Shopping in Kenya

Right now I am in the part of Kenya where President Obama's family comes from. He is part of a tribe of people called Luo, so I am meeting many, many people who are Luo. There are photos and posters of the President everywhere, and lots of people can be seen wearing shirts with his picture - everyone is so excited that Barack Obama is president of the USA!

Today I went to the center of the town where I am staying. It is called Ugunja, and in Ugunja there are market days on Tuesdays and Fridays, when people come from neighboring towns to buy and sell all the different things they might need. There are no supermarkets or malls nearby, so everything including clothes, food, tools, and cleaning supplies is bought and sold on market days. The market is all outdoors so the people put the items they are selling in wooden stalls or on blankets on the ground, and you just walk around through a maze of people to buy all the things on your list.

When we were in the part of the market for food, we saw big piles of dried corn that Kenyan people grind into tiny pieces to cook ugali. We also saw fish that has been dried out so it can last a long time (no electricity means no fridges!). I saw big piles of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and kale. You could buy an orange and have someone cut it up for you right there so you could eat it while you shopped. There were also chickens tied up to trees that you could buy for about $3. In Kenya, if you want chicken for supper, you buy it while it's still alive!

We also went through a part of the market where clothing is sold. You can buy new clothes, or used clothes if you want to save some money, but everything is laid out on blankets on the ground so you can't try anything on! I bought two shirts, and together they cost me less than $5 which I thought was a very good price.

I also saw all kinds of things being sold which are not food or clothes. I saw safety pins, matchboxes, cooking spoons, pots and pans, soap, plastic tubs for washing clothes, farming tools, rope, and brooms. And I didn't even see the whole market!

It was really fun to go shopping this way because everything is sold by an individual person so you can stop and talk with tons of people while you shop, and each one knows a lot about what they are selling. For example, the people selling corn can tell you exactly how to prepare it, and the people selling fabric can tell you how much you need to make a dress or pair of pants. It is not like going to Wal-Mart or CVS where there are many different items and the workers may not know anything about an item you are interested in. In fact, I like the Kenyan market a lot because I love to talk to all the different people! It was also fun to be outside, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine while I shopped. I had a great time!

Safari!

Hello boys and girls! I know it has been awhile since I wrote about my time in Kenya, but I have some very exciting stories to share with you. My mom is visiting me, all the way from West Harford, CT, USA! She and I decided to go on safari. Did you know “safari” is the Kiswahili word for “journey” or “travel”? It’s true. Our safari was particularly special because we spent it in Maasai Mara National Reserve. This is a very large piece of land where all different animals can live without worrying about hunters. In fact, if you know the movie The Lion King, the land looks very much like the land where Simba, Nala, Pumba and Rafiki lived.

In Maasai Mara, we were able to drive around for hours and see many wonderful animals. We watched herds of elephants, led by one big and strong mama elephant, feed on more grass than you can imagine. We saw a pride of lions one morning just after they had eaten their breakfast – an animal called an eland, sort of like an antelope. There were two male lions and about four female lions with maybe four or five of their cubs. They looked so cute, but we knew not to get too close! Lions are the biggest meat-eating animals in Maasai Mara and can be VERY dangerous. We also saw a mama cheetah, some hippos lying in the mud with their babies, and even a crocodile. He was huge!

Mama Cheetah sitting in the grass.

The crocodile!

Hippos lying in the mud.
Their skin is very sensitive so they use the mud and water to stay safe from the hot sun.

All of the animals we got to see are known as endangered species, which means that there are very few of them left on Planet Earth, and all of us humans must do everything we can to make sure that they continue to live. Humans have hunted many of the most beautiful animals in Africa for hundreds of years and this is why we are now in danger of losing them forever. Luckily, the people of Kenya have decided that no one is allowed to hunt ANYWHERE in Kenya anymore, which is very good news for our friends the elephants, cheetahs, hippos, and all the other beautiful animals here.

Male and female Crowned Cranes.

Rothschild giraffes.
See how they look like they're wearing socks??

African buffalo.
Look at those horns! They can be VERY dangerous when they're angry!

Beautiful flamingos wading in the lake and flying overhead.