FAQs--Part 1

Habari!

We have really tried to give you a day-to-day taste of what it is like for us here in Nairobi as we continue to settle in. The more we post, the more questions we get, which is great! We love getting questions because it helps clarify our thoughts about certain things and it also gives us a chance to give you a clearer picture of what we are experiencing. So...we are are opening ourselves up to your curiosity! Send us an email with the things you have been wondering about and we will do our best to answer those questions here so, in case they are also things that others may be wondering as well.

Please keep in mind that these are only our impressions, as we adjust to a new culture and new living situation. We will try to be as open-minded as possible, but we know that the answers may change over time as we come to understand things better as we integrate into the culture. Today was the second day of new staff orientation, and we were reminded of all the stages (emotional and mental) that we have gone through and will continue to go through as we make our transition. After these two days of information and history, I can say that I have never felt so welcomed into a school or community before. The people we have met have been warm and inviting and thoughtful about the way they make newcomers feel at home and comfortable. I went to bed last night with a real sense that Rosslyn is exactly where we need to be right now, and that we are part of a group of people that values knowledge and encourages young people to make a positive difference in the world.

This first set of questions has come from my (Audrey's) parents, who will be the next guest interviewer?

1. Did they find Claire's car seat pretty quickly?
Yes, it actually came on the next flight to Nairobi. We got it after a few days, however, because the airport delivered it to the school(!) the very next day, but because we had gotten late at night the night before, not all of the guards at the gate were aware that we were already on campus, and they turned it away. A driver from the school ended up retrieving it for us the Monday after we arrived.

2. Do people barbecue there much?
Several people have bbqs on their verandas here on campus, including our next-door neighbors. Many of them resemble the type we had growing up, a welded together box that holds coals/wood and a grate that can be raised/lowered with a crank/pulley. So, as for the ex-pat community, things are pretty much as they were at home. One of the new teachers this year has ended up raising a few calves because her husband grew up on a cattle ranch in California and "the meat just doesn't taste the same." That being said, the unofficial national dish here is nyama choma (which means barbecued meat). Kenyans love meat, and this bbq is something served for company, a celebration, etc. Most traditional Kenyan food is more of the survival-variety, more on this as Audrey learns to cook Kenyan meals!

3. Is your heater/stove propane?  Do you think you will need the heater much?
Our stove is propane, we have two large tanks on our patio. This is something we are grateful for, since we like cooking with gas and since dinner can keep going, even when the electricity goes out (which can happen several times a day).

We do not have a heater. You can buy electric space heaters, but generally even in the cold seasons (like now), you just bundle up with blankets on the bed, wear socks/slippers on the tile floors and warm pjs to keep warm at night. The concrete construction of the houses keeps the temperatures pretty comfortable, and if I've been using the oven much to make dinner, the whole house will stay warm well past bedtime. We will be very grateful for the thick walls when the weather heats up as well, since we also do not have AC or ceiling fans!

4. How does your trash get picked up?
Beyond the little house in front of ours that holds the communal washing machines, there is a dumpster where we take our trash. When it is full, a company comes and empties it. It is also home to a robust family of feral cats, so we always make sure to bang on the sides of it before we throw anything in or a scared cat might fly out in our face!

5. Can you buy ice cream?
Yes, there are many varieties of ice cream and ice cream novelties (like bars or cones) available in the supermarket. Ice cream tastes different here (really all dairy products taste different); some people like it and some don't. There is one brand that is definietly closest to the creamy American type we are used to; it's called Creambell and it costs ~$12 a gallon. Our host family has treated us to this delicacy and we are grateful! We haven't craved (Breyers-type) ice cream that badly yet, but I'm sure there will come a time... :) Until then, we have been satisfied with much more reasonably-priced options.

6. Are there very many choices of milk (whole, 2%, etc)?
The most common is whole milk, you can find nonfat, but it is something you search for if that is what you prefer. We've gotten the girls a few different types, mostly around 3%, which is also sometimes called "whole," just to make it confusing. Because electricity is expensive and many people still do not have the luxury of refrigeration, not to mention the frequent power-outages, long-life ultra high temperature pasteurized milk is quite common here. That part reminds us of France, where it is common to see cartons of milk on people's shelves as part of their stocking up for shortages. And then there's the camel milk, which we haven't gotten up the nerve to try yet, but my sister tells me that it's the closest to human milk...hmm...one day...

7. What kind of cereal is available-(Kelloggs, Post, etc) and soups?
Again, most everything we are familiar with is available (though not always on a regular basis). When we went to the store with a friend she snapped up a $10 (small) box of Honey Nut Cheerios because they are rare. We are starting to understand that most things are available, for a price. There are many generics, store brands, and similar things at much more reasonable prices. But sometimes, you just really need the real deal! I have heard several people talk about bringing Grape-Nuts back from America, that seems to be one type of cereal that cannot be found.

8. Do very many people smoke there?  In stores/public places?
Smoking is banned in restaurants, bars and enclosed public areas in Kenya. Violators are subject to heavy fines. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen a single person smoking here...Kirk jokes that in some areas everyone smokes because of the smog.

9. Alcohol-beer, wine, available?
All types of alcohol is available here. Tuskers is a famous Kenyan beer (haven't tried it yet, but seen lots of t-shirts with the elephant on them). Kenya is also starting a small fledgling wine industry (haven't tried that yet either!); many of the imports are from South Africa and Australia, but you can find a large variety of wine. However, we have learned that drinking is to be done with prudence because some Kenyans hold very negative attitudes toward alcohol.

10. Are there many choices of types of cars available?
You can have any kind you want, as long as it's a Toyota! Just joking, kind of. There are even bumper stickers and wheel covers that say, "The car in front is always a Toyota!" We have seen pretty much everything, but they have different names. The vans are called "Noah"s and there are "Pro-Box"es which are like station wagons and "Prados" which are Land Cruisers. Cars (and really everything used) really hold their value here, so prices are much more than you would imagine. We have a few good leads on getting a car and some colleagues who have offered their services to help us, so we will probably have some good stories soon.

11. Gasoline prices as high as here?
Right now, the price is 104 Kenyan shillings a litre = $4.50 a gallon

12. What kind of crops are grown nearby?  Citrus available-your elevation might be too high to grow there?
Right across the street from the school coffee is growing, on any vacant lot you will find gardens popping up, especially with corn, potatoes, and greens (Spinach, Kale, Pumpkin) because these are three of the main staple foods of Kenyans. Miriam, our produce supplier, can get us pretty much anything we ask for; she has broccoli, leeks, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. We do have oranges and mandarins here as well; they are super sweet and delicious! I have no idea where she got them, but our last basket randomly included the Pink Lady variety of apples--our favorite. Of course, tropical fruits are really common: mangoes, bananas, pineapples, etc. There is a produce store in the mall that has more types of produce than I was familiar with, so again, anything can be found, but for a price and not always on a consistent basis.

13. What Kenyan Holidays are celebrated?
Today was a national holiday! There were no Kenyan workers on campus because it was Eid (a Muslim holiday).  The school calendar also lists Mashujaa Day (October 20), Jamhuri Day (December 12), Labour Day (May 1), and Madaraka Day (June 1).  We still need to look up what those holidays celebrate.

What are you still wondering about?  Send those questions our way!