Baby, its not cold outside

I have experienced a little writers block lately. When I first arrived, I was so culture shocked that I did not know where to start. But now that I have settled into a routine, every thing feels pretty normal to me. And I forget how everyone back home is so eager to learn about what I am doing. I guess in the last five weeks, I have gotten so used to Kenyan life that I am adapting to new things everyday without much thought. I am not as shocked now and that is a good thing. Using the choo or washing my clothes is no big deal anymore and has become pretty routine. So in that sense, I have begun the process of setting myself up for another culture shock for when I return to America in two years.

Perhaps the most difficult change has been getting used to the diet. For the first few weeks, myself and others could not shut up about how much we miss American food. What I would give for a juicy cheeseburger and a high life right now, but I have accepted the fact it will be a while so I try not to dwell on it anymore. Most of the meals are high in carbs and starches which provide much needed energy for life in Kenya. Unfortunately I’ve already lost about five to seven pounds which is probably normal because we have to walk everywhere now. (And I have only had one beer in the last five weeks.) Yesterday on my walk home, a gentlemen starting talking to me and he wanted to do know what I was doing here and how I liked Kenya and how different it is from America. He said “Us, Kenyans we start walking from the day we’re born to the day we die.” He said he knew that everyone in America has a car but he was quick to say that he knows that Americans work hard and have earned that car and the lifestyle.

This week we have had many “hub days” where all of 45 trainees meet together at the training hub. On Wednesday we had the opportunity to chat with our country director. We has been well traveled in
Sub-Saharan Africa. He has a wealth of experience in African relations as well with the Peace Corps. I feel very comfortable knowing that the two people that are mostly responsible for our safety and welfare, the country director and the medical officer are very capable and qualified. They are pretty cool too! At the end of this particular hub day we as a group discussed the many differences and changes we have had to deal with in the first five weeks. The most common were we have had to reduce our tolerance for good hygiene. Someone said, “In America if you go into a restaurant and there are flies in your food, you are never going to go there again. But here, where aren’t flies in your food?”

I did pretty well on my language exam. Much better than I expected actually. But I still feel like I should be better. As the end of training nears, I want to learn as much KSL as I can so I had an idea. I think it would be a good idea to try and focus on the interpreters instead of paying attention to the person speaking. Furthermore, one of my fellow trainees recommended that I try experimenting by taking my hearing aids out. While, I am not deaf, this would certainly force me to pay more attention to the interpreter and hopefully through this way I will pick up more of the signs. At first, I was hesitant about the idea but I’ve since warmed up to it. And I think it will do some good. So I may give it a try sometime in the next two weeks.

My momma has been insisting that she buy me something. She works in a clinic and one day after training I stopped by to say hi and she took me to a store next door and told me to pick out a pair of trousers or a shirt. I wondered if maybe my clothes were not nice enough, or maybe there was something wrong with the way I dress. The clothes in this particular shop were not what I normally wear. They had numerous retro Laker jerseys and baggy jeans. I also probably brought too much clothes to begin with so I politely said that I am fine and I do not need any clothes. But she kept insisting and everyone in the shop was looking at me. It was awkward to say the least. I finally managed to convince her that I really did not need anything. Now she has been telling me to stop by her again because she wants to buy me some shoes. I have since been “too busy” to stop by the clinic again…

It does not feel like Christmas is just a few days away. While many Kenyans are Christians and do celebrate Christmas, many of the American pre-Christmas traditions are non-existent here. There are no decorations or lights. However, I am eager to see how Kenyans celebrate Christmas, but I hope it does not involve another five hour church service. Some other trainees and I are trying to get into the Christmas spirit by doing a Secret Santa gift exchange with each other. So later today, I am going to head to the market and attempt to find a clever Kenyan Christmas gift that is under 300 schillings. It is also weird that there is no Jack Frost nipping at my nose.