Family life, daily life...

Well, I said I would update about homestays and family in this country and now I finally will! I meant to yesterday, but then I discovered milkshakes in a coffee shop (where I am now) and my internet plans fell apart. But first, day-to-day life:

The past couple of days have been pretty good. Mood wise, I continue to be up and down. Culturally, it is so different here that it is frequently overwhelming. But then I have little victories and I get excited. For instance, today I bought my lunch by myself. I also walked to this coffee shop myself. I am also getting better at navigating the terrain of Kenyan family life, so I am encouraged that in less then two weeks I am adjusting well.

Classes are continuing, although today we got out early! We’re supposed to be familiarizing ourselves to Nairobi, but there was a rain storm today --- very out of character for this time of year. Kenyans are saying that their seasons are disrupted due to global warming (there appears to be a consensus on that here). The short rains shouldn’t come until the end of October. Anyway, it has rained 3 out of 4 days here and so my shoes and pants are getting muddy faster than I can wash them (by hand, of course). Classes are going well though, the faculty seems to be of good quality and they are nice as well.

Now about my family and home. We live in Jamhuri Estates, which is a large area of flats where most of the students with the program live. The roads are very rough and unpaved. There are chickens running around every which way and stray dogs and cats everywhere --- I’ve seen two dead dogs already, just on the side of the road. Little shacks selling fresh fruits and veggies, or candy, line the road.

The flats really vary in quality; some have locked gates and some are more lower class. I live in a more simple flat. There are two bedrooms, one for the parents and then one where I am, in addition to my younger sister Tamara. Then in the living room there is another bunk bed where Lovell sleeps (top bunk) and then Lillian, my aunt and her 3 y/o daughter Gloria sleep (bottom bunk). The floors are just concrete, and the walls are unfinished. The kitchen has no counters, and they have to cook outside of the flat in the hallway. BUT. Very important here, they are middle class here. Next to us is the biggest slum in Africa, Kibera. Now that’s poverty. So they live simply here. It can be a little frustrating, but they do have an indoor flushable toilet and a decent shower, although you have to wear “slippers,” as they call flip-flops.

Family life is very different though. It is much more patriarchal than the US. Much, much more. It’s kind of hard for me to watch, but I’m going to keep my mouth shut. I’m not here to change Africa, just to participate and help in whatever endeavors they’re doing. Anyway, my host-mom works all day at the salon she owns and then comes home and cooks dinner. The TV is constantly on. They don’t talk too much about their day, and they definitely don’t joke around a lot. The TV is on during dinner, before breakfast, always. It may be because Nairobi is fairly Westernized, so it will be interesting to compare to my rural homestay in Kisumu.

The kids don’t play much, probably because they don’t have toys. They take school very seriously. Children are treated more like small adults. They have a lot of housework to do. They are never babysat or played with, they are just around. In the US intelligence is cultivated in children, but here they are just left to learn on their own. As a result, Gloria, the 3 y/o, has cognitive skills that are very different than Emma or Misa, some of the similarly-aged children I know in the US. Things are certainly different here…

Feel free to ask questions. And thank you for all your comments and messages, they make me feel at home and have something to look forward to. Tatu onana baadaye…