Rebuttal and Mombasa

First, a rebuttal.

Kenya has a tropical climate and relatively small population for it's land mass. As such they never developed food preservation techniques. Why is this important, you may ask? In areas such as Europe, with changing climates and high population density, preservation techniques equated to survival skills. Without preserving your food, you would die. Institutions were created to deal with monitoring and rationing of food, as well as the diverse factions of people.

In Kenya, this was never the case. People generally have enough food all year round. Historically, the cattle herders spent all their days walking their cattle to water and watching their herds. The farming communities spent most of their days planting, weeding, harvesting, etc. Since food grows all year round, there was never a sense of urgency for events to occur. Life was “simple.” This lifestyle was maintained until the British colonialists and even after, not because the people were lazy but rather there was no incentive for people to develop such institutions. Kenya was not undeveloped, it just evolved in a different way.

Today, this mentality of pole-pole (slowly slowly) penetrates modern life. Jacob noticed the slow-pace of life and it is true. Nothing here moves very quickly. Not the people, the traffic, or the mosquitoes. But it is not because they “like” to take their time or they understand the realities of unreliability. Rather, the people come from a background that is the antithesis of Weber's Protestant work ethic. Hard work is admired, but is not defined by it's speed or efficiency. Efficiency has virtually nothing to do with it.

To understand Kenya, one must first understand it's history. Culture is often a forgotten link in the study of Economics (much to my dismay) but is so essential in maintaining an open mind to the functioning of a society. Sometimes taking a step back and figuring out the cultural background helps to inform one's observations and make them less foreign and strange.

Ok, now onto Mombasa!

We are actually back in Nairobi after an eventful trip to Mombasa for a few days. I loved Mombasa the first time I was there and that admiration remains today. First, it is HOT. People said it was the cold season because it was winter, but it was in the 80s and 90s every day. Second, the history is so strong. Between the Arab, Portuguese, African, Indian, and English influences, you can feel the vibrancy of the historical roots everywhere you go. VERY different from Nairobi! We visited Old Town, Fort Jesus, and the markets. I get such a high from the claustrophobic nature of the markets, because the streets are pedestrian only, extremely narrow, and crammed with vendors, tailors, and people. I love the energy of the place! Third, there is less a culture of cat calling, and as such it is a much more pleasant place to walk around in. As Jacob noticed about Kisumu and Nairobi, we stand out and people make sure we know it. In Mombasa, people notice but rarely make a comment about it.

Our visit occurred during Ramadan and a high percentage of the population is Muslim. Therefore, everything is open late, people are generally in a gleeful mood, and it is safe to walk around at night. Also a welcome change from Nairobi :) Our hotel had a nice open-air terrace and we even took a tuk-tuk (three wheeled transport vehicle) to a beach resort one day to play in the water! Overall it was a nice trip!

When we returned to Nairobi, we said our farewells to Jacob and got back down to business. Kyla and I moved into an apartment near Adams Arcade and are settling in nicely. We found a great cheap place across the street for food, drinks, and free Olympic TV! Overall everything is going well :)

Fun things:

-Hillary Clinton visited Kenya a few days ago and the news was abuzz with the “ridiculousness” of the FBI security because they required journalists to submit their names the day before for entry and then arrive an hour before the meeting. The newspaper called it a “nightmare” for journalists. Haha!

-Treading onto the beach from the hotel in Mombasa, one got mobbed by people trying to sell you camel rides, boat rides, and every type of touristy-thing you can imagine. Boats would literally turn around in the water when they saw you approach the sand.

-Kyla has been called “Helen” on two different occasions. Once even after giving the person her business card. When in doubt, change all the letters but one and you'll have the same name. My name is often heard as “Maureen,” though that seems closer than Helen.

Alright. Enough for tonight. Thanks for reading!