Saturday 28 July 2012

So Filthy


Note for the folks at home: Among most Kenyans, cleanliness is of the highest priority. This drive manifests itself in the daily shining of shoes, obsession over removing clothing stains, and an almost neurotic preoccupation with spotting and dealing with even the tiniest marks on accessories (like backpacks.) The observant reader should, indeed, note my disdain for such a lifestyle, but also might correctly infer that the lifestyle I choose is considered dirty and careless by most Kenyans. The perpetual stains ornamenting my trousers are a constant source of stress for my colleagues. Perplexingly, the rural Kenyan reverence of cleanliness often doesn't extend into the olfactory --- the removal of body odors through deodorant, frequent showers, and even toothpaste aren't as common as one would assume. Perfume is becoming more popular, but it's hard to truly believe that fact when trapped in a steamy bus ride with thirteen other passengers for several hours in Kenya.

Saturday 21 July 2012

"ANY ANIMAL!"



Drawing animals for my students is something I've done before.
Note for the folks at home: English is the second or third language of many Kenyans, behind their mother tongue and Kiswahili. Taking this into consideration, Kenyan high schoolers are surprisingly proficient in the language, and all of their classes (besides Kiswahili class) are taught in English. In general, Kenyans speak "British English", including such words as "lorry" (which is a truck), "tuition" (to replace "tutoring"), and "loo" (an outrageously melodic name for a toilet). Misunderstandings between Americans and Kenyans speaking English are common: it took me a month or so to figure out that "smart" means "fashionable", not "intelligent".

Saturday 14 July 2012

A Drawback



Note for the folks at home: The "Kenyan Family" is considerably larger than its American counterpart. From my experience, a Kenyan family isn't considered "big" until the number of children reaches double digits. Furthermore, the prevalence of polygamy in the country (primarily the rural regions) allows the number of half-siblings in a family to reach thirty or forty. Adding to this is the cultural tradition of a family taking in children that can't be cared for by their biological parents. When queried about the maximum number of children in a Kenyan family, colleagues routinely answer, "Hundreds."

Note for my readers in Ukraine: Агов! Ласкаво просимо! ... How did you guys find me?

Saturday 7 July 2012

There's A Hole



Note for the folks at home: One of the first cultural obstacles many Americans hit in Kenya is the Kenyan attitude towards animals. Animal life in Kenya is valued solely for its uses to humans: animals that produce meat or can do labor are really the only ones worth a second thought. Anything smaller than a kitten is generally considered a pest, and this threshold is sometimes raised to bigger beasts, like dogs. While a foreigner may initially be repulsed by the outright cruelty to animals that is so commonplace in Kenya, the underlying argument eventually appears: why should the human species waste time making another species comfortable, when humans themselves are dying all the time? "Animal Rights" starts to look like a pompous pass-time for people fortunate enough to have their own safety and survival guaranteed. That being said, it still bugs me to see stones thrown at poor lil' dogs. Love for canines is a rarity around these parts, and being "the insane white man who thinks dogs are children" is the price I pay for my puppy-loving.