1. "The Embassy reminds American citizens that Kenya is rated Critical for Crime. This means that crime is rampant, indiscriminate at times violent, and happens in all parts of Kenya, at all hours. We advise that when driving, be especially alert of any person(s) or vehicles acting in a suspicious manner and keep your distance. Also, whenever possible be sure to park your car in parking lots that have security. If you are the victim of a carjacking or robbery and are held against your will, try your best to remain calm and begin talking with your captors to lower your/their anxiety. Historically, many carjacking and robberies in Kenya have been de-escalated by compliance and cooperation with the criminals."
AND
2. "Traffic Advisory: Around 20,000 people are currently rallying in Uhuru Park. No violence is yet reported, but Kenyatta Avenue traffic is at a standstill."
However, on a lighter note we did receive an email from the US Ambassador of Kenya inviting us to an "Emergency Preparedness" meeting held at the house of the US Ambassador. Today, we all took a trip to the elegant home where I found myself pleasantly overwhelmed by the culture shock...or maybe reverse culture shock to some extent. This was the most Mzungu (white people) I had seen, concentrated in such a small area, in a while and it had such a deeper more shocking effect then I thought it would have!
The house itself was absolutely beautiful--appropriately massive, tastefully decorated and packed with culturally diverse Americans. There were about 200 chairs set up outside on the field of a lawn and there were white tents strewn about...this is where all the cookies were found. (Also where you could find all the sweet deprived SLU students!) Not surprisingly, there were many other college students there and we found it very easy to make conversation with them. New friends!
We arrived at 2:00 pm and the talk did not begin until 3:00 pm so there was a lot of down time where we gorged ourselves with the various sweets that were served. There was a member of the US Embassy who was trying to facilitate different jokes, and trivia but was struggling and wanting some student help so my friend Ally (a girl on my SLU program) went up in front of the 200 Americans sitting down and started playing a game with everyone called "Guess Who". The Game is very simple and is played identically to the childhood board game "Guess Who" where Ally picks someone in the crowed and they ask questions to try and illuminate people to find out "who" the mystery person is. This game went on for a good amount of time until the Ambassador was ready to speak! GO ALLY!
The talk itself was very interesting and informative--it included the safety precautions we should take, preparedness tips etc. We were given a packet detailing "how to create a shelter-in-place-kit" which includes water, minutes for your cell phone, candles pocket knife, pet supplies and many more "necessary" items.
The whole election process, while it went very poorly in 2007/2008, is projected to run a lot smoother this time around. Kenyans, and everyone alike, is hoping for a more "peaceful, safe and fair" election. We can only hope for the best. You should all try to keep up with the election news in Kenya come March 4th (election day) because this is a very historical time in history. Kenya recently (2010) implemented a new constitution highlighting many new changes which are now all being enforced in this upcoming election. They are being looked at through a microscopic lens and hoped to be viewed as a role model for other politically aspiring countries. If all goes well for Kenya then there is hope for other countries. Fortunately/unfortunately I will be in Tanzania come March 4th, but something tells me I will be able to quickly hear the election results! Stay tuned!
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