Oh Kenya....

Things have been going really well recently. I have just been totally submerged in work, which has allowed me to do more thinking and piece together my thoughts and theories about Kenyans/Kenya in general.

First, I have never been surrounded by so many mean, selfish people. I know ‘bad’ is not a very descriptive word, but that’s how I feel about so many people. They are BAD people. Now of course this is not the majority of people. The majority are warm and friendly and trustworthy, but the percentage of people who are not, is so much higher than I am used to. People have zero shame in stealing, lying, cheating and exploiting others. I am blown away by the audacity of some people and their willingness to brag about their corrupt and immoral ways.

Unfortunately, a huge number of these people are involved in football in Kenya. No wonder Kenyan soccer is never good and never goes anywhere haha. Because of my strict adherence to rules and my straightforward ways, I have made a good number of enemies. Not only are people mean to me, but they are mean to each other, to their friends. I am amazed how people can backstab and cheat their friends even with their friend’s knowledge and they next day they are back to being friends. Forgiving and forgetting and quite common. Maybe it’s me or maybe it’s the culture I come from, but I don’t forget when people talk bad about me or try to cheat me or blatantly lie to my face REPEATEDLY.

I feel like the things I am learning here are so different than my expectations going in. I’m learning more how to deal with bad people, than to deal with the good ones. Not to say I don’t work and spend time with amazing wonderful people every day, because I certainly do, but that’s the easy part, so why would I complain about it, right?!?

Money plays such an interesting role here. As far as I understand, there is a universal theory right now that dumping money into developing countries will not help them. Instead, we should build their capacity and strengthen the human resources within the country to help them build themselves. I totally agree with that idea form an American viewpoint, but from my newly cynical Kenyan viewpoint, I think it’s bull. Realistically, if you ask people in these countries, they don’t want to be trained. They don’t want to take 3 days away from whatever they do for work to come for a training. They don’t want their ‘capacity’ to be built. That takes time, that takes patience, that takes planning. They want money, today, now… in their hand so they can put food on the table. There is very little thinking about the future here, about how they can build up themselves. To them it’s a simple answer… “give us money.” They think, ‘Money will fix our problems, money will rid us of poverty, drought, HIV, famine, flooding, corruption.”

I think I am just becoming more confused as to how development “works” because is it working? Are people and places becoming developed? I don’t know the answers, but I know that truly the only way that is proven, is one person at a time. Today, I was watching a match in our under 12 league. This weekend is what we call mini-league but in American talk is playoffs. So this team is wearing replica Manchester United jerseys that we had given them since they were the number 1 team during league play. These small boys are on the field, playing their hearts out, wearing real uniforms and most of them wearing cleats (their coach had saved ALL his money to help buy the shoes) and one of them scores with a beautiful left-footed half volley from 10 yards out. They all run to the corner flag, ecstatic, and do a circle/dance celebration before returning to the middle of the field. Their (volunteer) coach pumps his fist on the side line and all the older brothers and older boys from that neighborhood who are there supporting the team are running along the sideline waving shirts in the air and yelling and celebrating. I just know that if these kids can stick to football, instead of local brews or drugs or prostitutes that plague the slum they come from, they will be “developed.” Giving people, especially kids, an enjoyable free life is what development is all about. I think the organization I work for plays a small part in that and I’m proud of that.

Anyway, that’s a little bit of my recent thoughts about Kenya and my experience here. Bottom line is I love it, I love the challenge and I loving proving to people I’m right by helping kids and teaching them to do the right thing. It’s kind of the ultimate “Ha, Ha” in the face of the bad guys.