Is quarantine in Kenya really that different?
hand washing for everyone!
During coronavirus changes, it has been interesting to see how Kenyans tend to work for the good of the group; like with these hand washing stations. Since people are not hyper-focused on their own agenda, we are still enjoying a large supply of toilet paper. Let me know if I should send some to you!
why don’t they just stay home?
A typical trait in underdeveloped countries is that money earned during the day is used to buy food for that evening. Generally speaking, people do not have savings, sick days, or PTO. Because of this, the stay at home order from the government is largely impossible to keep.
can i take a seat?
Visiting a restaurant called Java House (the Kenyan version of Starbucks, but better) that is only open for take out. It’s great we can still support them, but a bummer not to be able to sit down and eat like we all love to do.
grocery store social distancing
In case you can’t visualize how to stand 1 meter away from someone, these handy drawings on the floor are here to help.
Where are ALL the morning commuters?
Usually kids would be walking to school on this foggy morning in our neighborhood, but schools have been closed since March 16th. Distance learning is not really possible in Kitale since a large portion of the population doesn’t have access to internet at home. When school is out, it really is out.
coworkers keep sleeping on me
Thankfully I don’t think working from home with cats is as difficult as doing it with kids. Staying at home has given me extra time to work on developing my training program and the research that I hope will give you more insight into Kenyan culture and disabilities.
the rains down in africa
It is the beginning of rainy season here in western Kenya, which has brought some seasonal flooding. Due to many non-essential businesses closing, most people cannot work. Flooding adds stress and financial strain onto an already difficult time.
american invasion
Jake (far right) is a teacher from the US who came to learn about differences between Kenyan and American school systems. Due to coronavirus, schools closed a few days after he arrived, but we were able to squeeze in some time with a few school principals as boarding school students ran around packing their bags to travel home.
final Advice for social distancing:
“Keep distance, it kicks.”