Taking it all in...

It’s hard to process so much new at once, so I’m breaking it down a bit.

SIGHTS:

-Beautiful lush foliage. Despite the drought here, everything besides the grass remains green. At least in these upper class neighborhoods we’ve been staying in… Beautiful flowers: bougainvillea, birds of paradise, poinsettias. Everything grows here.

-The drought has brought cow herds at random to Nairobi. They are moving further and further into the cities in search of pasture. They block traffic.

-Speaking of traffic. There’s a lot of it, and unparallel to any other I have experienced. I rode their public transportation aka a matatu. First of all, I was squished, as they are cargo vans that they pack about 20 people in (max and legal amount is 14). As soon as one of these matatus approaches a jam, they swerve up on the sidewalk, or chance the diameter of a roundabout, or blatantly bustle down the wrong way on a one-way to bypass it. Time is money for them. Unfortunately, it’s also my life. Don’t worry, I’m told that even though they drive dangerously, they are very competent drivers.

-Nairobi is a mass of people and traffic everywhere. It feels like a big American city at rush hour all day. It’s all a lot more confusing and random for me though since I am so unfamiliar. They have some nice building structures and are trying to make it greener, but for the most part it feels like the city is consumed in one big pollution cloud. Lots of gray. I felt like I could finally breathe again when I was out in the ‘burbs again. Hopefully, I’ll find my niche there sometime.

- The disparity between the rich and the poor is definitely seen (at a second look) in their neighborhoods. There are large Italian style villas that have extensive grounds and full time staffed security right next to some of the largest slums in Africa- piles of sheet metal shacks on top of each other in a rut of mud. I almost missed them, but when my host father was taking me on a tour, we turned the corner and behind the large wall, a whole different world.

SMELLS:

-Smoke: people burning garbage, pollution

-Earth: people kicking up dust everywhere they go

-Sweet Tea Incense: there is some sweet smell, kind of like the tea steeping or fruit being sliced or squeezed

-All combines for something distinct, haunting, and actually pleasant

SOUNDS:

-A hip-hop reggae combo is popular here- similar to Reggaeton but African, if that makes sense. It blasts out the matatus.

-Church choirs seem to be practicing all the time here. The sound radiates from the open sanctuary windows. I wish I heard some distinctly African accapella action, but I’ve only been picking up on interesting sounding versions of American contemporary worship music.

-Kiswahili greetings and conversations as well as people speaking in their various mother tongues. English and Kiswahili are used pretty interchangeably here, and many times combined to form ShENG. ShENG should be announced the official language of Kenya. But besides these, there are 42 tribes, all with their own languages. Frequently, Kenyans speak at least three languages. I’m struggling to learn one new one.

-A cacophony of car horns and matatu drivers whistling for passengers.

-There is a 10% Muslim population in Kenya. Especially in Nairobi, you’ll hear the call to prayer from the mosques.

TOUCH:

-Everyone shakes hands in Kenya, and they do it for hello and good-bye, and even if you’ve met the person before a million times. I’m also a fan of the female-friend cheek touching on each side.

- The red dirt in Kenya definitely contrasts the green around it, and it clings to your skin and clothes. I never thought I’d use “dusty” as a way to describe how I feel. I like it though.

-We do a lot of praying. A lot of hand holding. Before meals, after meals. Before meetings, after meetings. Out loud, at the same time, all the time…

TASTE:

-I have drank a million cups of tea. Black, made with milk and sugar. It’s delicious and people offer it everywhere at all hours of the day. A great way to get to know someone.

- Nescafe. Gross. They grow the stuff, why don’t they drink it?

-Delicious fresh produce everywhere. I swear to you bananas have never tasted this good. Oh, and there’s passion fruit, papaya, guava, mango, avocado etc all readily available off the side of the road or at markets all over the place.

-A traditional Kenyan meal has some combination of rice, ugali (a grits kind of substance), a stew with vegetables and meat (maybe goat), beans, cabbage, chapatti (a crepe like thing), and beans and corn. Pretty good. Still gaining a taste for it.

PIC: host family members gnawing on some sugar cane