Cultural Differences

The differences are many, but here are some of the big ones.

Beauty

The Kenyans are beautiful people in my eyes. The lifestyle is physically demanding. Between the farming and carrying water, the men develop super-hero type figures, and the women are slim, conservative, and mysteriously beautiful. Though, beauty for a woman is to be fat. Big hips, wide buttocks, hefty legs and intricately woven hair. Breasts do not matter in this country. Also for men, fatter is better (and so is hairier). A fat man a basically rich because he can afford to eat enough. Being fat denotes status, that a person no longer works in the fields or has to carry water, and probably has a good-paying, seated job.

In America, beauty is thin. A thin person usually has the knowledge of proper nutrition and the self-discipline to maintain a diet or to work out consistently. Broad shoulders, green eyes, Australian accents, and not too hairy are desirable traits in a man. For women, supple breasts, dark tan, and curved yet slim, are desirable enough. And of course, brainless.

Old People

Kenyan culture respects age. The older you are (and the more of a male you are), the less you work, the fatter you get, and the more acceptable it is to show your bear chest in public (men and women). Family bonds are so important here, and people have children in order to ensure that at they are well taken care of in their old age. I guess I cannot blame them, if I had to poop in a hole in the ground (or in a bush), walk for miles each day to fetch water, take physical beatings at school, and have the rains be a firm indicator of how hungry I will be in the coming months, I also would expect some respect growing old in Kenya. It is an accomplishment to see the ages past 50 in this country.

American culture is different. Aging is bad. Women purchase facial creams and try not to smile too much to preserve their beauty, and men wear fake hair and use Viagra. Old people are seen as “worthless,” or even less, because they no longer contribute to the economy and suck the welfare from the tax-payers. In the busy American life, caring for elderly parents or loved ones is a burden, so many opt for the old-age homes. To make up for all of it, old people get discounts at buffets.

Time

Kenyans begin their day earlier than sunrise..about 5am. While the sun is up, the time is all the same. There is no difference between morning and afternoon, there are no scheduled meals (except in the schools), and there is hardly any punctuality or efficiency in time usage. A meeting could last 5 hours and it would be the same as a 1 hour ordeal. People sit patiently all throughout, and often the mothers will whip out their boobs to breast feed their children. The best way to go about things is to plan one thing per day, like a meeting with one person, or a trip to the market.

Americans have seized time and wrestled it to the the ground. Each day we plan 12 meetings, eat meals every 3 hours, exercise twice, and still have 4 hours to sit in front of the television.

Elephants

Americans love elephants. We think of those giant, soft-footed creatures as tremendously thoughtful and predictably friendly. To see an elephant in a zoo is as exciting as Iron Man 2. We are awestruck by their tremendous size, and tickled by their lack of jumping ability.

Kenyans hate elephants, especially the rural farmers. They think of those giant, cumbersome creatures as nuisances that damage and destroy. The elephants come on to the farms and eat the maize crops, and trample on all the rest. The people value these elephants when they are dead: for their meat and expensive tusks.


I'm living in Kenya. Yikes.