Saturday 31 December 2011

Two Types of Rhinos



Note for the folks at home: The Black Rhinoceros and White Rhinoceros, both inhabitants of East Africa, are not named for their colors. As I've been told, (this has not been Wikipedia Verified,) The Black Rhinoceros was named after the area in which it was first discovered, whereas the White Rhinoceros was so named because the non-English name for the beast sounded like "white". And here I was thinking we had strict rules for naming animals.

Saturday 24 December 2011

Small Intestine



Note for the folks at home: Kisamburu is the native "mother tongue" of the Samburu people, indigenous residents of the area. The language, which has been around for hundreds of years (at least,) is still the primary language of a large population of people, so certain changes have had to be made to respond to modernization. In many cases, when a new concept needs to be addressed in Kisamburu, the English word for it is just fit in seamlessly. To a Kisamburu/English speaker, this seems natural, but to someone who can only recognize the English words, the effect can be amusing. (See Above.)

Saturday 17 December 2011

Animal



Note for the folks at home: the education system of Kenya is a little different from that of America. (Apparently, the Kenyan system is based on the English system.) Some things are similar: eight 'primary' years are followed by four 'secondary' years, which can then be supplemented with four (or more) 'university' years. However, academic achievement in Kenya is measured in a much more sudden (and ruthless) manner: one single exam at the end of your four years of secondary school determines your fate. Akin to the SAT (or ACT), this end-of-high-school-exam is, understandably, all students care to learn about.

Saturday 10 December 2011

Late


Note for the folks at home: it's difficult for a foreigner to get used to seeing zebras, giraffe, elephants, etc. on a daily basis without reverting to Mindless Tourist Mode. In many areas of Kenya, zebras are common enough to be labeled "pests". As far as I can tell, a zebra to a local Kenyan is like a squirrel to an American.

Saturday 3 December 2011

Traditional Herbal Doctor



Note for the folks at home: the indigenous people living in/around Maralal are the Samburu tribe, who are noted for being one of Kenya's most "resilient" tribes in the face of widespread modernization. Despite Maralal having electricity, television, and the internet, the Samburu tribe continues to live according to many of the traditions passed down generation after generation. Inevitably, modern conveniences can't be ignored, which has a great number of complex consequences, among them uncontrolled littering and pollution, rampant alcoholism, and very old Samburu men giving me advice on which mobile phone plan to use.