My first Saturday in Kenya was GREAT. I woke up with no plans for the day. Becoming more comfortable in Africa, I decided that a no-plan day was just fine... I would just make my own plans! I understand more about being safe here, more about how to get around and more about money and people. So, I called for a cab and met the driver outside of my housing compound. Knowing that I probably wouldn’t be around many animals the rest of my time in Africa (since my itinerary is focused on meeting people here and seeing what life is like), I decided to make this Saturday ANIMAL day.
Isaac picked me up at the my housing compound later in the morning and we headed first to the Nairobi Safari Walk. One of the best parts of my day was my time talking to my taxi driver. He was one of the most talkative drivers I have had and I learned a lot from him. He asked me about the States and how people, the government, cars and jobs are there. This gave me a great opportunity to hear about all of these things in Kenya, too. One thing I have learned is that people in Africa haven’t traveled as much around the world as other people from different places in the world. Many people I meet have lived their whole lives where they were born. Because of this, they don’t know much about America and have many questions. The fact that Americans travel much more also adds to the perceptions held that white people have more money.
Isaac talked to me about money and said that it seemed to be the answer to things. He explained that with money, problems could be solved and that is probably why life in the States is better and has no problems, unlike the life he leads in Kenya. I explained to him that in the States, some things are good and some things are bad. In Africa, some things are good and some things are bad. I told him how we, in the States, have so much to learn from people in Africa. He seemed to think that life in the States was perfection and anyone who lives there knows that while we live in an amazing country, we are definitely not perfect, as people or as a country. We have hard things happen to us and money cannot solve our problems.
We talked about the government and how whenever they have a change in power in Kenya, there are disagreements about how things are done and no one is ever happy with the results. Whoever is stepping down from power usually declares the system corrupt or unfair. Listening to Isaac made me thankful and more appreciative of our exchange of power in the States.
And about cars: he talked about cars as such a status symbol. He asked what kinds of cars people drove and if people were rich enough to have a Mercedes Benz. I couldn’t even say that I used to drive one. He talked about how very few people have Mercedes there and if you see someone driving one, then you know they are very rich.
I told him what I have learned and told him that I loved Africa. I told him that I wished that people in the States could be more focused on people than on tasks like the African people I have met. I told him everything is productivity-focused in the States and that I wished it weren’t so. He was kind of glad to hear, in a way, that things aren’t perfect anywhere, I think. There is much to be gained, I know, from learning that WE DON’T BELONG HERE, on this planet, in this world. Our citizenship is not anywhere here, whether in the States or Africa or somewhere in between. Rather, we have a citizenship in heaven... and we, as heirs to the throne, will be strangers on this earth, no matter where we live, in which social status, house or career.
Well, our first stop was the Nairobi Safari Walk, as I mentioned earlier. Isaac and I had become friends by now, I guess, because he got out of the car with me and asked if he could take the tour with me. Being on my own, of course I agreed. We got our tickets and started the journey. Basically, the safari walk is like a zoo with just African animals. There are different sections of the walk and you stay on a path around several acres to see many groups of animals. We saw pygmy hippos, baboons, a hyena, buffalo, rhinoceros, leopard, cheetahs, albino zebras, gazelle, emus, tortoises and LIONS. The lions were by far my favorite. I heard that it is really hard to find the lions because they usually are far from the walk but they were SO CLOSE! I got some great pictures and was FEET away from them. What was best is that the entire time Jackson told me all about the animals... he was like a professional tour guide since he had been on the tour so many times!
And the next stop: Giraffe Center. I must say, this could be one of my best experiences of my life. I don’t know why I loved it so much, but it was AMAZING. For a ticket the equivalent of about two or three USD, I got up close and personal with several giraffes. The place was small, but remarkable. You could stand on the ground next to a fence waist-high or go up on a deck where you could be face-to-face with the giraffes. The caretakers for the giraffes would call giraffes over to you and then give you food for the giraffes, made of eucalyptus leaves and molasses... I think. It is a treat for them, so the giraffes love to come and be fed by humans! They were SO gentle. I could feed them and pet them and I felt like a true friend of the giraffes. After being there awhile, one of the caretakers began trying to get people to feed the giraffes by putting one of the kernels in the person’s mouth and holding it between their teeth for the giraffe to take! No one would do it! So, I came up to the group of people scared of giraffes :) and when asked to do it, gladly accepted the opportunity. How often can you do something like that now, really??? (For those of you concerned about my health, a giraffe’s saliva is made of antiseptic so I was safe.) I did it several times and let’s just say that many strangers now have tons of pictures of me for their vacation scrapbook. :)
On the way home, Isaac and I talked a little more. We drove past slums and stopped once to wait for a couple men shepherding a group of cows. Jackson explained that the recent drought has caused many people to have to bring their animals by the herd to sources of water... sometimes 60 kilometers (almost 40 miles) away! That is a long walk with a bunch of animals, as I am sure you would imagine.
Later in the afternoon, I took it easy and was able to enjoy sitting outside in the garden and playground area in the beautiful warm weather here. Great day, all around.
If you haven’t been to Kenya... go buy a plane ticket today. This place is definitely worth seeing!
Laura
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