This is my favorite expression in Kswahili. The direct translation is- very hello. This is a perfect example of the friendly people in Kenya. No its not just hello, its very hello! You gotta love that! You gotta love Kenyan people! One of my Kenyan friends told me she was amazed that I didn't completely write the county off after being pick pocketed so many times. Really, at first I was pretty pissed ok I admit, but I have come to realize that the people who are desperate enough to steal from me need my love just as much if not more than even my closest friends. The government in Kenya is, well lets be straight here, fucked up and corrupt as hell. (not that my countries government is that much better but at least they are better at hiding it) A government that steals directly from the people and doesn't really even try to hide it, you see drivers of buses (matatus if you will) have to stop at road blocks to pay bribes directly to cops sooo frequently its insane! Money is stolen from schools, hospitals, the poorest of the poor. When your government is robbing you blind and you can't afford to feed your family what do you do? You lead by their example, after all they are sitting pretty in some of the biggest houses you have ever seen....next door neighbors to some of the biggest slums I have ever seen. Of course their going to pick pocket me and honestly I don't blame them. Kenya is an amazing country and has soooo much potential. Only if the people can unite can they claim back the country that they deserve. In my opinion this means calls for Kswahili being the first language taught in schools, not english, not the tribal tongues. If every one can communicate the people will start to realize that they are all the same and the government can't pull the same bull shit they pulled over 2 years ago. They used the separation of the tribes as fuel to cause one of the biggest, most deadly, and extremely brutal riots we will see in our generation.
If you ask a person from Tanzania, Kenyas neighboring country where they come from they say, Tanzania. If you ask a Kenyan the same question they will spout out a huge variety of answers including; Maasi, Samburu, Meru, Kikuyu, and the beat goes on.
Tanzanian learn Swahili first, then ether their mother tongues or English second. The reason Kenyan learn English first is because of the colonization of the country by the British around 100 years ago....but thats a whole notha soap box.
So for now I leave Kenya as a country I will always know I can come back to, a county that has taught me sooo much about life, a place with smiles that go for miles, a place where everyone wants to meet you and know your name, a place that is overwhelming with possibilities for the future. Kenya is real life...uncensored, it is history in the making, it is amazing and facsinating.
Goodbye Kenya and thanks for all the fish!
Until next time....one love
