Upon further reflection

On a hike!

"Abby, don't be weird," a friend just said to me. Why did she say this? Well, I was exclaiming over something small which can't be taken for granted on my island. While I try to control said "weirdness" it's sometimes helpful to sit down and take stock of all the differences between island life and where I am in Kenya.

Urban Kenya isn't Clove Island, that's for sure. Americans often think that "Africa is Africa." In fact, some Americans seem to forget basic geography and think of Africa as one county instead of the actual 53 countries on this glorious continent. But as I was saying, there are a few major differences between life on Clove Island and life in Kenya. Like what? Let's start a list:

Change: here in Kenya it seems that having change is to your benefit, as you can often get a better deal if you have exact change. But it's nothing like the island where people will lie through their teeth about not having change. I've gone to the market at times with a 500 note and bought something worth 200. The seller will prefer to wave the 500 note in the air and ask a friend for change rather than reach under their mat to disturb their own precious change pile. We've speculated that there may be a lack of small bills and coins... but that's only exacerbated by the number of people hoarding it!

Looking up from the bottom of an ancient crater.

Proposals: although I get a little attention as a white woman in Kenya, it's nothing compared to Clove Island. One day, there were 4 of us ladies who went into town (in Kenya) and while catching a taxi on the way back we had to fend off some unwanted attention (a man blowing kisses through the tuk tuk window!)... but it's been nothing compared to the incessant onslaught I get on Clove Island of men who find out I'm unmarried and immediately propose to me. It might be my white skin and blonde hair... or it might just be that I carry an American passport... but it's nice to get a break from the attention here in Kenya.

Power: I've heard Kenyans complain about the power outages here. But the funny thing is that the power comes back on fairly quickly. I've grown accustomed to the idea that if the power goes out in the evening it probably won't come back for the rest of the night. I also have gotten into the habit of charging my cell phone whenever there's power so it doesn't die on me when the power's out... yet here I can count on being able to charge my phone every night! It's truly amazing.

Baboon-- chillin' like a villain in the middle of the road

Food: I've been amazed at what I can find in Kenyan supermarkets. On the list of things which I've found here and never seen on Clove Island are:
- corn chips
- bacon
- pork sausage
- loose tea
- pre-roasted coffee beans
- cheddar cheese
- salami
- and many other items. The variety is overwhelming (see my previous post).

English: it is seriously AMAZING to be able to assume that people in shops and buses know English. Granted, the accent here is quite unique, yet I really don't mind. Of course, this also means I can't talk about people in front of them as easily. :-)
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News update: I'm done with my 3 weeks of training and am now on vacation! I'm excited for some serious down time before returning to island life. If you've got Skype/Google hangouts and want to talk, I might have more time for catching up with people this week. Drop me a note and we can schedule it!

Viewpoint!