Bonding with the culture

Susie is in the States shepherding her son through his last days as a high schooler so I am solo in Kenya for a while. I did return to the States for a workshop on the International Baccalaureate and was homesick….for Kenya!

I am acculturating quite fervently to this land of almost constant sun,glorious landscapes and fascinating culture.

Here are some perfect moments in that culture.

One night I decided to stop by Citimall to get a pizza for dinner. The pizza Inn there makes great pizza which replicates what one would find in the U.S. Citi Mall is an upscale shopping area in Nyali where we live.This is where expats hang as well as Kenyans with cash to spend. There are guards at the gates and while one checks your car inside and out another mans the large cross bar which blocks the entrance. I had an early Michael Jackson song blasting on the CD in the car. I looked up and noticed that the guard manning the cross bar was bebopping to the tune, the large rifle strung across his uniform bouncing up and down to the music. Our eyes met and he gave me a wide toothy grin with that look of compatibility that  transcends cultures. As I drove by he gave me a fist pump and said ”love Michael Jackson!”

Most every evening I greet the girls at the home when the bus brings them from the  school they attend since the one we are building is not completed yet. We then proceed to the space we have deemed the library to do homework. The homework is mostly workbooks where all the answers are printed at the back. Fact mastery is the norm in Kenya, inert knowledge rather than active engagement. Obviously our school Mudzini Hall will be different. Near the end of the session which can get a bit tedious, one of the girls started singing “Joy To The World” and was immediately joined spontaneously by all the girls. I joined them in the song until the lump in my throat was too big and precluded any sound  from emanating. Here they are these girls ages 3 to 11 some from backgrounds almost unimaginable due to the ravages of extreme poverty, singing with such joy from their world at the home where they are safe and loved. Needless to say along with the  lump were the tears of joy from my eyes.”What’s wrong Mr. Plummer?” “Nothing, I am just happy!”

We mentioned Jackson before.He is one of the beach “entrepreneurs” who sell trinkets and hawks services like boat trips to the tourists from the hotels which line the beach.Jackson personifies the educational dilemma in Kenya. Clearly very smart.he had to end his formal education in 8th grade because his parents could not afford the fees for the required uniform. He says matter of factly that without at least a high school diploma the work on the beach is all he can do. He offers poignant insights on the culture often as we talk. Recently when I saw a much older european walking the beach with a young Kenyan girl I asked him” how can she be with him, he could be her grandfather”.

His simple but eloquent reply was “She doesn’t see that, Randy “ implying that what she sees is a temporary way out of her life of extreme poverty. On my recent birthday I saw Jackson as I was running in the morning on the beach. He came up to me as I finished and I told him it was my birthday and how old I was. He was a bit shocked and said I am older than his father and he can barely walk anymore and here I am running! I explained that I wanted to be healthy and vital for the children I will be helping educate as well as my own grandchildren. I said to him that he should be thinking about his 2 young daughters as well. The next time I was running Jackson sidled up next to me and ran part of the way without saying a word. Now every morning when I run on the beach Jackson waits for me and joins me for the last few miles of the run. Male competition being what it is I find myself running faster!. We end by sharing news of our respective families and then go on about our day.  

Our common humanity is stronger than any cultural differences which seem sometime to divide us!