Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Polite Notice: 10 things I learned while in Kenya (and Tanzania)

1. Help people find their way if they're lost even if it takes you out of your way. (Nearly everyone did this for me and I was extremely grateful ... especially the time I got on the wrong matatu and ended up in Eastlands and had no clue how to get back to Westlands.)
2. I do not need many clothes to get by. (I landed in Nairobi with one - count it! one! - suitcase. I was told, "You don't look like you wear the same thing every day." See?)
3. Buy less.
4. Wear sunscreen.
5. Carry only "little money" and no bank cards. (This is partly for safety reasons in a big city like Nairobi, but it also was good for curbing any thoughtless spending.)
6. Eat whole foods, but not whole mangoes.
7. Be generous.
8. Talk to people.
9. Don't be too ambitious about how much you want to get done in a day. (Pole pole!)
10. There's dancing everywhere. Just go look for it.

Polite Notice: The electric purple tree is a jacaranda

Just in time for my departure from Nairobi I have learned that the electric purple trees I so love are actually jacarandas. 
This plant is native to South America and was introduced to parts of Africa (like East Africa) and is also found in Australia. 
I noticed the other day that the jacarandas on my street had shed all their blooms. So now they're just green leafy trees.