The climate in Nairobi is ideal. We are 6000 ft.
above sea level so it never gets really hot but hot enough. If you stay in the shade
during the dry hot times (now) it is pretty cool. RIght now we have had no rain since
April so it's pretty dusty and this red dust gets on everything. To get the red mud off of
your skin you must scrub real hard whereas in most places a bath will do.
Kenya does have a winter but they call it the long rainy season. The
long rains come in March or April and last until the end of June. Just prior to that the
ground is prepared for planting. In November the short rains come (but it is not as cool)
and also another planting season. During the long rainy season, it gets down into the 40's
at night and with the rain it seems colder. All houses here are made from about 90%
stone so it is very difficult to get them warm and electricity is so
expensive that you can't run heaters all of the time.
An interesting tidbit...when it rains for the first few times in the
flying ants come out of the ground by the thousands, often so thick that you
cannot see through them. If you have windows open they will come in your house. People
here eat them raw or fried. They have very long wings and tiny bodies. Once they hit the
ground their wings come off and they begin to mate. Then they die.
The
main crops are coffee, tea, and maize. Maize is also the main staple of the people here.
They eat ugali (pronounced oogaleeee) with every meal. To make it you add corn meal to
boiling water, reduce the heat, and cook for about 15 minutes. It is then packed in a
bowl, turned over onto a plate, and cut in slices. It is common to eat with your hands
while dipping the ugali in sukuma wiki (a type of green like spinach) or juice from any
vegetable or meat. The children love it and I make it myself but I fry it.
 The majesty of the Rift Valley and the Serengeti are just stunning. There are
people and homes in the Rift Valley. It is so big and stretches from the north to the
south of Kenya. There are still a few rain forests around the Kakamega area. The trees and
plants are really pretty. As my friend Noam says, "Leigh has a green hand" so I
love all of the gorgeous bougainvilleas, birds of paradise, and many many more.
There is one thing you must have in Kenya and that
is patience as nothing is done speedily. This also applies to people being on time. You
can usually look for them a couple of hours after they say they will come and that is if
they come at all :-)
 When you go to someone's house you just shout from the door
"Hodi" and then they shout "Karibou", or welcome. You then take your
shoes off and enter the house. They may say "keti" (chair), if you don't want a
chair you say "Sitaki keti kwasababu sitaki kuketi" or I do want want a chair
because I do not want to sit.
Here are a few more words and
expressions in swahili:
- Habari yaku (How are you?)
- Asante sana (Thank you)
- Maji (Water)
- Dawa (Medicine)
- Karibou (Welcome)
- Bwana Asifiwe (Praise the Lord)
- Poli sana (Very sorry)
- Hakuna Matata (No problem)
- Jambo (Hello)
- Kwa Heri (Goodbye)
- Simba (Lion)
- Safari (Journey)
More Facts and figures on Kenya
 (Source: http://worldfactsandfigures.com, http://worldatlas.com)
Official Name:
Republic of Kenya
Capital City:
Nairobi
Location: 
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean. Border
countries are Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Climate:
Varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior.
Natural hazards:
Recurring drought in northern and eastern regions; flooding during
rainy seasons.
 Highest point:
Mount Kenya: 5,199 m, first climbed in 1899 by English geographer,
Sir Halford MacKinder.
Population:
30,765,916 (July 2001 est.)
Note: estimates for this country explicitly
take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth
rates than would otherwise be expected.
 Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.95%
15-64 years: 55.26%
65 years and over: 2.79%
Life expectancy at birth:
47.49 years
Population below poverty line:
42% (1992 est.)
 Ethnic groups:
Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%,
Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%.
Languages:
English (official), Kiswahili (official),
numerous indigenous languages.
 Religions:
Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs 26%, Muslim
7%, other 1%.
Note: a large majority of Kenyans are
Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or
indigenous beliefs vary widely.
Currency:
Kenya Shilling
Exchange rates:
1 US Dollar = 80.52300 Kenyan Shilling
1 Kenyan Shilling (KES) = 0.01242 US Dollar (USD)
(september 2004).
 Agriculture:
Coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy
products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs.
Industries:
Small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles,
soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products processing; oil refining, cement; tourism.
Also in this Section...
Meet All the Children
Learn All About Our Place
Article by Judy Normand
|
2004 Arms of Love.
Noted worldwide for its abundant wildlife, Kenya is a popular stop for
tourists, especially those interested in exotic animal safaris. 
