My partner was absolutely floored at the idea men and women would have a pay disparity based solely on gender. #Kenya still has gendered social norms, but they do have #equality in their salaries.
I’ve struggled with the pace of life. I thought I was pretty chill but being in #Kenya has made me realize how schedule bound I was. In the US, if I’m to meet you at 8pm, I’m there by 7:45. In #Swahilitime I’ll be there by midnight. 😛
My first moment of #cultureshock came before arriving in #Kenya
Housing!
Let’s dive into a few things.
6/ There are absolutely no appliances included. You have to buy your own fridge and stove. Dishwashers, washers, and driers aren’t really a thing here. We pay someone to do our laundry, about 500 bob a week.
My first moment of #cultureshock came before arriving in #Kenya
Housing!
Let’s dive into a few things.
5/ We have fiber internet through Safaricom. It’s comparable in price and speed to the US. My only complaint is it’s flakey. Every day it flakes out at least once. Are they owned by Comcast?
My first moment of #cultureshock came before arriving in #Kenya
Housing!
Let’s dive into a few things.
4/ our electricity is prepaid. We use M-PESA to send money to the power company (only one in all of #Kenya) and they give us a token. I have to provide that information to my landlord to add to my meter. So far, also cheaper than the US. Though we do lose power every couple of days due to weather. #rainyseason
My first moment of #cultureshock came before arriving in #Kenya
Housing!
Let’s dive into a few things.
Second, the application only wanted to know who we were, where we worked, and how long we wanted to commit to renting the unity. No credit checks. Just an application that was all on one page. 3/
My first moment of #cultureshock came before arriving in #Kenya
Housing!
Let’s dive into a few things.
Coming from the US, I find the housing here to be more than affordable. My 3 bed 2 bath in a gated community in #Eldoret is less than $300/month. 2/
My first moment of #cultureshock came before arriving in #Kenya
Housing!
Let’s dive into a few things.
One of the first, and biggest, moments of culture shock for a westerner in #Kenya was the lack of acceptance of credit/debit cards… or cash. I had come prepared to withdraw cash regularly to pay for things. But people don’t even like cash here! Instead, #M-PESA is king. https://cdn.nostrcheck.me/c202fb5f791cc58021c2b089e23b163fb29eb8ea49f5eae5059d38ae6f523d2e/2d7559530ca1592c69c05bef2c62d09d4f9998e570f142df1cf03f968c0d7720.webp