The Finer Details of Kenyan Life

I believe I have neglected to mention the finer details of Kenyan Life.  There are a lot of little differences that I thought would make for an interesting post.

Grading Homework and Tests
In America, if you answered a question incorrectly the teacher would put a checkmark on that question.  In Kenya, its the opposite.  You need to put a checkmark next to the questions that were answered correctly.  This was something I learned on the first assignment I gave while teaching class one months back.  Of course, I graded the assignment the American way only to have all of my students start bawling.  I had no idea why they were bawling until I told one of the teachers the story later in the day.  Even in class 3 they whine if I did not give them enough checkmarks.  Sometimes they become so angry that they ignore me for the rest of the day.  I try to help them learn from their mistakes but they’ll refuse. Occasionally, if I feel that many of them will get the questions on the assignment wrong I will go over it together with them in class so that they can write the correct answers and therefore I do not have to deal with their whining if they did not do well.  Unfortunately, they do not like this either.  Oh and it MUST be done with a red pen.  Otherwise, all hell breaks loose.

Greetings
I have probably mentioned before that one of the first English phrases Kenyans learn growing up is “How are you?”  All of the little kids are constantly yelling HOW ARE YOU!?  And what is really annoying is that they do it in a high nasally sounding voice because apparently, Americans have a higher pitch in their voice so they are trying to sound like us.  Volunteers always like to joke about how we yell back “I am fine!” in an even more obvious and higher sounding nasally voice.

Furthermore, when you greet a Kenyan they almost always assume you are asking how they are.  If I say hello or good morning, oftentimes I will get a “I am fine” or “I’m very fine thank you” response even though I did not ask how they were doing.  You must also ALWAYS shake hands especially with people you know or work with.  If I walk up to a group of teachers, I have to do more than just wave and say “hello.”  I MUST talk with them for a while and shake all of their hands.  Otherwise, they will think that I am mad at them or that something is wrong.

Beer
Beer in Kenya either comes in 300 ml bottles or 500 ml bottles.  If the beer you want only comes in the 300 ml bottle they will always give you two even if you asked for one.  It is assumed that because you ordered the smaller bottle that you will have two.  Because many drinking establishments do not have electricity they beer is often served warm.  But what I find peculiar is that even in places that do have cold beer, you have to request a cold beer otherwise they just give you a warm one.  And there is no tipping at the restaurants here with the exception of some very nice restaurants in the bigger towns.

Clothes
Most of the clothes that can be bought in the market are second hand clothes from America or another developed country.  I am not sure but I think there is an organization like the Salvation Army that donates or sells the second hand clothes for dirt cheap to be sold in markets across Kenya.  Many people make their living by selling these clothes.  Much of it is actually of pretty good quality and while I haven’t bought anything yet, I am always looking out for a hidden treasure, preferably a 1982 Milwaukee Brewers World Series/AL Champions shirt.

Weather
It is cold here now.  VERY cold.  I really have no idea what the exact temperature is but there is definitely a wind chill here in Maua.  The winds are INSANE.  If I would to guess I would say that the average wind speed during the month of July is around 20 mph with gusts much higher than that.  And it never slows down, even at night the wind is howling.  Almost every night I wear my heavy fleece and my UW-L Swimming sweatpants and yes, my winter hat.  Another thing about the weather that really sucks is that we’re in another dry season already.  So the wind combined with the dry weather makes for a very dusty and dirty environment.  This is especially bothersome while running as I feel like I am just breathing in pounds of dirt.

“Top Up Here”
Many people may be surprised that there are many cellular options here.  I think there are about four or five cellular phone companies.  The majority of cell phone users, including myself, purchase a SIM card that is placed in your phone.  There is no monthly bill but you have to pay for the phone, the SIM card and credit.  This is a pay as you go approach which is referred to as “topping up.”   You can purchase a scratch card almost anywhere even in the tiny villages.  Almost every shop in Kenya, no matter how small it is has a “Top Up Here” sign from one of the major phone companies.  You just scratch off the number on the card and enter it in the phone to receive more minutes.

Kenyans are CONSERVATIVE
The women of the family are expected to work for the men.  Wash their clothes, clean the house, do all the chores, cook and care for the children.  The men DO NOT do any of these things if they have a wife.  Kenyans also do not show any affection to one another.  You will never find a husband kissing, hugging or even holding hands with his wife.  This sort of thing is frowned upon.  I am told that many Kenyans were not so enthusiastic when Obama embraced his wife after he won the election.  Contrarily, it is not uncommon to find men holding hands.  This is very common and completely normal even though homosexuality is strongly oppressed.

As far as I know all Kenyan men are circumcised in their early teens and without any pain medication or anesthesia.  This is a ceremony and a sort of rite of passage into manhood.  Also, men are not supposed to cry, ever.

Witchcraft
Have I talked about this??  Well, if I haven’t I am sorry.  I have heard some pretty crazy stories about witchcraft.  One of the most popular stories is that during the post election violence in 2008 there was an increase in crime and looting.  At an electronics shop the owner was watching a group of looters raid his shop and the only thing he did about it was put a curse on them.  The story goes that when the thieves returned home they could not put anything down.  If they were carrying a television on their shoulder they could not place it down until they returned it to the shop.  I have also heard that if a person has a curse placed on them that it stays with them even after they die.  A close friend told me that the corpse will get bigger and bigger and will break the coffin unless a witch doctor is summoned to remove the curse.  I certainly do not know the truth to any of these stories, but many of my Kenyan friends believe witchcraft to be true.  If something crazy occurs, people just write it off as witchcraft.

As the term winds down I am hoping to write a few more posts before I leave my site and do some more traveling in August.