Before coming to Kenya, I was connected with a colleague’s cousin who lives here and she is amazing. Serious. I think my transition into life here would have taken a few weeks longer had she not been such a gracious host. Furthermore—she has been commentating on certain life lessons and nuances as we tour the area… nuances that may take a mzungu like me way longer to catch on. I’m so thankful for her.
Here’s the first of many lessons, I’m sure.
1. There are no crosswalks in Kenya and cars won’t stop for you if you just stand and wait on the sidewalk. So just cross and do so with absolute confidence.
2. When walking back from work one day, we were crossing the street and she told me, “hurry.” So what do you do when you “hurry?” You run. At least… I run.
I dashed to the other side and looked back to see her walking calmly amidst the oncoming cars. When I inquired about why she didn’t run like me…
Friend: As a kid, I was taught to never run when crossing the street.
Here’s the first of many lessons, I’m sure.
1. There are no crosswalks in Kenya and cars won’t stop for you if you just stand and wait on the sidewalk. So just cross and do so with absolute confidence.
2. When walking back from work one day, we were crossing the street and she told me, “hurry.” So what do you do when you “hurry?” You run. At least… I run.
I dashed to the other side and looked back to see her walking calmly amidst the oncoming cars. When I inquired about why she didn’t run like me…
Friend: As a kid, I was taught to never run when crossing the street.
Me: Really? Why?
Friend: Because when you run, you may trip and fall… then it’s over!
I laughed because there is so much truth in that logic. I now walk (at a speedy pace) when I cross the street.
With these personal, cultural tips, I’m becoming more Kenyan, everyday, eh? Now I just have to brush up on my Swahili words—somehow, I think just knowing basic greetings/plesantries, the word for ear, stomach, and food is insufficient for survival here… hmm..
Anyhoo—here are some “pichas” from this weekend—enjoy!
My friends and I took a trip out of the city to a rural area called Thika. On the side of the hill, those are tea farms-- there were maaaany along the way
One of my friend's sisters went to boarding school out here-- their school grew vegetables and raised cows. I wish I went to school out here.. it's a breath-taking view 
My attempt at being artsy to show the rain. Yes! It finally rained here! It's a great thing for Kenya because there's been a drought--which consequently resulted in a famine. So when rain came... I could not have been more happy. Although, we still need more to make a huge difference
These two cuties came with us; Kelly and Sean. These brothers were absolutely sweet, funny, and utterly amusing. Sean (the baby) tried to grab my camera... apparently he's quite the photographer at the tender age of 1.5 yrs
We stopped at an inn for a drink-- it overlooked the dam and had a beautiful view... it got cloudy when we reached there...hence the fog-ilicious picture. Oh! And when the owner saw me taking pictures, he tried to make me pay. I didn't. heh.
Sean teaching us how to relax and enjoy life :)
On the way to the rural area, we passed by a lot of people walking, buildings, small towns, and just tons of colors. I especially loved the clotheslines... there were some buildings we saw that just had multiple clotheslines per floor... it looked amazing-- all the colors hanging and waving in the sun. This one didn't have as many as the other buildings-- but I'll definitely try to recapture it for you another time.
Well, alright folks, I had more pictures from this weekend but I'll post those later-- I need to finish up at work so I can get out and beat rush hour :)
Peace,
Yv
