Missing Kenya

In 8 weeks I’ll be home, and I am scared as anything to leave this place. I keep asking people who already have gone home what they miss most about Kenya. Why is it so special? It makes me think, too. So here’s my list of things I presume I’ll miss, certainly not exhaustive.
1) Prayer. Not like no one in America prays, but they pray different here. A leader will say, “Okay, now we’ll pray about our families,” and everyone prays at the same time, at normal level of talking, or singing, or shouting, and we’ll pray and pray and pray. Then the leader will say one culminating prayer, then say, “Let’s go to God in prayer about our country,” and it goes on from there. It doesn’t happen everywhere here, but when it does, it’s usually spontaneous leading out of singing. Oh, and I’ll just include singing here.
2) Women with head wraps and in skirts. Nothing says “Mama Africa” like a head wrap. These usually colorful cloths range from an old wrap to elegant and LARGE. Along in this category is women carrying huge loads on their heads or on their backs with a strap across their forehead.
3) Matatus. No, really, I’ll miss these public commercial vans that are pimped out. The fares can vary, the safety can vary, and the number of people it holds vary (what is supposed to be 14 people with seatbelts for all can go as high as 20). But they have a soft spot in my heart.
4) Shaking hands. So when I get home, if I shake your hand, don’t think I’m being proper. And if I continue to shake your hand for over a minute while I ask about your family, please don’t be creeped out.
5) Markets. Mostly fruit markets. It’s really a beautiful thing to see a shack with bananas, apples, avocados, and a myriad of fruit to create a rainbow of colors. Oh, and the fruit here is so much better. Something with it not being shot up with preservatives and packed on ice. Oh, and that goes for all food. Not many packaged foods here, so you actually get real nutrients from food. Imagine.
6) Keys. They have cool skeleton key looking keys here. I’ll miss them so.
7) Coke. It’s better here. Add also my favorite Kenyan food.
8) Being able to buy something under a dollar.
9) How everything is fluid. It’s not black-and-white here. You bargain for food, clothes, fare, anything. And there’s no spatial concept here, so you have no personal space, which means that neither do they. People come up with innovative solutions to problems like busted walls, hot pans on an open range, leaking roofs, and storing 10 lbs of stuff in a 5 lb bag. It’s cool to be around, unless you end up with someone practically sitting on top of you when all you want to do is breathe.
10) Compliments. It’s customary to say something nice about visitors, guests, or anyone who is in the light for a certain reason. It has given me a big ego that I expect my friends and family to maintain when I return.
11) Youth active in the church.
12) Looking out for monkeys, chameleons, geckos, antelope, and zebra.
13) Warm weather. Really. Us Bergs are allergic to the cold. I hate it with a passion.
14) Kenyan humor. They really enjoy plays on words here. Which makes me smile, and laugh genuinely.
15) How it’s perfectly normal and acceptable for people to hop in your vehicle just because you’re going in the same direction.

I’m not gone yet, so let me get on with enjoying Kenya while I can!