Things I didn't realize I would miss about the US:
Internet
Electronics that work
Consistent electricity
Flushing toilets
Free toilets
Clean toilets
Toilet seats
Confidence that every bathroom will have toilet paper
Tacos
Doughnuts
Having an endless supply of clean water
Ice cubes
Cold drinks
The feeling of being clean. No matter how much I shower or wash my clothes, I always feel just a little bit gross still.
Personal space. Kenyans have no concept of personal space. I think at least 6 people run into me every time I walk through the city. And I mean directly run straight into me, and then just continue on as if nothing happened.
Understanding what everyone’s saying all the time. I am very lucky that a large number of Kenyans speak English…but a lot of them still speak in Swahili…a lot of the time
The smell of air (inhaling diesel exhaust fumes all day does not count as air)
Traffic. I know it sounds silly, but traffic in the United States is AMAZING! It’s so organized and there’s lights and stop signs and everyone knows where the lanes are. Here there are no lanes, people kind of go wherever they want…it’s insanely disorganized and slightly terrifying.
Blending in. I never realized how awesome the diversity of America is. Wherever I go in Nairobi people tend to look at me strangely because I’m white. In the slums the kids yell MZUNGU! (which means white person) whenever we go by. A lot of the Kenyans I’ve talked to make jokes about how people would probably yell “Black person!” at them if they went to the states but the awesome thing is that in America there are so many different kinds of people that it’s not a big deal when you see someone of a different race. And maybe that’s just my perspective because I’ve never been the minority before…but I am fairly certain that no one would yell “Black person!” if a Kenyan walked through the streets of Cincinnati…
The freedom of being able to go wherever I want, whenever I want. In Nairobi I can’t go anywhere without someone else, preferably two someone elses. And there are very specific parameters of where we should and should not be in the city.
The strong sense of security and justice. In the US I can be fairly certain that I won't be attacked or mugged or robbed but if I am, it's a huge deal, and the police will do something about it. Here...not so much.
The security of knowing most policemen are actually working for the good of society.
Knowing that as long as I don't break the law, there's very little chance I'll ever see the inside of a jail. While I'm not really worried about being falsely arrested (since I am an American and we're treated a bit differently here), there really is a good chance that if you live in a slum and are a person of little to no importance in the policemen's eyes you could be arrested for absolutely no reason and forced to pay a bribe to be let go. Even if you've done nothing wrong.
The cleanliness...not just the sanitary codes that surround every aspect of American life, which are great, but just the cleanliness of the cities and buildings. Everything in Nairobi is run down, even the "brand new" buildings. There's dirt everywhere. On everything. All the time. And trash. Mountains and mountains of trash.
Ok now don’t get me wrong here, I am having an AMAZING time in Kenya. It’s one of the best experiences of my life. I’ve had so much fun and I feel like I’ve learned so much already and it’s given me a really interesting new perspective on the world. This is not me going through the rejection station of culture shock :) These are just things I didn’t realize I would miss about America and things I’ve come to appreciate so much more after spending time in a less stable society. Although I did know I’d miss tacos…I mean that was just a given.
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