Hello, I set up a general blog last night, but maybe I should post info here??

I will be coming to Kenya in September (with the Peace Corps). I am currently in California for studies, but home for me is Kentucky.

I am not sure where in Kenya I will be, so my questions are limited. I am so excited that I can not stop "googling" kenya on the internet.

Is Kiswahili spoken thoughout Kenya?

This is me everytime I think of coming to Kenya.

u sure r enthusiastic on ua soon-to-be visit here.well i wish u a good time when u come and work.
swahili is spoken but also other indigineous and foreign languages.most people r conversant with english so u'll feel right at home.

cheers

Welcome to Kenya. It will be a memorable 27 months I can tell you that. When you find out where in Kenya you will be posted, it will help us in giving you ideas.

As Dante pointed out, alot of pple are conversant in both English and Swahili but the further you get out of the main cities eg. Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, the more indigenous (tribal) it gets. With 42 tribes and their languages (dialects), culture, food, it will be fun.

I'm so jealous!!! :-) Two years in Kenya.... they will be some of the best years of your life. Kenya is an amazing country with beautiful people who are generous and kind. I've had so many great experiences there... I can't wait to go back. I always feel like I'm home when I arrive... I don't know why.

hi ya'll... or should i say MAMBO!!

random questions:
what is your favorite food?
who is your favorite musician?
what is the best place to visit in Kenya?


smaug... why jealous? (where are you now??)

Favorite food... where do I start :-) I love going out for Nyama Choma. And nothing beats a good fresh tilipia with katchumbali (forgive my spelling of that one).

Favorite musician... again so much to chose from. I think one of my favorites is someone I saw play at Carnivore a few years ago... E-Sir. I'm not a big fan of hip-hop, but he was a very talented musician, and a lot of fun. He'd work up the crowd and make everyone feel a part of the show. Mr. Nice is a lot of fun too (I know, he's Tanzanian.. but so what). I love his silly lyrics like in the song Fagilia.

Best place to vist... way too many to list. For a night out in Nairobi, I'd recommend Carnivore. I know.. touristy, but they have some excellent DJs, great music, and a fun crowd. Another place in Nairobi is Pavement (in Westlands). They have everything.. even a Salsa night. Had a great time every time I went. For scenery.. Lake Nakuru is nice.. or even something simple like the beach at Kisumu (on Lake Victoria). I prefer getting off the beaten path and finding some small village to hang out in. The thing with Kenya is that pretty much everywhere you go is the best place to visit. <grin>

Why am I jealous... because I really enjoy being in Kenya. I went there several years ago on a whim. I always wanted to see some of Africa. I booked a flight (no hotel or anything) and headed to Nairobi not knowing what I was stepping into. I stayed a month and made some lifelong friends. I go back as much and for as long as I can.

Wished I could have stayed permanently. There is something about Africa that either drives you off, or sucks you in and gets under your skin. The culture is nothing like what you're used to or even prepared for. It is a whole other world. Life has totally different priorities... a different focus, different needs. Things that are important to you now in the US have no meaning in Africa, and vice versa. I think that the people are richer (not in money, but in spirit, who they are) in Africa than people in America or Europe. They are so kind and hospitable too. I've been invited into more homes... ate meals with so many families.

It's an funny feeling too when you're off the beaten path so to speak and out in the rural areas away from the usual touristy areas. You go out and you're immediately surrounded by dozens of small children. The youngest what to be picked up and carried. They don't want anything from you.. they just are so happy to see you, and what to hang out with the Mzungu.

This is what I mean... I'm the only white guy in the photo :-)





I stayed in/near this village for a couple of days. Hung out with some of the people, attened a party they had. Danced with them... it was more fun than I ever thought it would.

So as you can probably tell... Kenya got under my skin. One day... I'd like to move there... and stay. maybe one day I will too.

Ooops... I sent my reply as a guest for some reason... is that fixable Mambo?

PS to my post above... I'm living in Europe right now. I'm Canadian... and violently alergic to the cold (especially snow) :-)

Favorite food - Either a nyama choma (roast goat meat) with kachumbari (without chili for me). But you may also try a nice juicy beef stew with irio/kenienji (mashed potatoes with green stuff and maize)... Uhmmm !!! Yammy. Forget the matumbo and ugali... Chapati are always nice.

Favorite music - Well, like every person coming to Kenya, you 'll ear the "Jambo jambo bwana" or the "Malaika, nakupenda Malaika"... Otherwise, either you want modern sound (bongo style), some tribal sound (some kikuyu rock) or sounds from the nearby COngo (Lingala)

Favorite place - Kenya, Kenya, Kenya... In Nairobi, as said above, the Simba Saloon (part of the large Carnivore complex) is very nice. Every night there is a different theme (rock, disco, rap, etc.). If the National Museum is refurbished in time, then you should definitely go there once !!! Lastly, the must-see-destination are Amboseli with the majestic Kilimanjaro, the Masai Mara - Note that for the former, the best period is October - and rural areas around in the rich Kenyan highlands (Mt Kenya, Aberdare) with their mango and avocado trees !!!

Enjoy your stay in Kenya. I hope you will not stay 27 month in the arid North Kenya eating WFP flour/maizena.

Congratulations on your assignment to kenya and have a great time. I was also lucky enough to go to Kenya as a Peace Corps volunteer and spent 30 months living in Kehancha. Kehancha is located in south Nyanza province (south western part of the country). The nyama choma (preferrably mbuzi) and kachumbari with extra pili pili, fried tiliapia, fried chicken, sukuma wiki, hell all the food is my favorite especially with a Tusker right next to it.. I even brought home a Kenyan wife or souvenir spouse as the Peace Corps call them. I still maintain contact with friends and family and go back as often as I can. The country does get under your skin an to tell the truth I feel more at home there than here in the states. I too live in California now but plan on returning to Kenya after retiring from my current profession which will god willing be in 6 more years. Hopefully giving me several more years to live in and enjoy a country that has given me so much. Like my wife who is a fantastic and amazing woman, the education I received and experiences I had all reshaped and made me the person I am today. Your a lucky person to be going and I hope that you enjoy and get as much out of your Peace Corps experience as I did. As the years go by I find that I appreciate the experience more now than I did when I was there. So much history, beautiful people, majestic landscape, wildlife, etc... Africa does keep a piece of your soul and the only way you can feel whole is to return again and again. Enjoy and experience as much as possible, learn from the Kenyans as much as possible and understand that you will not be the same person you are today when you return to your home, you'll be better....................

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Africa does keep a piece of your soul and the only way you can feel whole is to return again and again. Enjoy and experience as much as possible, learn from the Kenyans as much as possible and understand that you will not be the same person you are today when you return to your home, you'll be better
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I couldn't have said it any better. You've put into words the exact thing I've been thinking ever since my first visit to Kenya... and that's why I keep going back as much as I can. Kenya and Africa has a piece of my soul too... :-) and I'm glad it does.

CORRECTION JESSI.....

ITS 'JAMBO' (Greetings) NOT 'MAMBO'

Don't worry about mispronouncing some of the words in Swahili. I asked where the "chew" was instead of "choo" (long o sound) that's the toilet by the way...

Jambo all!!! Sasa all?

Thank you for writing back. Asante, Asante, Asante for all of the advice.

It is so interesting to read your replies. In your opinion if I could bring three things-- what must I bring... (or what should I leave at home?)?

I would love to learn some more swahili and have been researching it online, but I would appreciate any phrases that you would like to teach me.

Kwaheri

Sorry... that was me above