Whoa!

Note for the folks at home: gigantic anthills and gigantic piles of elephant droppings are pretty common sights (and obstacles while walking) in the Samburu area of northern Kenya. Other local wildlife includes zebra, gazelle, cape buffalo, hartbeest, eland, and rhinos. The area is also reportedly home to lions, hyena, and leopards, but I have yet to see any (or touch their excrement with my bare hands.)

Nipe

Note for the folks at home: Kiswahili (the language of the Swahili culture - usually simplified to "Swahili" outside east Africa) is the national language of Kenya, making it the most popular common language among individuals of different tribes. There are about forty different tribes in Kenya, each having (at least) one "mother tongue" of its own --- usually dramatically distinct from Kiswahili. Add to this the fact that English is gaining ground country-wide, primarily in big cities, and you're left with the linguistic maelstrom that is modern Kenya. Moreover, visitors should expect even the youngest child growing up in Kenya to know two or three more languages than themselves.

Right Now

Note for the folks at home: "Rude", it turns out, is a relative term on a global scale. Things to do in Kenya: pick nose, cut forward in lines, chew with mouth gaping, spit freely, urinate in semi-public situations. Things to avoid doing in Kenya: scratch beard, greet someone with something as short as "hello", leave the house with dirty shoes, decline an offer of tea, use the imperative verb tense ("come!") instead of the subjunctive ("would you come").

White Person

Note for the folks at home: while a white person ("mzungu") isn't a rare sight in big cities like Nairobi or Mombasa, there are still places in Kenya where an individual of European ancestry draws a bit more attention. In rural towns, it isn't surprising to find a train of local children chasing a caucasian, chanting what they believe to be the standard white person greeting: "HAWAYU?"

And yes, that is how short ties are commonly tied. No idea why.

The Worst Lunch Ever

Note for the folks at home: Chinese construction companies are surprisingly commonplace across Kenya at present. The Kenyan government has contracted a great deal of construction work - mostly road building - to Chinese companies, which tend to employ local labor. From what I've seen, locals are divided on the issue: some argue that the development of Kenya should be done exclusively by Kenyan companies, while others insist that having the more experienced Chinese companies set a "base" first will reduce the chance of failure in the future.

Coffee

Note for the folks at home: Despite living in a country that produces about 50,000 tons of coffee per year (yep, wikipedia'ed it), Kenyans in general are much more interested in tea ("chai") to quell their warm-caffeinated-beverage cravings. Ordering "coffee" in a restaurant will usually result in a packet of instant coffee and a mug of hot water.

And a note for mom: please ignore usage of the word "orgy" above.

Extreme Motorcycle Over-Loading in Kenya

Note for the folks at home:

Motorcycles ("piki-piki" - reportedly an onomatopoeia) are an extremely common sight throughout Kenya. Piki-piki uses range from pedestrian taxi service to long-distance goods transport. And, yes, livestock transportation is not unheard of.