Lifestyle

Transportation: There are lots of things I will be more grateful for when I get home. Clean water, food, medical care, ect. One thing I never thought I'd be so grateful for though is... traffic laws. I have seen one speed limit sign since coming to Kenya. It was in a national park and I am quite sure it was more to protect the warthogs rather than the people. The driving here is insane. The cars consistently bump into each other while driving and that is things on a good day. It's common practice to drive on the wrong side of the road, and pass waiting traffic going about 50mph on the shoulder of the road. I laugh when I see driving schools in Kenya because I've deducted there is only one driving law: as long as you honk before, during, and after whatever you're about to do then it is completely acceptable on the road. I used to worry about things like our vehicle stopping 30 yds in front of an oncoming bus, but I just can't be bothered anymore. I can no longer count the number of close calls I've been in, and have come to accept that it's just another crazy part of Africa.

Matatus at a traffic circle in Mombasa

Matatus (mah-tah-too) are the definition of chaos. Everything about them. I am trying to decide the best way to explain this all via text but there is just no good way. First I suppose I should explain what a matatu is. It's basically a minibus/van that is crafted to seat up to 14 people. They are generally about one speed bump away from disrepair, and are the most sketchy, dangerous, efficient way of traveling anywhere in Kenya. While they are created to fit 14 people the more popular practice is to cram as many people as possible in at a time (my record is only 21, but 25 isn't difficult to achieve). The conductor and driver work as a team. The driver drives (duh) as quickly and efficiently as possible weaving in and out of traffic to get to the next stop in a hurry, while the conductor runs the show. As you approach a matatu tons of conductors swarm you (being a mzungu certainly doesn't help this) pulling you this way and that. “Twenty bob to Karen!” “Bau-m-bau junction!” “Sister come this way!” “Twende!” After you've selected your matatu (make sure you've selected the right route, and also be sure your matatu is already about half full to prevent long wait times) you clamor in a hope for a successful journey. When the matatu is full beyond reasonable capacity the conductor gives a whistle to the driver signaling our departure. Since there is generally too many people inside the minibus as is the conductor will more than likely settle for hanging out of the open door yelling at people on the side of the road. When he finds a willing candidate for the trip he will bang on the side of the matatu signaling the driver to swing onto the shoulder of the road and slow down a little bit so our newest member can hop on, simultaneously the conductor will also be collecting money and dealing out change. Speed is the name of the game in the matatu business. The faster you fill up your van the faster you can leave, the faster you leave the faster you unload and reload. It should go without saying that the faster you drive aids all of the above. The music is so loud you can hardly hear the person sitting next to you, and if you're not 100% vigilant you will be robbed before you have a chance to think twice. It's extremely common for tires to blow out or just fall off all together while en-route, and the roads are generally littered with broken down matatus. Which leads me to my next story.

The Playboy Matatu that drives the 126 route right by my house

This past Saturday on the way home from a neighboring town I was sitting in the front row of our matatu when I started to smell smoke. I thought this was odd, but the smog is so bad around here that I didn't worry too much about it... until smoke started billowing up from under my seat that is. Soon as he notices our conductor bangs on the matatu and our driver comes to a halt. I had every intention of getting the hell out of there, but before I could move the conductor leans completely across my body (trapping me where I was) and pulls a metal sheet from the bottom of the van and starts tinkering with the smoking machine (go ahead and add mechanic to the list of conductor duties). After a few uneasy minutes our conductor sits up and asks the men in the ride to get out and help him push. They oblige him and after we get a running start our matatu is on the way once more... for about two miles. The smoke began again, this time accompanied by an unsettling rattling (not due to the inane amount of bass) throughout the van. At this point the conductor admitted defeat and waved another matatu down for us to ride the rest of the way.

Long story short; matatus are just one more thing that sets Africa apart from the Western World. They are dangerous, but also a part of every day life here in Kenya. Each ride is guaranteed to be an adventure.

Kenyan food: I know I've said time and time again that I'd digging Kenyan food, but I haven't really explained much of what it is. So here is a brief explanation of Kenyan cuisine.

Githeri, rice, skuma, sliced up chapati, cabbage. YUMM

The food (as I've said before) is made with a purpose in mind: to fill you up as inexpensively as possible. I can think of three main staples that are made with none other than flour and water (possibly a wee bit of sugar or salt); uji, ugali, and chapati. Ugali is a very common dish here and I'd say most Kenyan's eat it at least 2-3 dinners a week. It is made from a maize flour and water mixture and is about the consistency of mashed potatoes with no flavor at all. The key to ugali is pairing it with something tasty, generally cabbage or skuma. Uji is a wheat flour and water mixture with the consistency of porridge. There are lots of beans in the diet here. Githeri is one of my favorite meals when it's made right, it's a mixture of maize kernels and beans. Lots of dishes are garnished with fresh produce bought from local markets as well. My body is definitely happy to be enjoying so much non-processed fresh foods lately. Cabbage is also very popular here, spiced up with some tomatoes and onion, I have to say it's not bad at all. Skuma is one dish I just can't stand. It's boiled spinach, occasionally with some kind of meat added to it... I'm not a fan. Green grahams (lentils) and chaptati seem to be the favorite food by the majority of the volunteers here. Chai is the national beverage here, and is quickly becoming an acceptable replacement for coffee in my daily routine.

Cooking githeri at Faraja

Breakfast normally consists of bread and butter and chai. A couple times a week we will get mandazi instead, which is a sort of Kenyan donut (excluding most of the sugar). Lunch is whatever we decide to do for ourselves; generally noodles or grilled corn from the man on the corner. There is also an array of cafes for us to eat lunch at and nyama choma as well. The cafes are little hole in the wall kinda places and serve almost the exact same food. My personal favorite is the beef stew pilau, because it's something our host mom never cooks. Dinner is made up of any of the main dishes I've explained, and Kenyan's don't understand the concept of desert in the least. None of the food here is made with sugar, so the cravings are (of course) endless. Most days just before dark we make a run to the sweets shop to get some cookies or chocolate to sustain ourselves till the next day. Since I'm a chronic snacker I've become a regular of the local juice shop. I visit at least once a day to pick up some fresh juice, and generally a banana. The mangoes here are also to die for, I never even knew I liked mango but now I'm not sure what I'll do without them.

I'm happy I'm liking the food, and I'm hoping that when I get home I'll still have a better out look on trying new things.