Jamaa Yangu

In the past two weeks I have consumed more cups of chai, held more small children, and listened to more of Whitney Houston’s greatest hits than ever before in my life.
I am living with an amazing Kenyan family in Ft. Jesus, a neighborhood in Western Nairobi. My host dad owns a restaurant & bar in Ft. Jesus called Kiboko. In my Kiswahili class last week I asked what Kiboko means and was told that like many Kiswahili words, it means several different things. Kiboko is Kiswahili for hippo, whip, and a word meaning boyfriend/girlfriend (a reference to he or she is whipped). It is next to an internet café, a butchery, and a club ironically named ‘Club Denver.’ My host family is of the Luo tribe and plays traditional Luo music in their bar. Candles illuminate the tables at night and the atmosphere is always festive.

My mom owns a small clothing store right by our house. She sells mitumba or second hand clothing, an extremely popular small business in Kenya. You can score designer labels for only 200 shillings (less than 3 USD) making it much more worth it for Kenyans to purchase clothing at markets versus expensive retail outlets. Her stall is right behind Toi Market. Kenyans from all over the region come to Toi Market to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, charcoal, hats, belts, watches, jewelry, clothing, DVD’s, and various other goods.

I have four host brothers ages 24, 21, 15, and 13 and one sister age 11. I love spending time with them and we often watch Tusker Project Fame together, the equivalent of American Idol. I have the most difficult time trying to explain the house I live in. The best I can do is to compare it loosely to a rectangular duplex with restrooms on the outside of the rectangle. Several other families live in the rectangle. Our living room is the hang out place for all of the kids. There can be as many as ten kids at one time huddled around the television playing Fifa World Cup Futbol. My favorite neighborhood kid is Gid, a two year old who enjoys ramming into walls while fighting invisible ninjas.

I’ve got to sign off now. Time for a Kiswahili smack down at school! Quaheri!