Life In Kenya, No Longer A Novelty

Enjoying a few days at my favorite yoga retreat on the Kenyan coast - luckily Madison had some business to tend to on the coast and I got to tag along

Madison and Tony, our driver (who was an ex-matatu driver) while in Western Kenya. We had a few hours before our flight departed so we ventured to Mt. Elgon. I think Tony was more excited about this trip than we were which made my day.

Madison with Joseph (in the middle - our driver) and David (Honey Care Project Officer) on the top of Nzambani Rock. After a long day of visiting farmers we got to "play" by climbing Nzambani Rock and enjoying the beautiful view of Eastern Kenya.

Nzambani Rock

Watching the sunrise while overlooking the Kakamega Rainforest in Western Kenya

A giraffe posing for a picture as we were leaving the Lake Naivasha area

While Nate was in town a group of us went to Lake Naivasha for the weekend. Madison and I ventured out on a guided safari walk one morning- it was exciting to be so close to giraffes on foot vs. from a safari vehicle

Just as with time I have become accustomed to other changes in my life, I feel as though I have mostly adapted to the fact that we are living in Kenya. I no longer jump to the side of the road when I think a car is headed towards me on the wrong side of the road when I am out for a run; I accept and now know to expect (can’t say I embrace it) the poor air quality – the smog or smell of burning garbage or exhaust from the cars or clouds of dust and dirt - as I am out for a run; I hail down and climb into the matatus as if I have been riding them for years; the sight of a cow or a goat or a sheep randomly crossing main roads during traffic doesn’t phase me (although I still crack smiles when it happens); I have come to terms with the fact that there are no formal rules while driving (at least that the people obey) except “don’t hesitate, just go;” I have learned to always take a book with me wherever I go as traffic jams can occur at anytime and can last for hours, which also leads to my understanding of “Kenyan time” – it’s foolish to expect to be on time for a meeting; I truly appreciate that the planning of meetings, events or flights is more spontaneous here and things don’t need to be planned in advance to happen the next day; I don’t let random, yet frequent power outages stop me from accomplishing the task at hand (luckily I always know where my headlamp is); the vast amount of Kenyans walking alongside the road at all hours of the day and night is now normal to me; I am not as phased by the drastic difference and close proximity between the well, established, upscale neighborhoods and the informal, underdeveloped settlements; I expect the children of the slums to yell “Mzungo, Mzungo, How are you?’ (but now I can answer them in Swahili) and to touch my skin as if I am going to feel different or to stare at me like I am a creature from outer space; I use my cell phone for quick, to the point conversations instead of long, drawn out shooting the sh*#t conversations as there is no such thing as an affordable unlimited voice/text plan (I just top up my phone with some money and use it till it runs out – my goal is to make it last as long as possible); I now realize the term “healthy” in regards to food is the exact opposite of what I know it as – here it means cooked in lots of fat and oil and/or fried or contains lots of sugar (when food security is a problem, healthy means fat for substance and sugar for energy); I no longer ask for brown rice (instead of white rice) or skim milk as it is not as common as I am used to at home; I now expect to be bombarded my menus at food courts (not that we eat at them frequently, but every so often I find myself at one) and order from the restaurant/fast food server vs. at the counter and then served at my table; and last, but not least, waking up and blindly swatting at the annoying buzz of a mosquito(s) is now accepted as part of our sleeping hours.

It still gives me slight anxiety when I think about not having a paid job anymore. Every time I use my debit card I think crap – these funds will not be replaced at the end of the month. There are times I have to remind myself that everything I am doing here is from a volunteer standpoint, and then a sense of pride flows through me. If I actually sit and think about it, it makes me proud to think how innately motivated I am. I could sleep in every day, spend hours at the gym, or lay about watching TV or reading. However, I wake up every morning with a something on my agenda – whether it’s to volunteer at the school, teach a yoga class, work with the girls at the Hawkers Markets, complete a promised task, attend a meeting, explore a new matatu route, or learn about a new NGO. I truly believe the rewards I am receiving from this experience are more than money can buy. Thank you, Madison for allowing this to happen.