Letter from Kenya #5 (September 1, 2006): Barack Obama and The Lion King
Good morning Western Hemisphere (+ JK in West Africa)!
You know what time it is; that's right, time for more mass updates. I realized I might have been misleading when I said "bimonthly" since these are really "semimonthly." Oh English.
I know folks are gearing up for life again, so if these emails suddenly become a source of anxiety instead of entertainment, let me know if you'd like "off" the list. Again, I promise I won't take it personally, and my postcard offer stands. If this is your first email and you're wondering what happened to the other 4 emails, let me know, and I will send you "back editions." By the way, I love hearing back from people (hint hint) so don't hesitate to holla back. Let's dive in, shall we?
This week's email features:
1. Irish Clarification
2. Do you believe in miracles? or, Barack Obama Comes to Kenya
3. The Circumcision Parade
4. Stars
5. Things I've Disambiguated from the Lion King
Context:
I think I've explained, but in case I forgot, there are 3 major tribes in Western. The Luhya (12% of Kenya's population), the Luo (6%), and the Teso (4%). They're all lake tribes who are located in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and sometimes Sudan.
1. Irish?
So I mentioned last time that people at the Ugandan border asked if I was Irish. The short version is that there are all sorts of weird diplomatic relationships that different countries have with each other vis-a-vis foreign aid, etc. Apparently Irish citizens are allowed free entry into Uganda w/o having to pay a fee and without having to obtain a visa. You may ask yourself, "but why would they think you're Irish when there are people of South Asian descent in East Africa?" Refer to previous posts for more details.
2. Obama
You may not know this (or you may, from the DNC 2004), but Barack Obama's dad is from Nyanza district in Western Province, and Obama is Luo! He was in Kisumu, and as much as I wanted to see him, everyone at the office (local and expat) was warned not to go because of the potential for police violence in the huge crowds. Having already dealt with the Kenyan police three times this month, the thought of deaing with them in riot-mode was not so appealing. Talk about missing the opportunity of a lifetime.
3. The Circumcision Parade
The other day I was biking through town and saw a group of about 50 people parading down the walking path (parallel to the road), chanting and banging pots and drums and ringing bells. People were dressed in feathers, beads, and bright colors -- totally atypical and abnormal for Busia. At the head of the parade was a young boy, about 13-14, leading the charge with some bizarre necklace. It took me a moment to realize that what was hanging around his neck were the biggest goat testicles I'd ever seen.
So why was this parade happening? Because the boy was going to go have his circumcision ceremony, a rite of passage that marks that he's become a man. My first reactions were, "Oh my god," and "that can't be sanitary." From what I've heard I was right on both counts; it's not sanitary and further, it hurts like crazy.
I asked folks at the office if this was common, and the general consensus was that it's more common among Luhya and in that peri-rural area between town and shamba (village). They asked, "Isn't it the same in the U.S.?" I tried to explain that if people are circumcised in the U.S. it's usually when they're <1, and it's done by a trained medical professional in the hospital. The response I got was, "Like the Jew?" at which point I dropped the issue.
The parade(s) is usually in August because everyone has a month off of school (to recover). You'll see young men walking around in kikoi's (kind of like a sarong) instead of trousers, or riding side-saddle on a boda, and you suddenly it clicks. This guy is recovering.
4. Look at the Stars, Look How They Shine For You
The other night I tried counting the number of stars in the sky. Even with all the lights on in town, and the moon out, there were more stars than I've ever seen in my life, even more than I've seen when camping in the U.S. My newest home improvement project is to buy an outdoor mosquito net and a hammock for night time star gazing. Most nights it's so warm and dry that I could spend hours just staring at the sky wondering where I am and what all those stars are.
There are constellations here that I thought only existed in theory, including Scorpio, Sagittarius, Cassiopeia, and Lyra. We can also see Alpha Centauri (despite it not being the brightest star in the sky - I think that's Sirus, the dogstar), and the Milky Way!! Talk about surreal! The whole idea of being able to see the galaxy that you're actually occupying is totally weird to me. I mean, I've seen pictures, but to see it in person is a whole other level. In case anyone's wondering, it's still there, or at least it was there a couple hundred light years ago.
5. Moment of Duh
So when I was young it didn't really sink in that The Lion King probably took place somewhere in the Serengeti/Maasai Mara. I know, I know, the savannah was kind of obvious if you've ever been on safari (I haven't). At any rate, here are things I've learned (in Swahili):
Rafiki means "friend"
Simba means "lion"
Hakuna matata means "There are no worries," or "I am without worry", just like the song
On the last point, no one actually says this b/c tourists love quoting this; same goes for "Jambo" -- it's generally reserved for conversations with watalii (tourists). If you're in Kenya/Tanzania and you want to say "no problem," say "Hakuna shida."
Also, some random trivia: Kilima means "mountain" or "slope" in Swahili, and "njaro" means snow. Put it together, and you get "Kilimanjaro" - the snowy mountain. As Al Gore reminds us, this won't be for long, and it makes me wonder if the mountain will have a new name in 200 years? (like dry mountain, or something)
Roger, I'm out.
