Kara in Kenya: First working week done!

As my first working week draws to a close I thought I would share some of things I have observed and the activities I have taken part in since I arrived:

In Thika, people greet each other with a handshake whether you are known to them or not and regardless of whether or not you have already greeted them earlier that day. If someone’s hand is dirty or they are eating, you shake their arm.
It is considered extremely rude if you refuse to shake someone’s hand.
The minimum duration of any meeting at AfCiC is 2hrs (I don’t know if this is applicable across Kenya), and that’s the absolute minimum. The first meeting I attend on Monday lasted about 3.5 hrs. Meetings also rarely start on time, even my meeting with the Chairman and board of trustees commenced 45 mins after it was scheduled….it’s the Kenyan way.
All meetings tend to start and finish with a prayer.
There is no such thing as a typical day.
The Kikuyu tribe find it extremely difficult to pronounce the letter ‘R’ in a word, and even more challenging when that is followed with an ‘A’…yes that combination makes up 50% of my name and yes, nobody has been able to correctly pronounce my name first time. Usually after the third attempt I stop trying to correct them… Korla, Karla,Kera you name it, I’ve heard it all.
Kenyan’s drink a lot of tea with a LOT of sugar.
The locals think I am Kenyan so I don’t get hassled much in the street….but they always try and converse with me in Swahili/Kikuyu and although I know a few words, I have to give them the ‘I don’t understand you’ look and explain that I’m English…which often adds to the confiusion.
There are no pavements (ok there are a few) so this means you have to walk in the road…and Kenyan’s aren’t the most cautious drivers.
The pace is slow, which can be frustrating at times but you just have to embrace it.
They love reggae…that’s all I seem to hear blasting from the cars as they pass by.
They also love to dance, they have a ‘bend over night’ at one of the clubs in Thika….I’ll let you decipher what that is all about!

I could go on….but I will stop there.

I have had an eventful week and although I am here to help improve AfCiC’s finances, I have had the opportunity to do so much more here are a few photos:


Me and some of the younger boys at the centre, these children tend to have been on the streets for a while and cannot be returned to school/home immediately and need more intense attention.