Ready, Set...

Here is a good reason to make a trip like this a minimum of a few weeks. We had emailed 4 people we want to meet earlier in the week and heard nothing back by this morning. We had called and texted, but not received a reply. That is one cultural difference that greatly impacts the planning, timing, and execution of a trip here. When people have pay-as-you-go internet and phone service with spotty coverage, it can take a while to solidify plans. Add this to the different cultural value placed on planning and punctuality, and it can sometimes feel insurmountable to an American. 

We were finally able to talk with Terry (the amazing project manager we are fortunate to have working on this end) today and arranged to get started with our work tomorrow. We are looking forward to beginning our work with her in the village. We will be excited to write about our experiences in Kwale as our time doing the work there begins tomorrow. 

Some really great news: Collin negotiated a motorcycle rental for less money than it would cost us to take the matatu all month! We are SO excited about this. If you have ANY idea what the matatu riding experience is like, you would understand our elation. The price that Collin negotiated is less than 1/6 of what we had read about in our guidebooks and seen advertised here. This would not be possible if it were not the low season here. You can negotiate amazing deals during this time of the year. 

The downside to the fact that it is the low season is that we are some of the only westerners in town, so we get hit up to buy things any time we step outside of our cottage compound. We spent a good portion of the day walking through Diani. It was nice to do some walking after traveling for over 30 hours to get here. Walking in Diani is also a way for me to exercise my confrontational skills and boundary-setting. When shop-keepers here ask westerners to come to see their shop (this happened about 150 times today, seriously), we find that it is best to just nip it in the bud right then and there. No "maybe." No "some other day." If a westerner gives any slight inclination that he or she is remotely interested--or could be ever--they might as well have just promised to buy something. This is a generalization, but I have seen it to be true in my past experiences. And let's not forget the Kenyan Proverb, "To ask is to promise." Sometimes expressing interest is misinterpreted and misleading.

I made this error on my first trip to Kenya, and I was accused of breaking my promise when I didn't buy something from each person's shop to whom I had said, "Maybe later." I felt so horrible and guilty that I felt compelled to buy something small from about 10 different shops. The problem is, the shops in a tourist town such as Diani sell similar souvenirs from shop to shop. And no matter how guilty I felt, I knew that I didn't need or want pictures of elephants drawn on banana leaves, wooden animal carvings, and face masks. (An aside: sorry to all of you who got that stuff for birthdays and Christmases during college. I really tried to give only the best stuff as gifts. It was a tough time financially, I'm sure you can appreciate that.) Anyway, the experience left me feeling angry because that is what happens when I do something that I don't really want to do out of a sense of guilt or obligation. 

So, now, I walk down the street and respond according to my life experience. When people call out to me or walk up to me on the street, I am friendly but firm. There is always a back and forth conversation first that goes something like this:

Seller: Jambo!

Me: Jambo!

Seller: Habari?

Me: Mizuri. Habari?

Seller: Mizuri. From England? 

Me: No.

Seller: From Germany?

Me: No.

Seller: Where are you from? 

Me: From the US.

Seller: Oh, America. How is America?

Me: America is fine.

Seller: How about you come look in my shop?

Me: I am not doing any shopping. 

Seller: But looking is free.

Me: No, thank you. 

Seller: Maybe later, then?

Me: No, not later. Not ever. I am not here to shop. I am here to work. 

Seller: Maybe some other time then. 

Me: No. I am not shopping. Thanks, anyway! 

Seller: TOMORROW!

Me: No, thank you.

And then after I give a big smile to express the non-personal nature of the rejection,  I pick up the pace and walk as quickly as possible to make a get away. But, that latter part went awry at one point and I slid on some loose gravel at break-neck speed and completely wiped out. I had a huge scrape down my leg and gravel particles sticking to my skin and pants. I felt pretty dumb. 

And some version of this conversation happens over a hundred times a day in the span of a few miles, if we are walking on the main road in Diani. I am not exaggerating, either. It's complicated because it's a tourist town, so most white people are here to vacation and bring back a bunch of souvenirs. But we are not here for that, and it is really difficult to prove that. I feel much more adjusted to it this year, though. It doesn't even phase me now. I think I have said "No" so many times now, that I realize that the worst that can happen is that people will just keep following me for a while trying to persuade me, but I can just be firm in my answer. I don't have to be rude, just steadily set my boundary. I never used to be able to do this, so has actually been like therapy for me. I guess that is what happens when you exercise something; you get stronger. I am stronger now, and I feel that I can handle the culturally different and somewhat trying situations here with much more confidence and poise than last year...that is, when I don't lose my motor skills and tumble over sideways.