After moving in with my host family - a traditional Muslim family that lives on the third floor of an apartment complex off a main road in Mombasa - I am beginning to feel at home, to feel a part of the culture. They have 2 boys and 2 girls, all younger than 7, which is a bit of a change that I'll adjust to quickly, I hope :) The language barrier is crumbling quickly though - something I've been waiting for.
I took a nap today after lunch and woke up to go write on the small balcolny outside my room. It wasn't hard to notice how simple things are around here. Below, the balcolny used a brilliant security system to keep folks from breaking in through their window: sharp shards of glass sticking up from the cement wall. Across, on the rooftops of other apartments, lines of clothese hung to dry and womyn washed more with buckets, a brush, soap, and their bare hands. On the street, men sat on old buckets and curbsides, just talking.
When I 'hang out' with friends at home, we must find a good movie to watch, or GO somewhere entertaining. If we want to keep others away from our belongings, we install a state-of-the-line security system, spending way too much money just driving around to compare prices. Interesting how we still use words like 'tribal' or 'native' to describe those who live in places like Africa, also describing the whole continent as 'third world.'
WHAT IS THAT?!
Are we insinuating that we Americans are of the 'first world,' as if the 'developed' nature of our country was not built on the backs of these same life-techniques of simplicity? I'm saying: folks seem a lot happier doing 'third world' pastimes and using 'tribal' building techniques. Food for thought.
I start work on Tuesday (Monday is a national holiday that is unexplainable to me, I guess) and really feel that doing so will make me feel more complete here. Working for Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) is going to be a great opportunity to break the idealistic nature of what we assume 'nonprofit, grassroots' work is. I'll let you know the real deal :)
P.S: we've really got to drink more chai and pineapple juice. I'll write the government about that and save you all some time.
My Story
- Jenn
- Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Beginning an exciting adventure in Mombasa, Kenya, I want to share my experiences with you all as they unfold - I'm just not patient enough to wait until my return. I hope to include pictures and fun stories as well as the insight I hope comes with the territory of travelling. Know this though: my spelling is awful. No judging please :) I would love to hear comments from you - telling me about your life - and if you do not have an account, sign in as annonymous and give me your name at the bottom.
4 comments:
I know I just commented on your last post, but I felt compelled to comment on this as well.
AMEN.
That's all ( :
mid entry comment.
JENN! you are going to have some CRAZY culture shock coming back to America. Even though I was in the US still in Puerto Rico, i had culture shock in the opposite direction when i came back to the states. it sounds amazing there! It's surprising that we didnt think to use glass shards as a break in system, rather than ruining the economy with high priced systems that never work.
anyway, back to your entry!
i'll help you in writing the government on the pinapple juice and green tea. i think we also need to drink passion fruit juice, now that stuff is AMAZING and i miss it so much. Jenn, i love reading your stuff, because we think the same way. We need to have some deep conversation when you get back!
PS, like you said about hanging out, my favorite way to hang out is just to sit at someone's house.. i HATE going out and doing things, because i feel like i cant talk.. it's just.. weird to me. Why go out somewhere when you can just sit and enjoy each other's company? I mean, isn't that why you hang out with people in the first place? I guess not everyone has the same priorities though. =/
I CANT wait to hear about the non profit! I am so happy you got this opportunity Jenn! i Know you are going to blow them out of the water!!!
Good luck at work and enjoy the holiday on Monday! Tell me about what they do to celebrate it!!! I'm yearning for knowledge!
You have such a great point. What exactly does it mean when we say THIRD WORLD? Absolutely nothing. If anything, we have caused much more destruction and problems in this world acting as our technologically money driven society rather than living more simply like other cultures. What is wrong with just sitting outside, gardening, etc.??? I would like to know what our nation, what our world, and especially what our atmosphere would look like if we had just left well enough alone.
This is why I miss you buddy!
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