As twittered earlier, these books shall enhance my chances for a seat at the Kenyan parliament (no work, taxfree income, free car) – or at least raise my mzungu status within the Kenyan blogosphere.
Now, would you please excuse me, I’ve got to teach some Kiuk to other Exilkenianer who were forced to leave home in 1982….
(I am really excited that I eventually managed to bring some of my books to Frankfurt – all in all 4 huge bags full of books, language material and other goodies I can’t enjoy online or via my computer. nice!).
i have that one! *pointing* “How to be a Kenyan”
Quite a list of books you’ve put together there. Good for you.
There’s much more you’ll have to do, though, to qualify for Kenyan Parliament.
You’ll have to prove that you’r insular to the needs and wants of those around you, that you’re narrow minded, greedy and you’re unwilling to use your brains to do anything but enrich yourself.
Once you’ve mastered, this, you’re well on your way to earning that tax free income for not working.
Best.
Kenya has a parliament??? Wow, I didn’t know that.
They had a corrupt swamp of mafia for a long time, but I didn’t know you can qualify for that by reading books.
As far as I know, the income is “self-service”, depending on your position within the gang.
Btw.: I’m going back to NBO again this month. Unlike earlier times, when I used to look forward to it as some kind of “trip back into history”, I now expect absolutely nothing. Got some stuff to do, visit some old friends, then come back.
The country itself is down the toilet anyway.
@31337: That jewel by Wahome Mutahi truly is a must-have, ama?
@Rombo: I hear you on that! I shall follow that advice and become more greedy in 2009.
I should maybe also ask for an internship or apprenticeship with a successful MP so I can learn quite a few things on how to handle money issues. I am much more like Whispers when it comes to financial matters (Thatcher, ministry of finance, etc).
Irene would of course suggest to marry a Kikuyu woman – which would bring about the same change.
@Dave: I am too Kenyan to give up on home. This also includes an amount of lethargy which prevents me from doubting any activities within parliament. Except maybe that their website is still down. Q.e.expectandum? ;-)
Nice collection of books. Might you know where I can get the children’s collection of ‘kaka sungura’ stories – the ones that were a series of about 1 – 10
“Too much Kenyan”
well, I used to be. After having left Kenya in 1993, I was extremely home-sick for many, many years. I spent a lot of time, trying to find some kind of job which would allow me to become a “development-aid”-worker. I travelled back to Nairobi three, four, sometimes even five times every year, just to keep in touch.
I also visited a Kiswahili-course in University for eight months, just to make sure I speak the language and would be ready any time.
Well, all that happened is that on each visit, all I could see was my former life decaying away. On each time I came back, there were less and less people who remembered me (or still wanted to keep in touch); those who did usually asked me in amazement “Ati?! why do you want to come back to Kenya, if you have the chance to stay in Germany???”.
After my parents also left, and I no longer had a house and a car, I lost everything that remained. From that moment on, I was just a tourist. Nothing more than the rest of the Neckermann-Wasungu.
After I realized that, I stopped going there so often, because I just hated being an outsider. I still go there, but nowadays those trips have become rare, maybe every second or third year only.
Thatr way, you also notice the changes much more drastically, than if you keep going there more frequently.
Do you know what I see now, is not my Kenya anymore. The government seems to manage to run things more and more down, and to make politics even worse, after it looks like it couldn’t possibly get worse.
The pollution and the destruction of the environmnt, the crime, the corruption, and the total 100%-failure in improving ANYTHING to the better. And that’s when I lost all hope and trust in the future of the country.
Being an active pilot, I still keep my Kenyan licence going, and will continue to do so, despite all. By the way, just look at Wilson Airport, and see how the Kenyan aviation authorities breach any international standards of safety, due to total lack of interest in following international requirements.
Nah. I came to realize a few years ago, that there is no way back. My childhood-Kenya no longer exists, and in today’s Kenya, I am neither welcome, nor do I want to spend more time with day-dreaming about “helping to build up”.
I used to believe that Kenya needs more education for it’s youth, in order to gradually raise the standards of everything. Within three generations, maybe, the country’s standards should start rising, at least gradually – as has, for example, happened in many Asian countries after 1945, when they develloped from subsistence-farming to microelectronics.
Well, I no longer believe in any of this naive stuff. I’m not making prophecies on Kenya’s future, since my guess is no better than anybody else’s. But what I do believe, is, that things have only STARTED to get bad. I believe that most serious problems, like overpopulation, deforestation, pollution, and associated things like tribal clashes, will become a whole lot worse in future.
At least they will, while the government continues to do nothing.
And since I have no hope whatsoever that any kind of “free elections” would change anything about this, I have no hope in Kenya’s future either.
Yes, I still love many aspects about Kenya, and I will continue to keep on going there. But it is no longer my country.
It took me over ten years(!) of homesickness to realize this. I love going on Safaris, I love the beautiful landscape, the wild animals and the comfort of beach hotels. I have great nostalgic flashbacks with each “Tusker” and “Sportsman” that I consume, while listening to the sounds of nature.
But all these things have nothing to do with development. On the contrary, all these things are dying out, slowly but steadily.
Nowadays, in my present company, there are many Kenyans of various ages and tribal backgrounds working. I spoke to collegues who are Kikuyu, Maasai, Embu, and others. We are all almost like a big family here; we laugh and talk a lot, and I even get a chance to brush up my Kiswahili-skills ;-)
But they usually share my point of view about modern Kenya. In fact, I learn a great deal from them.
So, loving the country (from our elitarian, rich wasungu point of view) is one thing. Nothing wrong with that!
But the truth is: we are not, and never will be, Kenyans. Nor will any of the real long-term guys who spent all their life there. We are just tourists, who take a bit more interest in politics than others.
Woah.