you don't know what you've got till it's gone

Last night we were invited to dinner at the home of ex-pats living here in Kenya.  Brett is working with Patrick on the X-Ray truck project and they thought it would be nice for us to get off the IU compound for the evening.   Patrick picked us up in his Subaru Forester, and although I’ve been riding in cars off and on while we’re been here, it was strange to be in such a familiar vehicle with the steering wheel on the wrong side! 

When we arrived candles were lit and dinner was simmering on the gas stove.  The candle light was not to set the mood for a romantic evening of conversation about truck design and the purchasing of a UPS, but because there was no power.  My first reaction was, “oh we could have just gone out for dinner.  You didn’t have to go to all of this work without any power” but I was quickly reminded this is how they function two or three days a week.  And of course, also on Sunday’s when there is the regularly scheduled power outage. 

The power goes out at IU House often also.   Each afternoon this week it has gone off for at least an hour or two.  That means no lights, which is only an issue if it’s raining and cloudy, but more importantly it means no internet!  The internet connection, when working well, is rather sketchy at best.  Needless to say, my tech-addicted lifestyle is a bit cramped. 

I suppose when the power goes out so often it is hard for locals to get things done also, which is maybe why they are never on time.  There is kind of a running joke that everything runs on “Kenyan time” which is exponentially slower than anything in the US.   If given a time to meet someone, add at least 30 minutes after said appointment before you should expect to actually get together.  Now take this a step further and see how long it takes to get anything done on a large scale.  Things which might take a few hours or day in the States can take weeks and even months to be accomplished in Kenya.   I have yet to put my finger on the exact reasons for this cultural discrepancy, but it is a painful issue to become accustomed. 

Life is so different in Kenya though that things like promptness are really rather unimportant in the grand scheme of things.  The issue of power going out is non-existent for many, many Kenyans since they do not have any electricity running to their home at all.  They cook all their food over a wood fire and milk is ultra pasteurized and not refrigerated.  Milk might not even be pasteurized, but come straight from the cow roaming in the yard.  Eggs are fresh from the chickens outside and all other food is either home grown or purchased as needed from a street vendor.  Things like a hot shower, after walking miles in mud, are not thought about either and many Kenyans do not have running water in the house, much less heated water!

I guess it often takes being without to realize what you really have.   Sometimes it is little things, sometimes it is big things.   

p.s. I think what I most miss right now is brushing my teeth with running tap water!