Kenya might be the most progressive country in East Africa, but it still has some sexist policies. After university, a man can leave home without any questions asked. But if a woman leaves home before marriage, it's as if something is wrong or weird. And if a man leaves home but comes back to visit, he sometimes has to sleep outside because there must be a clear patriarch. And word of any abortion gets you life in jail...
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You'd expect things to come to a halt for the President, but who would imagine things slowing down for good ol' Joe. Think again. When Vice President Joe Biden visited Kenya two years ago, the phone lines were shut down. One can only imagine what this country will be like when President Obama comes in September...
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Those conversations about sports or movies on the bus or at the coffee shop, I miss them! Every once and a while, living in Kenya can be a lonelier experience than Bill Murray's in Lost in Translation. Why? Because it goes without saying that conversation will be limited in a country where people speak a different language. It can be a tease here where you feel like you should be connecting but can't because of people's poor English skills. So yes, I am excited to engage in small talk again!
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