Kenyan athletes shine at Deutsche Post Marathon in Bonn

Kenyans reigned at the Deutsche Post Marathon in Bonn today. I yelled my voice hoarse when the winner, Stephen Chepkopol, make an energetic run towards the finish line, his feet barely touching the ground, to break the record with 2 hours, 16 minutes and 53 seconds. Hellen Kimutai took the women’s marathon title while Nancy Koech won the women’s half marathon. Of course, as one would expect, I had to mention repeatedly (in a voice audible enough for those around me to hear) that whenever Kenyans run, the rest might as well settle for second best.  Here are my amateurish impressions from the event. And of course, congratulations to my classmate Tilman, who (I had to see to believe) can run 42 kms… just like that.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

One reason why Africans in the Diaspora ignore each other

Do not talk to strangers, said the mothers of children who grew up in large cities. Let’s face it, if a stranger were to single me out for a friendly greeting on the streets of Nairobi, I would cross two busy streets in quick succession, furtively glancing behind my back to see if s/he was in hot pursuit. This is the force of habit, which is reinforced by stories of kidnappers, organ harvesters, palms smeared with chemicals that put you to sleep, conmen who pray for your money out so that they can double it and so on.

It was a pleasant feeling when I got to Bonn and found that the Africans living here more often than not will smile and say hallo, and just acknowledge each other. After I got over my surprise, I realized that it felt quite nice to do the same – catch the eye of a random stranger, nod and smile.

 Of course, there are those that bury their noses so far down their chins that it’s hard to tell if they have eyes, but that is okay too. Since my last encounter with an over- friendly type from the Democratic Republic of Congo, I’m inclined to do the same.

I was far away from little, friendly Bonn, on my way to Maastricht, when I felt some two orbs boring into my forehead. I looked up, the buffoon said hallo, I said hallo back and what followed was an unpleasant encounter with a drunk, loud and disorderly man. “Obama is actually a Kenyan”, he started off, and followed with exclamations of “what dark skin you have my dear, what white teeth you have my dear… “Very Little Red Riding Hood. And of course, in his own words, “I should have been happy to be spoken to!”

By the end of that one hour journey, I began to understand why some people would rather burrow their noses into their chests. I felt I shall never return any glance, any greeting from a random black fellow again, lest he finds my teeth dazzling.

But then I got back to Bonn and on the train home, I couldn’t avoid smiling and saying hallo to the lady sitting next to me. She seemed to expect it. I didn’t mind.

This is dedicated to all adult learners out there

I am just about to finish my very first German exams, and I’m ready to admit that the process has been a kind of emotional roller-coaster of fear, panic, relief, surprise, shock, anger, disappointment… No one has to go through this intensity of feeling without pills. Anyway, as I was fighting my ambivalence towards my innocent notes, I ran into this passage that spoke to me, and which I’m sure many adult learners will identify with.

What is the problem?

“The evaluator carries the power in the learning situation. Learners know it, and their relationshiü to the instructor is influenced by this dynamic. Two implications are worth noting here. First, if adult learners are used to wielding control and enjoying autonomy, they may resent being thrust into a situation where someone else has power and authority over them. This resentment may be acted out in questioning the instructor’s expertise and resisting directives, or it may be expressed in learner satisfaction forms commonly filled out after a learning experience. The situation becomes more complicated when learners are asked to engage in activities that make them uncomfortable or are confronted with ideas that challenge their values and beliefs.”

What adult learners need to do in order to breathe easy…

“Learners must surrender their own knowledge structures and sometimes their sense of self to enter an unknown realm of learning – and they must trust the instructor or mentor who leads them there. Such learning can be threatening, and it reinforces the power position of the instructor.”

And don’t worry, it’s not all you

“The second issue of power is that evaluators sometimes take their own authority so much for granted that they may forget to examine their own assumptions and choices. They need to ask themselves: Who says this performance or project is better than that one? Why is this concept more important than that one? Who am I to judge – And who do I allow to be my judge?”

I don’t know if I can influence the evaluator’s attitudes, but I’m determined to change my own. I’m going to be such a good student now.

Quoted from Fenwick, Tara J. / Parsons, Jim (2009): The Art of Evaluation. A Resource for Educators and Trainers. 2^nd edition, pp. 10-11. Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing.

