10 Kenyan Snippets

1) You never have to worry about speeding here. The policemen don't have cars. 2) The craziest birds that I've ever heard live here. You can hear owls hooting in the middle of the day, screeches from these huge crow-like birds, and mysterious alarm clock sounding birds. 3) The common mode of public transportation is the infamous matatu. These vehicles are like large minivans, with about four rows of seats that fit about 20. I haven't ridden one yet, since it's really easy to have every single one of your wordly possessions stolen in route. 4) Nothing says "for sale" or "for rent," instead all the signs say "for let." 5) Everyone lives within a walled, guarded compound. For a while we all thought the guards were pointless because they let us in without any questions. Finally we learned the guard motto which lets us in so easily- "white's alright." 6) Kenyans have a strong Kenyan/British accent which is very hard to understand. I often find myself thinking, "I know you're speaking English, but I don't know what you're saying." 7) Time is not of the essence here. When planning a time for an event, you have to specify whether you mean Kenyan time or American time. The difference can be hours. 8) There are hardly any road names here. Directions often include phrases like "turn right at the flower vendor," "take the second left after the blue billboard," or "turn after the fifth pothole." 9)We really need to sift through our sugar to get all the pieces of wood, grass, and rock out. 10) Kenyans have a tea break twice a day. Very British.