Ok, being white here is SO weird! Especially being a white American! When I walk down the street, I feel like a circus parade, with everyone staring at me all the time! Sometimes I just feel like throwing down my bag, raising my arms and yelling out “Are you not entertained???” like Russell Crowe in Gladiator…
There is this basic mindset in Kenya that all white people (mzungus) are filthy rich. Because I’m pretty much as white as they come, taxi drivers wake up from their day-long naps to holler at me, street kids stop playing with their friends to hobble over and ask me for money (“Brother? Buy for me bread? Five shillings?”) and random people will stop me on the road just to say hello. I guess they think that I, being the ignorant and absurdly wealthy mzungu, would like nothing more than to shower them with money!
One of my intern friends said that when he was growing up, he honestly believed that you went to America when you died. Another man I met here was shocked to realize that we actually grow crops in the states! He simply thought that we imported all of our food.
The other day I talked a matatu conductor down from 20 to 10 shillings because I wasn’t going very far. When I got on, I heard a woman behind me asking in Swahili “Why does he need to save money?”
I often get ripped off when I ride matatus because I’m white. Ok, I used to get ripped off. Now I’m armed with an arsenal of Swahili words and phrases to totally make the conductor feel stupid. “Wewe! Ulisema mbau!” (“Hey, you said 20!”), “Hapana. Silipi thelathini. Kila wakati mbau!” (“No. I’m not paying 30. It’s always 20!”), or my favorite, “Unafikiri mimi ni mzungu mjinga???” (“You think I’m a stupid white person???”).
I’m learning to live with it. There’s really nothing I can do, so what choice do I have? Whenever I take the time and energy to gently realign a matatu conductor’s mindset about white people, the next mzungu he sees will inevitably be a chirpy, camera-toting American holding a 1000 shilling bill and asking “Jambo! Is this enough to get me to the Hilton hotel? Do you know what hotel means?”
White people – we’re hopeless…
13 comments:
Hey, love this new format. And, love the white people comments too. Very cool. Will you let your whole list know? Will this replace your updates? See you in a few days!
Nope. This won't replace my updates (though I'll be adding my email updates here as well). This is more of an outlet for my random thoughts that don't deserve mention in my "official updates"
Oh, and it's a great place to share pics with everyone!
Hey Barry your blog is really cool. And I'm glad to see you still have your sense of humor. Wombat slayer, huh? Bet you're excited about seeing your parents and Lucy soon. We'll be praying for safe and smooth travel.
Barry you may have three comments from me I am a white woman what can I say. So keep gathering the acceptance and tolerance information so you and Dad can write a book; on "white men cant jump,dance or ride on a bus". LUVU great story, hug and kiss on your famliy lots.
I mean, Barry... this is Charley.
got the same action in afghanistan. they would be like, "yo white guy, gimme all yo money foo or ill bust a cap"
and i would respond, "bia, i be totally a poor white guy- and who you be jivin'- i be yo guest foo"
and they would leave and think that i was a jerk cause its common knowledge that to a white man $1000, yes one thousand dollars is chump pocket change.
i wish i were that lucky.
i went surfing today instead of feeling lucky, and realized that i am lucky.
Barry-
Hey man, I feel like I've traded places with you! (except I'm from Oklahoma and not Kenya). This is Curtis Honeycutt, in the midst of a grueling college internship at Grace this summer. We had our first Access worship gathering last Sunday night...68 people! We're pumped, to say the least. Everything's busy here. I'm glad you're going to get to see your family...and all the Grace people. Seth shaved his head for you. Peace out...
Wait! Wait! When are you coming home? Soon? What? I'm confused...
Love you bro
eRik
oh btw, genius blogging
http://www.dhc.net/~wade/Web%20Site/Web%20Site/Last%20Wombat.jpg
Hmmm... I guess steryotypes of white people are in every culture.
Nope, I'm seeing my family because they're coming here... GCC is sending 76 high school students and leaders on a two week trip... I'll be sure to write about it.
I'm not leaving till the end of the year. My flight leaves Nairobi at 11:30pm on December 20...
It seems that the cultural/racial misconceptions seem to swing both ways! We had a very highly educated and intellectual woman who happened to be from Kenya living with us last year and I was amazed at the number of people I worked with who asked questions like "Does she live in a hut?", "Does she know English?", "Does she know how to read?","Do they have running water?", and my personal favorite actual question asked by a co-worker... "Does she hunt lions for food?" Perhaps most Americans (and porobably Ukrainians, as I have travelled there a few times as well, are a bit too sheltered overall in our blinding white cultures. I know we can't all be fortunate enough to have the ability to travel worldwide, but lets turn off the television (which by the way leads to many of the bad American stereotypes around the world... did know "Baywatch" is one of the most seen shows worldwide!)and read a little or get out there and meet some "different" people. The world is full of all types of people and God made us all special in one way or another!
Hey B. I think white people just need to develop a more positive stereotype...like us Asians...you know...we all know kung fu, can cook mean fried rice, play stringed instruments, are math and science geniuses, and have ninja like reflexes...Well, so far in Indy, most people would believe me if I told them that it was all true. Of course you know it's not from your Halo experiences with me...=) I'm working on making white people think that all Asians secretly talk about everyone else in our own languages behind their backs- and if we're talking loudly in front of you, we're most likely talking about you. =)
(As you probably know already, I don't do that, since the closest to Chinese I can speak is "Engrish").- Andy
Hope you're well bro. Miss ya back here. Wish I could visit with the rest of the crew!
Margot now you aware of how I feel at times ad why I am a freak and weirdo a white English women from a very diverse highly popluated blue collar mill-town in Yorkshire 50% of the popluation are either from India or Parikstan transported into "Hamilton county"!
Dont tell me God does not have purpose for each one of us.LUVU enjoy your family.xxx
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