I was asked recently how Kenya has CHANGED me. Sixteen months in kenya and counting and my mind never seems to stop thinking about what appears to me everything under the sun.
Being in country this long so many things passed by that does not affect me like it did when I first arrived. I wonder if those things would alter how I have changed.
I have a great respect for the mama that sells fruit and vegetables in a wooden make shift shack. She does not have electricity or anything fancy; she is just selling what she has to make enough money so her family can eat that evening.
I appreciate that people go to great lengths to make sure things are clean. Children and adults wash their clothes after one use. They have control over how clean they can be and they take pride in that. Or what about the duka (shop) owners who sweep away the trash from in front of their place. They make sure that the dirt is clean with no rubbish anywhere.
I have learned about self confidence. It was fairly certain that my belief in myself before coming to Kenya was very shallow. Living in a foreign land for months standing up for onself and believing in yourself comes with the territory. I am very grateful for where I have come from and where I am now. Self confidence was something I greatly desired as part of my journey here.
I am learning what I am competent and good at doing, teaching. I knew very little about teaching before coming. After receiving training for two months I was thrown to the wolves. I can assuredly say that I am a good teacher. I do not have years of experience as my counterparts, but I believe in what I am doing. I have realized along the way that if I am passionate about the subject and care for the kids it will translate over to the kids wanting to learn themselves.
Leaving a world of abundant resources at my fingertips to coming to a place where people are resourceful for what they have. Children make their own toys. Empty juice cartons, bottle caps, wire, and sticks are assembled together to make a car. If one car is not enough they will string together several together to make a train of sorts.
Kids love playing football (soccer) and since buying a ball is virtually out of the question for all of the kids they make their own. The pupils gather paper (plastic, plastic bags are called paper bags) bags and tie them together with some string for their homemade ball. I have yet to learn how they make the ball, but before I leave I am going to learn.
I can take a bath with 3 liters of water. I turn on my lights only when necessarily, at night. It is no inconvenience for the power to go out and for me to use a candle or a lantern.
Washing my clothes in a basin and hanging them to dry outside shows me that having a washing machine and dryer are not a must. I agree, it will be nice to use on a regular basis. On the same note, I would not be afraid to clean my own clothes and then hang them dry.
Community and Friendships in Kenya are very much a part of the culture. Visitors are always welcome and invitations are not needed for someone to drop by. If you are visiting someone who is just leaving their house it is rude to not welcome them in the house and have a cup of tea. If you are sick it is expected that people will stop by all the time to see if you are ok and what they can do for you. This of course is different than the west. We want our privacy. Thoughtfulness of others is always welcome, but we want to be left alone while we get better.
Where ever you are going, greeting people along the way is necessary.
I appreciate the community model that happens here. The focus is not about self, but caring about your neighbor. I think in the west we have missed that a lot of the times.
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