi fundraising for a school for children with special needs. The lingering emotions of September 11th caused everyone to rethink their lives and for me it meant leaving the sometimes vapid, mostly exhilarating life I was living to help others. I would call it my Mother Theresa moment- I’d forsake money, men and shoes for 16 months for the good of others. (It did help that there was a scandal-icious article in Vanity Fair depicting the most recent Happy Valley murder/love triangle and the photos did hint at a bit of glamour, lots of gin and adventure- so perhaps not as virtuous as I was playing it.)
So that was the plan- monastic living in a picturesque but glamorously dangerous environment and come back with lots of stories to tell at cocktail parties when I came back to New York. But of course things don’t always go to plan.
The first night I was here, we went out for sushi. I was shocked to find out there were TWO sushi restaurants here. Strike one.
Ten days later, I met Captain Africa. The Kenyan version of Mr Right- and I wasn’t even looking. Strike two.
I did read Page Six but the internet speed was so slow (you could practically hear the web site downloading one pixel at a time), and the information I garnered held no currency here so I started to focus on enjoying where I was. As my mind told me it was all temporary I didn’t really MISS all the fun of New York- I was wrapped up in weekend trips, bush rally races and oh right, I was in love. In denial about it for sure as it didn’t fit into my plans- but undeniably enough to invite him home for Christmas.
So that was nine years ago. I’m sitting in my office- a converted shipping container- listening to the chickens scurrying about, the ladies knitting and chatting and the sounds of my husband’s new workshop being built. (He works about 40 feet away in a converted double decker bus). I’m surrounded by crates of sweaters- the fruits of the ladies’ knitting- and hundreds of kilos of brightly coloured organic cotton yarn- the basis of my business, Toto Knits. Starting a business in the third world is rife with- well- the unknown. Every day is a set of proverbial speed bumps and potholes but the rewards of knowing I’m providing employment for these marginalised women, producing a green product (it took three years of sweat to get my own organic cotton yarn made) and nearly making a profit is makes it all worth it. Most of the time.
How is it that I- who loved the perks of corporate life- gym memberships, health insurance and most of all job security- end up as my own boss, with my own business with all the risks, stress and obligations that come with it? In Kenya to boot.
It’s the upside of third world living- the Wild West mentality here that if someone else isn’t doing it- you can. I wanted to do something creative (check) and flexible (check) that helped Kenyan women (check) and Toto Knits was born. My ‘work life’ has ended up being far more rewarding and challenging than getting a taxi on a rainy Friday night in Manhattan.
While my children are sometimes referred to as ‘feral’ by dear mother in law- being my own boss means I get to decide my schedule and working at home means I can work for 15 minutes, run in the house for a cuddle, a card game or a baking session with the kids and then go back when they’re bored of me. The Wild West attitude doesn’t stop at business- there are far less rules and regulations for raising kids here so puddle jumping is seen as clean wholesome fun- not a way to pick up germs, dirty your clothes. It’s all in the spirit of make do with what you have.
Gone are the free tickets to theatre, photo exhibits, concerts in the park, late nights at hip new restaurants, celebrity spotting at the manicurists… Now it’s school plays, birthday parties and teas. I’ve had to reconcile the loss of intellectual cerebral stimulation as it was in New York– it’s now my cultural education. At first it was so easy because I was sure it would be temporary and frankly all my cerebral activity was focused on surviving on the Kenyan roads. Nearly everything here is a cultural experience- doubly so because I am ensconced in the colonial British suburb of Karen- which means manoeuvring both linguistically and socially amongst a whole new set of rules- also of course amongst the Kenyan culture- which is the blend of 43 tribal cultures and the post colonial identity crisis of many African countries. It takes a lot of work, effort and understanding- energy I might have spent going out, traipsing about New York.
The warthog passed by this morning and I can see from here the house girl has closed the kitchen door against the marauding antics of Richard monkey- a large Sykes monkey who likes to help himself to our fruit and eggs. Never did I imagine. Any of it.
Founded by Erin Brennan Allan, Toto Knits is a line of organic cotton knitwear made by a group of single mothers in Kenya. Working closely with Mary Wambui- who oversees the knitters- Erin designs fun and funky pieces that children and adults alike will love.
The knitters are paid by the piece which allows them to work as much or as little as they like. It’s all about putting family first- especially for moms. This makes our work fun- we love what we do and we hope it shows.
Each piece is made by hand. Each piece is therefore individual and signed by the knitter. There’s more than one story behind each piece- the design, the materials and the craftsperson who made it each speaks volumes of its provenance. Toto Knits are ideal gifts for the ethical shopper- what better way to have fun while shopping responsibly!
Head over to Toto Knit Shop today!
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