With love,
me
You know what time it is; that's right, time for more mass updates. I realized I might have been misleading when I said "bimonthly" since these are really "semimonthly." Oh English.
I know folks are gearing up for life again, so if these emails suddenly become a source of anxiety instead of entertainment, let me know if you'd like "off" the list. Again, I promise I won't take it personally, and my postcard offer stands. If this is your first email and you're wondering what happened to the other 4 emails, let me know, and I will send you "back editions." By the way, I love hearing back from people (hint hint) so don't hesitate to holla back. Let's dive in, shall we?
This week's email features:
1. Irish Clarification
2. Do you believe in miracles? or, Barack Obama Comes to Kenya
3. The Circumcision Parade
4. Stars
5. Things I've Disambiguated from the Lion King
Context:
I think I've explained, but in case I forgot, there are 3 major tribes in Western. The Luhya (12% of Kenya's population), the Luo (6%), and the Teso (4%). They're all lake tribes who are located in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and sometimes Sudan.
1. Irish?
So I mentioned last time that people at the Ugandan border asked if I was Irish. The short version is that there are all sorts of weird diplomatic relationships that different countries have with each other vis-a-vis foreign aid, etc. Apparently Irish citizens are allowed free entry into Uganda w/o having to pay a fee and without having to obtain a visa. You may ask yourself, "but why would they think you're Irish when there are people of South Asian descent in East Africa?" Refer to previous posts for more details.
2. Obama
You may not know this (or you may, from the DNC 2004), but Barack Obama's dad is from Nyanza district in Western Province, and Obama is Luo! He was in Kisumu, and as much as I wanted to see him, everyone at the office (local and expat) was warned not to go because of the potential for police violence in the huge crowds. Having already dealt with the Kenyan police three times this month, the thought of deaing with them in riot-mode was not so appealing. Talk about missing the opportunity of a lifetime.
3. The Circumcision Parade
The other day I was biking through town and saw a group of about 50 people parading down the walking path (parallel to the road), chanting and banging pots and drums and ringing bells. People were dressed in feathers, beads, and bright colors -- totally atypical and abnormal for Busia. At the head of the parade was a young boy, about 13-14, leading the charge with some bizarre necklace. It took me a moment to realize that what was hanging around his neck were the biggest goat testicles I'd ever seen.
So why was this parade happening? Because the boy was going to go have his circumcision ceremony, a rite of passage that marks that he's become a man. My first reactions were, "Oh my god," and "that can't be sanitary." From what I've heard I was right on both counts; it's not sanitary and further, it hurts like crazy.
I asked folks at the office if this was common, and the general consensus was that it's more common among Luhya and in that peri-rural area between town and shamba (village). They asked, "Isn't it the same in the U.S.?" I tried to explain that if people are circumcised in the U.S. it's usually when they're <1, and it's done by a trained medical professional in the hospital. The response I got was, "Like the Jew?" at which point I dropped the issue.
The parade(s) is usually in August because everyone has a month off of school (to recover). You'll see young men walking around in kikoi's (kind of like a sarong) instead of trousers, or riding side-saddle on a boda, and you suddenly it clicks. This guy is recovering.
4. Look at the Stars, Look How They Shine For You
The other night I tried counting the number of stars in the sky. Even with all the lights on in town, and the moon out, there were more stars than I've ever seen in my life, even more than I've seen when camping in the U.S. My newest home improvement project is to buy an outdoor mosquito net and a hammock for night time star gazing. Most nights it's so warm and dry that I could spend hours just staring at the sky wondering where I am and what all those stars are.
There are constellations here that I thought only existed in theory, including Scorpio, Sagittarius, Cassiopeia, and Lyra. We can also see Alpha Centauri (despite it not being the brightest star in the sky - I think that's Sirus, the dogstar), and the Milky Way!! Talk about surreal! The whole idea of being able to see the galaxy that you're actually occupying is totally weird to me. I mean, I've seen pictures, but to see it in person is a whole other level. In case anyone's wondering, it's still there, or at least it was there a couple hundred light years ago.
5. Moment of Duh
So when I was young it didn't really sink in that The Lion King probably took place somewhere in the Serengeti/Maasai Mara. I know, I know, the savannah was kind of obvious if you've ever been on safari (I haven't). At any rate, here are things I've learned (in Swahili):
Rafiki means "friend"
Simba means "lion"
Hakuna matata means "There are no worries," or "I am without worry", just like the song
On the last point, no one actually says this b/c tourists love quoting this; same goes for "Jambo" -- it's generally reserved for conversations with watalii (tourists). If you're in Kenya/Tanzania and you want to say "no problem," say "Hakuna shida."
Also, some random trivia: Kilima means "mountain" or "slope" in Swahili, and "njaro" means snow. Put it together, and you get "Kilimanjaro" - the snowy mountain. As Al Gore reminds us, this won't be for long, and it makes me wonder if the mountain will have a new name in 200 years? (like dry mountain, or something)
Roger, I'm out.
With love,
me
posted by Camille @ 3:51 AM
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