Culture shock: A German and his money

One month after I came to Germany, someone I had met in Kenya, and who had expressed his interest in getting to know me better, invited me to go out and spend the afternoon in the park. He suggested that we stop at the supermarket to buy some snacks. We both picked what we wanted to eat and when we got to the till, he separated his goods from mine and paid for himself. I quickly pulled out my wallet, thanking God that I had enough scholarship Euros to pay the 3 Euros for my things (True story, and I was there).

I have to admit that I felt quite embarrassed, and this embarrassment grew in dimension when I thought that everyone else was observing us. During my intercultural communication class, in which we are taught how to get along in different cultural settings, I tried to analyze this incident.

• Germany is generally a low-context culture (i.e., where everything has to be spelled out orally), so if you’re invited out, do not expect anyone to pick up your tab if they didn’t expressly tell you that they were “inviting” you.
• People here are more individualistic, that is, they do not have the spontaneous communal “let me buy you a drink” mentality that we have.
• Long-term planning of the way time and money are spent is the rule, and not the exception. Even simple things like going out for a coffee or visiting someone should be discussed in advance. Spontaneous, unplanned expenditure and sharing that could make people veer off their plans, and considering the fear of uncertain financial future, it is almost inconceivable to just “get up and do something”.
• But then again, this man’s behavior could have been informed by his own time in Kenya. Let’s face it, there are many women who get into relationships with Mzungus with the sole purpose of getting money from them. Maybe he thought that I was also after his money.

Okay, now I understand it. It doesn’t change the way I felt. I was kind of uncomfortable for the rest of the afternoon because I had no idea what to make of this odd behavior. On one hand, I felt that he was either mean or he had a wrong opinion of me, and that he thought I was after his money. On the other hand, maybe I was being too quick to judge him.

This incident got me thinking about the many Kenyan girls whose goal is to hook a Mzungu, move to Europe or America and live easy on his cash. If these cultural dimensions I’m learning about are anything to go by, some of them may be very disappointed when they realize just how much they have to pay their own way.

 As for me, I’m moving on swiftly, paying my own way and trying to understand the often strange cultural norms that I’m confronted with daily.

A Kenyan’s view of Christmas in Germany

Usually, the Christmas season starts off with me hustling other passengers to get a place on the bus and bumpy (sometimes dangerous) journey up-country to join those family members who make it to spend time in our shags or rural home. We clear out the dust that has gathered in our rooms during our time looking for money in the city and settle down for a few fuss-free days of relaxation, reconnecting and nyama and kuku choma, all centred around the 25^th of December.

So you can imagine my surprise at how seriously Germans take their Christmas traditions. Christmas season starts in earnest a month early. The decorations start coming up, lots of colour, red and gold and green everywhere you look. The mood among the people changes, they become festive, eager, joyful and light-hearted, like children.

Four Sundays before Christmas, an advent wreath is laid out. It is made out of fir or pine branches. Four candles are placed in the centre, and one is lit every Sunday. The last is lit on Christmas Eve, which is the most important time of this season. In addition, there is an advent calendar with little flaps which are opened by children everyday to reveal the Christmas picture underneath, as they count down the days to Christmas. A decorated Christmas tree is part and parcel of this tradition, as are gifts, which are also opened on Christmas Eve evening.

When I thought of the number of Germans I’d met who regarded religious devotion and Christianity with derision, scorn or skepticism, I commented to my colleague, “For people who don’t believe in God, I’m surprised at how much goes into celebrating the birth of his son Jesus Christ!”

My colleague offered another perspective: Even those who do not believe in God have a reason to celebrate, as they finally get to spend time with their loved ones and give them gifts to illustrate their love. As for the cost, what does it matter if they buy expensive gifts? If they were often away because of work, then at least, the end justifies the means.

True. I guess that is what we do as well, toil through the year and spend time with the family at Christmas time.

So in summary, my views this Christmas:

The good: Regular visits to the Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt) to drink hot spiced wine, called Glühwein look at the variety of handicrafts and sample the sweet treats to be found there; and the prospect of spending Christmas Eve with newly found friends from all over the world and knowing that we’ll have a fabulous time.

The bad: Knowing that this year, I’ll be far away from the people with whom I have always spent this time, family and friends back home.

The ugly: Observing and wondering if this frantic consumer culture is really necessary, and being reminded about the economic disparity between developed and developing countries.