Note for the folks at home: English, the third (or fourth) language of many Kenyans, has evolved in the country into something truly unique. Kenyan English is as distinct, it seems, as American English ("y'all want some grits?") or British English ("rip pop the pippins, slaggar, my dumples have rimpendimpled."). In addition to mild alterations of common English phrases ("How do you love it?", "How do you advice my new shirt?"), Kenyan English has a few confusing elements of its very own, including: ending any sentence with "...isn't it?", gratuitous addition of the words "just" and "even" ("Even you, you will just assist me with a pencil."), and, most puzzling, the replacement of the word "What?" with "Yes."
Note for the folks at home: while there are many airstrips throughout the country, the three major airports of Kenya are in its three largest cities: Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu. A one-way ticket from Nairobi to New York City currently costs about $1800, or 150,000 Kenyan shillings, with a layover somewhere in Europe.
Happy New Year! When you get tired of saying "twenty-twelve" and "two-thousand-twelve", try "two-zero-one-two"! And if you get sick of that, why not go with "ought-twelve"?
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
