Just a few little tidbits about things in Kenya.
During one of our marathon drives through the African bush,
we were stopped by the Kenyan Police, because not everyone was wearing a seat
belt. Apparently this was going to
result in a lengthy stop, the driver having been asked to get out of the van
and explain himself. We’ve heard that
there is much corruption in the Kenyan government, at all levels, so we
wondered what had happened when a few moments later, the officer looked at all
of us and told us to enjoy the rest of our journey. We found out later that our contact, Paul, had
a friend in the Kenyan Police department, one who was fairly high up in the
ranks. He called him, and handed the
phone to the officer who had stopped us.
Apparently hearing from someone high up was enough, and hence, the
problem was solved. It was a little
tense while it was going on though!
Because corruption in American isn’t quite so blatant, we
are unaccustomed to this practice. It
seems that many of the Kenyan people we encountered would also prefer for this
to cease. And interestingly enough, they
have pinned all their hopes for their nation on one man. Barak Obama. We’ve grown used to hearing the
Barak Obama song (yeah, seriously), and seeing no less than five books about
him in nearly every convenience store.
Every car, truck, matatu and bus has either his name or his face
plastered on it. Many Kenyans see him as their nation’s savior. And as an American, I can only wonder what
the reaction of this occasionally volatile nation will be if Obama fails to
deliver.
Overall though, Kenya has been amazing. The people of this nation are incredibly
friendly and welcoming. Every time we
approached a home, we were ushered inside and seated on the couch. And many times, all I could think was, this
is so amazingly different. If a stranger
approached my home, I would come outside and ask them what they needed, but I
am pretty sure that I would not ask them in for tea and crumpets. We’ve talked a bunch this month about
independence. We’ve given that up for
the year. But it goes beyond that. As a nation, the US is very independent. Many people can go through the motions of
living, going to work, grocery shopping, cooking dinner and watching TV, and
yet not have a single meaningful conversation all day. People tend to get busy with their ‘lives’
and they fail to make time for other people.
Having seen another side, the genuine friendliness of this nation, I
wonder if it isn’t a good idea to start putting that into practice. What would happen in the US if each time
someone knocked on your door, you weren’t scared of them, but you invited them
in?
