Conclusions from a year in Kenya

Hello all,

It's been 2 weeks since I arrived home in the US from my year abroad in Kenya. As I'm trying to re-adjust and get used to first world luxuries again, I thought I'd blog about some lessons learned. 

~Toilets are optional. 

~Kenyans carry INSANE things on their heads. Liters of water, bundles of firewood, charcoal, flat pieces of wood that hold bananas and other fruits intended to be sold, a bag of clothes bought at the market, etc. 

~ Along that note, people are so crafty with the ways that they transport things. If I needed to transport 20 live chickens and two mattresses across town, I would most likely find a friend with a pick up truck. But in Kenya? Just fold that mattress in two (not the greatest quality, I assure you) and attach it to your bike seat with banana fibers. Next, strap those chickens upside down by their feet to the bike seat, then push the bike across town. 

~There are very few places with fixed prices in the town of Eldoret. "Mzungu prices," as ex-pats so lovingly coin them, are prices for white people that are twice or three times as high as what a local would get charged. Unfortunately, for many Kenyans, white skin means green dollar signs. I got pretty darn good at bargaining my way down to a Kenyan price in swahili. 

~If you give your number to someone, they will most definitely call you, and they will most defintely want to spend time together. Or in my experience, if they're a Kenyan man, they'll ask to marry you and go to the states with you. I should have taken a tally of proposals.  "Ma'am! Is it possible for me to marry you? I will accompany you to America!" As romantic as that is, thanks, but no thanks.

~Living in the present is such a gift.  As Americans, we put such emphasis on always planning for the future and being prepared, that I think sometimes we forget to just live in the present moment. Not that I think the Kenyan way is entirely productive (i.e. not planning much at all), but we could learn a lot from the way Kenyans appreciate the here and now. 

~Religion baffles me. I won't go into much detail because I want to respect differing views, but let's just say that living in a place like Kenya could really make or break your faith. Faith in humanity, faith in something higher, faith in goodness.  I continue to be astonished by the amount of people that have so little, but hold so tightly onto something higher. I think for many, believing that they'll see something better than the life they live here is the only thing they have to hold on to. 

~Silverware, like toilets,  is optional.

~Americans are so picky about funky smells and personal space. Kenyans bump into each other on the street all the time without uttering a flustered, "sorry!" They just go on their way and know that people bump into each other from time to time. 

~The effects of poverty and corruption are truly devastating. 

~Kenyans stare so blatently. I thought it was rude at first, but it's really just a matter of cultural differences. In America we are taught so early that's it's rude to stare at someone or something that's different from you.  Consequently, we almost do the opposite to be 100% sure we're not offensive; we see someone different and immediately look away. Well in Kenya, people stare. My gosh, they just stare, and boy do they ever rubber neck as you walk by.

~Certain problems, like not getting the pay increase you were hoping for, a hair dye not being the color you wanted, or your dog puking up whatever human food he ate last night, are really NOT big problems. I don't mean to belittle minor annoyances that can put us all in a funk, but I've learned that the issues that some people face on a daily basis are astronomical in comparison to what we might label as a problem.  Things like not being able to pay school fees for your children, being HIV positive without hope of ARV's, or eating a meal of rice and corn once a day and living on a hungry stomach are real problems. 

~I have taken soooo many things for granted all my life. Education, daily food and clothing, healthcare, a safe place to sleep...these are just a few.