 |
| Porto, 2014 Photo by Tobi.P |
There are still times that i´m confronted by a few people with a honest and somehow sweet curiosity about life in Kenya. For many who lived most of their life in a continent like Europe, life in Kenya is almost inconceivable. I admire this curiosity and at times i wish i had had someone to ask all about Europe back in the days before i landed here.
"Do you have water closets (WCs) in Kenya or do people use the old fashioned latrines (Hole on the ground) or bushes?"
"Do you have cars in Kenya, or do you travel using donkeys or horses?"
"Do you have electric/gas cookers or do you use firewood?"
Depending on which part of Kenya you are, you will find people who use the latrines, some who use donkeys for transportation and most Kenyans use firewood to cook.
But no, water closets, cars and electric cookers are not the kind of technical stuff that hampered me the moment i arrived in Europe.
Brussels (Belgium) was my first stop in Europe since this is where i had to change my flight for there were no direct flight from Nairobi to Hamburg.
And that is where i had my first confrontation with "high class" Technic, at the airport while searching for my connecting flight to Hamburg airport. It was the very first time i set my eyes on them. "The rolling stairs"!!!
There i was standing in front of the escalator (Rolltreppe), wondering how the hell i was supposed to go on that fast moving band. I stepped aside and watched tens and hundreds of people step on the magic band with an easiness that only them could possess. I felt lost. I tried a few times to step on it, but i could not divest myself of the fear that the one leg would be rolled away without the other and i would fall down.
It took me almost 20 whole minutes to gather all my courage together and step on that rolling band.
"That was not so difficult.." i thought to myself as i swiftly rolled upwards.
Having prevailed over that difficulty, i thought i was ready to face Europe!
Nop! Wrong! i was not even close to being ready!
Just a few hours later, on the way to my new home (at least for the next one year), we stopped at a gas station for a bathroom break.
And bang! There it was again, another "aaaaaaawww...help...help aaawww!!!" moment.
After a normal bathroom visit, i just wanted to wash my hands.
Such a simple thing. Just washing my hands! BUT how do i turn the damn water tap on!?
Nothing to turn, nothing to press! I was so helpless.
I was fighting with the tap when the 10 year old girl came out and started smiling at me.
I tried and put a few German words that i could speak together.
"Kein Wasser." i said
She walked to the sink and put her hands under the water tap and surprise, surprise... there was water!
"Du musst nur deine Hände drunter halten." she told me still smiling.
Embarrassed, clueless and feeling a little stupid, i placed my hands under the tap and there was the water.
"Danke." i told her smiling back.
"Oh boy! Das fängt ja gut an!" i thought to myself
For the lucky few who have a free day tomorrow, enjoy it!
And the others who have to work and go to school; i´m sorry for you, but on the other hand...its just two more days to the weekend!!!
Lots of luv
ItsRose_Beth
Comments
Post a Comment