Surprises

A friend asked me the other day if I had been surprised by anything since being here. My initial reaction was "Yes, they eat a lot of margerine." Now, that may seem silly, but really, in a place where it seems all the food is natural they eat one of the most plastic-like foods made. Then again, I guess butter melts rather easily in the sun. Anyhow, the point is, her question got me thinking about what else I've been surprised by. So without further ado, in no particular order, here's the list:

How much Kenyans speak English and the stark contrast to the Tanzanians
Before coming here, I thought Swahili would be the predominant language throughout the two neighboring countries, but that I would be able to get by alright with my English. Instead, I found almost everyone in Kenya (at least the parts I was in) speaks English and almost no one in Tanzania. And this is the first time I've really been in a country where I don't know the language at all. In Western Europe, the languages are similar enough and I knew enough Spanish to get by. It's been pretty funny a couple times trying to order at a restaurant, talk to the maid, find something, etc.

How much East Africans love their English soccer teams
I think if you ask a random kid on the street for the entire starting lineup for any English soccer team, he would rattle it off in a matter of seconds. Ask him for any Kenyan soccer player and he'd probably come up with a couple. No matter where you go, you'll see the logos of the various teams: Liverpool, Man. U., Arsenal, Chelsea. One day it was raining in Tanga and I think every single umbrella carried the logo of an English soccer team.

Technology
I knew before coming that mobile phones were popular here, but I am still surprised by how popular. Not only do most people have one (again i've primarily been in the cities and i am sure it's a bit different outside), but you can buy them and the pre-paid cards at almost any corner stand. Furthermore, they are also being rather innovative with them.

In Kenya, they have introduced M-Pesa stands where you can use your phone like an ATM card. So you can walk up, swipe your phone somehow and get some cash. This is especially handy since most people don't have bank accounts and most stores don't accept any kind of plastic.

And it's not just mobiles. Little Cyber Cafes are all over Nairobi and there's quite a few in the other places I've been as well. The Internet is still pretty slow here, but hopefully it will be getting faster soon.

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Why rent a billboard from someone when you can just pay to have someone's building painted with your logo? It's really funny driving down the street and seeing a 4-story apartment building completely painted with the Coca-Cola logo. Or, little grocery stores painted green and white by Safaricom.

Flies
Flies hovering around and landing on my food don't really bother me anymore. There's too many to swat away so you just give in.

"Security Guards"
One of the largest employing industries in the area has to be security. So many hotels, stores, and houses employ security guards at night. I don't really know what they do and if they help at all since there is still so much crime. But nonetheless, you see them all over.

"Dad Should Visit Brian Campaign 2007"
And saving the best for last, my dad is flying in on August 2nd and we will be hanging out in Kenya together. Very cool. We are planning on a safari, so many more pictures will be coming in a few weeks.