Mazungu means white person.
Sometimes I hate the color of my skin.
Being white in Africa has its advantages and disadvantages. When i walk down the road everyone stops what they are doing to stare directly at me. Kids run from far away just to say hello and wave. You get charged triple the price of a Kenyan for everything you buy. You get invited into every home and offered chai just because you are a foreigner. And naturally every person along the street thinks you are rich and you will give them money.
I think this past week I reached my limit of this. The money part! I mean you can’t blame them. Most “white” people who come to help anyone in need in Africa, just come and give, and leave. It creates a dependency. So that when we come along and we want to help a group of people long-term and not just give handouts, they think we are “holding out” on them. They think that somewhere along the line we will just stop everything we are doing to give them money.
In America, if you want to bless someone you can do it… it’s not expected but it’s appreciated. If you want to buy someone dinner that a nice thing to do… but in Kenya if I truly wanted to bless someone that I care about I almost fear doing it because it will just play into the expectations that kenyans have for people with white skin. I hate that.
I guess this week i am a little frustrated. I am frustrated by the color of my skin and the precedent that has been set by people in the past. I want to break it. I want these people to only be dependent on the Lord. I want them to see that we aren’t just here for a short while and then leaving forever. i want them to see my heart instead of a dollar sign.
