Differences

Coming back to Kenya after 7 months in the UK, I’m hit afresh by some of the differences living here rather than there. Having said that, after 5 years of being here, so much seems ‘normal’ to me now that sometimes it’s difficult to pick out the differences. So, here goes as an assortment of observations and advisory comments, some of which may well be elaborated on in posts to come.
- It’s very difficult to put across to those who’ve not experienced it how different driving here is, but in a nutshell :
* There is a sense of organised chaos on the roads
* Aggressive driving is the way to go. No point waiting your turn – it’ll never come!
* A lot of vehicles will do whatever it takes to get ahead – drive on the wrong side of the road, the pavements, through petrol station forecourts, …..
* Do not allow too much of a gap between you and the vehicle in front – someone else will be sure to fill it!
* If all that isn’t enough, the roads are generally more pot hole than tarmac!
* Red traffic lights are seemingly only to be acknowledged at certain junctions / roundabouts (and never at night).
* Be prepared to be blinded at night by oncoming vehicles. Very few seem to have heard of anything akin to the ‘Don’t dazzle – Dip your headlights’ slogan that was drummed into me through public service advertising.
- Poverty is in your face, whether through the people begging at the windows of drivers stuck in traffic jams, or just the sea of rusty corrugated iron roofed shacks that make up the slums of the city.
- As well as the beggars, you will be besieged by people selling a whole variety of things whilst you’re stuck in a traffic jam, or trying to negotiate your way onto and around a roundabout – roses, puppies, rabbits, pens, car fresheners, footballs, TV aerials, jump leads, sunglasses, hats, groundnuts, bananas, tummy trimmers (!), ………….
- There are generally a lot of people around on the streets, some walking, some seemingly just loitering.
- Beware of being behind a lorry or bus going up a hill – its brakes might not work. Do not be surprised therefore if people jump out and go scrabbling around for rocks to put under the wheels to stop it rolling backwards!
- The current security situation aside, crime is a daily concern here. It’s advisable to drive with car doors locked, and in certain places windows should be up (thank goodness for air con at such times!).
- You need to be in the habit of letting people know where you’re going, and if you’re driving home at night, txt those you’ve left to let them know you’re home safe. Better still, stay over. (One of the things I enjoyed while in the UK was not having to be on alert so much of the time, and to be free to drive at night without even thinking about it.)
- You don’t see front doors of houses here. They’re either behind their own individual walls and gates, or in a shared gated compound. Pretty much all have security guards on duty.
- Rather than just rinsing fruit and vegetables in water, one of the recommended practices is to soak them in a dilute bleach solution for 20 minutes. (It kills the bugs – and if you’re not careful, leaves white spots on all your clothes!)
- One thing I’ve been particularly aware of this time - things and surfaces get dirty really quickly. Between the general dust and pollution, it only takes a day for items to be covered with a layer of grime.