Meeting Locals in Kenya

On our group tour through Kenya and Tanzania we had a local cook, driver and guide. I can tell you their stories about how they had to wait for sunbathing lions under the van, a zebra kill next to their tents or the fear they felt when they heard a lion roar for the first time. But it was much more interesting, even though a bit less exiting, to listen to their stories on how they grew up and think of us. Our cook, for example, grew up in a small village 20 kilometres away from his high school. He had to run 40 kilometres forth and back to school, and yes, then we as Western people realize why those Kenyan people are as good in running as they are, because they learned it as a necessity to get to a place where they want to be. The cook actually made it to the national running team of Kenya, but was not good enough in the end. Now he found his passion in cooking, and made the most delicious meals out of local ingredients. Next up is the driver, nicknamed Arasta, because nobody could actually pronounce his name. He was very interested in the Western culture, and tried to teach me Swahili, during the trip. In return we told him what phone he could best buy. As a driver, he told, he learned and saw a lot of the world. He told stories about the corruption and poorness in Nairobi, and the government in general. And lastly, the guide, to figure out what we, Dutch people, wanted, he needed a special training. Then you truly realize the cultural differences. We like to be very punctual, do not tip a lot, unless under peer pressure, thus we had a ‘tipping jar’. We want cheap, but expect a lot. We like certain kinds of food, but generally dislike other types. We are in very good shape, most Dutch people who climb the Kilimanjaro (not us unfortunately) make it to the summit, and so on.

We travelled with these three local for over 20 days, and got to know them pretty well. I feel like it is very important to travel with a local guide, when you travel in a group, because otherwise you will never actually understand the country, as far as you can in a couple weeks.

The most important lesson we learned from them is to be ‘hakuna matata’, or in English, to have ‘no worries’, every once in a while, because that makes everything a lot less stressful, what happens happens, even if it is a lion under your truck that causes a 4 hour delay. Meeting Locals in Kenya

On our group tour through Kenya and Tanzania we had a local cook, driver and guide. I can tell you their stories about how they had to wait for sunbathing lions under the van, a zebra kill next to their tents or the fear they felt when they heard a lion roar for the first time. But it was much more interesting, even though a bit less exiting, to listen to their stories on how they grew up and think of us. Our cook, for example, grew up in a small village 20 kilometres away from his high school. He had to run 40 kilometres forth and back to school, and yes, then we as Western people realize why those Kenyan people are as good in running as they are, because they learned it as a necessity to get to a place where they want to be. The cook actually made it to the national running team of Kenya, but was not good enough in the end. Now he found his passion in cooking, and made the most delicious meals out of local ingredients. Next up is the driver, nicknamed Arasta, because nobody could actually pronounce his name. He was very interested in the Western culture, and tried to teach me Swahili, during the trip. In return we told him what phone he could best buy. As a driver, he told, he learned and saw a lot of the world. He told stories about the corruption and poorness in Nairobi, and the government in general. And lastly, the guide, to figure out what we, Dutch people, wanted, he needed a special training. Then you truly realize the cultural differences. We like to be very punctual, do not tip a lot, unless under peer pressure, thus we had a ‘tipping jar’. We want cheap, but expect a lot. We like certain kinds of food, but generally dislike other types. We are in very good shape, most Dutch people who climb the Kilimanjaro (not us unfortunately) make it to the summit, and so on.

We travelled with these three local for over 20 days, and got to know them pretty well. I feel like it is very important to travel with a local guide, when you travel in a group, because otherwise you will never actually understand the country, as far as you can in a couple weeks.

The most important lesson we learned from them is to be ‘hakuna matata’, or in English, to have ‘no worries’, every once in a while, because that makes everything a lot less stressful, what happens happens, even if it is a lion under your truck that causes a 4 hour delay.