Daily Life in Kenay

Purchasing fruits and vegetables here can be an immersive experience. Of course, you can purchase them at your neighborhood grocery store, particularly if you're looking for fruits and vegetables that don't grow in this area. Buying the fruits and vegetables from the street is the more enjoyable and less expensive option. The majority of the time, food is served at little wooden tables. At other times, all you see are people strolling through the city while pushing carts loaded with vegetables. Simply indicate for them to stop so you can get what you want if you want something. 
Secondly, the price is not really consistent. The cost is determined by the quantity and quality of the food. Nonetheless, the quality is unquestionably better and less costly to buy from the streets than from the supermarket.

Ever wonder why the teeth of so many Africans are so white? To begin with, the majority of them don't use toothbrushes. Rather, they use tree branches, which cleans your teeth and gives you a pleasant, fresh breath. There is still one more secrect after that. Toothpicks are provided here or are already on the table after each meal. The toothpick works after the meal is finished by simply cleaning the teeth while it is in the mouth for a while. After using it, a lot of people just place it in between their teeth and leave it there for however long they like. So my advice, start using toothpicks ;). 

People in Kenya are extremely particular about how they look, particularly with regard to their footwear. The majority of people in this place wouldn't dress the same every day. That applies to their shoes as well. Kenyans and perhaps other Africans wash their shoes more frequently than any other culture that I have ever witnessed. Why is that so? Merely because they desire their shoes to be stable and spotless. Usually, the shoes are cleaned or combed before being worn once more. Since the shoes around here are so immaculate, my own dirty shoes would stand out and I started cleaning them more frequently. But they are still not as clean as they could or even should be. My boyfriend told me, I would need new shoes due to the fact of their dirt level. So I am just gonna clean them better now, because they are new. ;) 

So many people say they want to try eating alone at some point because it is something out of their comfort zone. Let me tell you, I've done it several times in Austria and it always felt very uncomfortable because you're always thinking about what other people are thinking if they see you alone. 
It is completely normal for people to eat lunch or dinner alone here, and no one bothers or stares at them in an unsettling manner. Even minors would eat alone at times, and their parents would come and get them after they had finished their own business. Even if you go out to eat with a partner or a friend, you will find yourself sitting alone several times. Kenyans seem to be constantly on the move, and even when you go out for lunch or dinner, they just randomly stand up and return at one point, always right on time for the food.

When we are in town, it often feels like my boyfriend knows everyone. But not just for him, but also for everyone else. People are just very open and nice to each other, especially when they need something from the other person. But they are nice in an honest way, and everyone helps everyone. Like with the money change story. First, I thought to myself, oh, he knows this person that is great. I quickly realized that this was absolutely not the case and more so done when you need something, but again not in a fake way. Well, it really matters how you treat each other because these things can change the outcome of the story. Sometimes people just need somebody to talk to and especially Boda Boda drivers take the chance while driving their passengers to places. It always seems like, they have known each other for a long time.

The majority of tourists bring USD (US Dollar) with them and exchange it for local currency (Kenyan Shilling) once they arrive. By the way, if you ever visit East Africa, make sure your dollar bills date from 2009 and later. Otherwise, you risk being stuck with them because they won't be accepted here. You search for a location to exchange money as well as a location with a fair and favorable exchange rate when doing so. Typically, you should complete such tasks during the week because banks in smaller cities are closed on weekends. Who performs it on the weekend, though? I do, but only because the owner of our house required the money. We then ventured into town. Naturally, all banks were closed. However, given that we are in Africa, people have found creative ways to get around some challenges. We approached a security guard and inquired about the bank's status. He refused, so we moved on to the opposite location. We entered the bank and asked the security guard about the possibility of changing the currency. He was an older, very amiable man who informed us that the bank's owner was nearby. How fortunate are we? Again, it was a very interesting and African experience. With the security guard and bank employee, it appeared as though we were best friends. I was shocked to see that the bank manager had the change on his own when he opened his purse. This wasn't the case, but his wallet was loaded with cash. He crossed over and deposited the change in Kenyan Shillings for my USD. At this point, we are just hanging out with the security guard. 
I had the impression that I was engaging in or dealing with illegal activity when we changed the money. He received my money, and I accepted his simply by exchanging hands without filling out any paperwork or doing anything else, and the rate was better than anywhere else.  We thanked the security guide and gave him a small tip before we departed.