Great Expectations

I get the feeling it's DEFINITELY gonna be an interesting week. I knew it from the moment I saw myself in the paper this morning.

No, it wasn't one of those Sci-Fi Channel scenarios where you get a glimpse into the future through an unlikely means, or some random crowd shot that I happened to be a part of. After reading a Nairobi Star story about the government assessing the needs of 200,000 Internally Displaced Persons who still live in tented camps, I shifted focus to the accompanying photo. First, I studied the faces of the children, because I'm always inspired by how they can continue to smile and be playful even in the most dire surroundings. Then I noticed the man in the foreground handing out cookies to the kids. That guy looked vaguely familiar, but I didn't think much of it. Then I noticed the ragged condition of the dusty tents. And then I noticed...

Me. There I stood, staring at my Blackberry. I had probably just snapped some child's face and was checking to see how the picture had turned out. I always do that in those settings; you've probably seen some of my online photo albums of child refugees. Turns out the picture was taken during my very first trip to the Maai Mahiu IDP camp, when I was accompanying a Nairobi Star reporter for a story on Kenyan mental health. They just used a file photo from that trip for today's story.

It probably wasn't a completely random choice, because I've been working with Star reporters on health issues, so Star staffers know who I am. In fact, come to think of it, the photographer's camera was losing power halfway through our trip, and I let him borrow mine. So, today's Nairobi Star photo of me at an IDP camp was likely taken with my very own camera!

After a year of being bludgeoned by outrageous scandals from Kenyan public officials, nothing much surprises me in the pages of local newspapers. This morning definitely did the trick. Can't wait to see what else surprises me this week....