Nairobi, Kenya's bustling capital is on the move. The new town clerk has decided to beautify the city, rubbish is being removed from the streets, 100,000 trees are to be planted by the end of the year, buildings have been given face lifts and streets are starting to be pedestrianised. This is the Nairobi into which I flew to settle 2 months ago.

Nairobi is my home town and although I have remained a regular visitor, I have not lived here for more than a few months at a time over the last 15 years. One of the biggest adjustments I am having to make is to 'paint over' the image I have in my head of Nairobi 15 years ago in order to get over my culture shock.

There are plenty of things that are better about Nairobi, however, there are some things that are a lot worse - the traffic for one. As I sat in it on the way back from the airport watching as our driver weaved in between the cars and potholes on the road, I prepared myself for the adventure of returning home.

The first question many people asked me is why I decided to come home in the first place? Kenya like many other African countries is suffering from Brain Drain. Professionals who may have studied abroad or have the relevant qualifications are leaving the continent in droves. On the one hand the remittances that they send home bolster countries economies, on the other the social and intellectual costs to the societies they leave behind are noticeable.

Still, a slow but steady stream of people are returning for various reasons. Often family is central, many return with the hope of trying to change the situation in their home countries and improve things. Certainly although there are material things to be improved, Kenya like many African countries are highly socially developed and this is one of the great joys of being home.

Whether it is when I take my daily walk in the morning, drive around town or walk into an office to engage in business, people still interact with each other in a way that is increasingly rare in the UK. People stop to say hello, enquire after your health, your family and take a genuine interest in your concerns. This is particularly important when things don't work.

For example, where I know live - even though only 20 - 30 mins (traffic allowing - it can take a hour) from Nairobi's Central Business District it is very difficult to get a landline. The local internet cafe is fine when it is up and running but doesn't have a generator so is subject to the whims of power cuts (which vary in their frequency).

The latest technology which I am now rying out is CDMA or wireless landlines. I also happen to live in an area with a large number of trees so it was great fun trying to get the antenna as high up on the roof as possible in order to get a signal and get online. Being Nairobi it took 5 men, several hours and a few failed attempts but here I am now connected at about twice the speed of dial up.

Athough I may miss my UK broadband connection, when I weigh up the fact that because things move a little slower here so people still have time for each other, the amount of time things take to download seems to diminish in significance. The binding sense of community that was here 15 years ago still remains - and in the end it is for that I returned.