What you need to know; part I

Here are some interesting things we have learned that help us communicate here:

When you say thank you, a Kenyan will say, "Welcome" and when you arrive somewhere, a Kenyan will say "you're welcome." So just the opposite of how we say it.

If you say hello, they tend to answer back "fine." And if you say how are you, they tend to say "thank you."

If they say something is sweet, they mean it tastes good, not necessarily that it has a sugary flavor. Kenyans tend to like very bland food, and would never like the cakes, candy, and ice cream that we like.

Kids, on the other hand, love to get candy from Wazungu (white people). But they immediately throw the wrappers on the ground. So I have gotten into the habit of unwrapping everything before giving it out. They are NOT worried about the germs on your hands (or anything else for that matter).

If they say something is OK, it means it is very good. I still struggle with this, because if I ask if I can do something, they say it's OK, and I think they don't really want me to do whatever it is. Joseph explained to me that when we say OK, we mean 50/50, but when they say ok they mean "Eet eese vedy goood." (that was my attempt at typing out their accent, which takes a while to get used to).

"Just there" can mean to the right, to the left, around the corner, straight ahead, far away, or close by, and this is generally their way of giving directions when you ask where something is.

"Very close" can mean any distance away from where you currently stand, and this is generally their way of explaining how far away something is.

Interesting experience of the day: I took my first ride on a piki-piki. This is basically a motorized bike that people drive around like taxis. There are no helmets available for passenger or driver, and I was wearing a skirt, which made for a really interesting experience. I wish I could have remembered the driver's name, because he was really nice and made me feel as safe as you could feel one of those. He was my age, and his parents had died when he was 13, so he couldn't afford the fees to finish his schooling. His brother and sister live with him, and his brother was able to go to school at ring road orphan school (where Chris will be working) and was therefore able to go on to University! I thought this was really cool!