A taste of Kenya

   Sorry that this has been off to such a slow start.  Procrastinating person + unreliable Internet = an infrequently updated blog.  Here is a little taste of the Kenya that I have been enjoying for the past month:

-Kenyans are generally very friendly, and very eager to meet visitors.  Everyone shakes hands and welcomes us profusely. 

-The name Candice doesn’t seem to exist here, and everyone has a terribly difficult time trying to make it out.  I have to repeat myself at least twice before they can say it anywhere even close.  I get Candees, Cathy, Carlie, Can, Candy, and Dandis, but rarely Candice.  Geoffrey (the man who we’re living with) has taken to calling me Malkia (Malikeea) which means queen, because of queen Candace in the bible, and because it’s easier to say.   

-I love avocadoes here, and never really cared for them in Canada.  They are about twice the size, and I don’t know if they actually taste better, or I just tell myself that because I can see them growing outside on a tree in our yard. 

-Picking your nose in public is not seen as rude.  I am still getting used to this, and quite frankly feel quite embarrassed for the people that I see sticking their fingers up their noses absentmindedly.  I don’t think that it’s a habit I’m going to start, even though it’s socially acceptable here.

-I have witnessed that it is possible to put five people on one motorbike (pikipiki) I have only personally experienced three, and that’s a little squishy for my liking,

-They drive on the left hand side of the road here.  I have gotten used to this way faster than I thought I would.  I caught a glimpse of an American program that was showing on a TV in an insurance place that I had to wait in for a while, and I was shocked when I saw cars driving on the right side of the road.  I was like, “what are they doing?  They’re all going to crash!”  I have been converted very quickly.  I think that when I come back to Gibsons I’m going to cause traffic mayhem. 

-Speaking of traffic mayhem…Let’s not get started... 

-Luckily, English is taught all throughout school here, and most people are quite competent at it.  Even the street kids who haven’t finished school can hold a perfectly good conversation.  One thing that I’ve noticed though, is that the street boys are far better at speaking it than the street girls.  The girls seem to know almost none.

-Swahili is a fairly easy language to learn.  I do wish that I’d studied it a bit before I came though.  It’s completely phonetic, which is very helpful for looking things up in my handy little dictionary (THANKYOU to AnnaBettyBurns!)

-When we go to rural areas, having white skin makes us instant celebrities.  Children line the streets and shout “Howayou?Howayou?” without stopping for breath, or to hear what we have to say in reply.  Half of them are too shy to answer when we return the question, but they all want to hold our hands.

-Everyone has been taught to say ‘fine’ here, instead of ‘good’ when asked how they are.  So if I come back saying ‘fine,’ then I am actually good, but I’ve just trained myself to say that so that the kids will understand me!

Thanks so much for reading!  Have a great day.