Growing Up, African Style

A worthwhile investment?

This [non-working] TV came from Phyllis, our site coordinator. Even though the TV's older than me, I actually knew how to scan for channels using the little dials- thanks to my parents who didn't buy a new TV until I left for college (and a 60-inch projection at that!). No, I'm not still bitter. Yes, the TV's turned on.

Things never seem quite to work like they should here. This TV, for instance. Things always seem to take longer here, too. For instance, the other day I went with my host siblings to visit a cousin of theirs. We were only planning to stay an hour, but three hours later found us watching some lame movie on TV. A trip to the grocery store means taking a 5 minute matatu ride or walking over 2 kilometers, getting what we need and returning. Today I went on some errands with Andrew, the driver here for CWS. His, like many Kenyan's, subiri kidogo, translates directly to "wait a little," but 'little' means not 'a few minutes' but rather '15 or 20.' It's akin to going grocery shopping with my mom or dad when I was younger (five or fifteen, take your pick): I didn't fully understand why things took so long. As I grow up here in Kenya, I'm learning little by little why things are take longer than in the US: poor road infrastructure, more intentional greetings, crazy Nairobi traffic... yet perhaps Will, my roommate, put it best. After returning from what we'd expected to be a nice outing - but instead was a long and arduous journey - he commented, "It's like the story of this country's life."

We're quickly getting over ourselves.

Will in our "dying" room watching TV fizzle rock