I Am From

I am from Chris and Clara, Mabel and Akudu.

From the wombs of the South-East.

From flat lands and steep hills.

I am from yam eaters, cassava eaters, rice eaters.

I am from sarcasm, honesty and humor.

I am from ‘put it on my head,’ ‘get the remote,’ and ‘do they have two heads.

I am from rice every Sunday after church, and village for Christmas.

I am from breasts that nestled six, and arms that embraced all.

What are your hopes and fears for this journey?

A hope I have for this trip is to be able to tell people concrete things about Kenya that you don’t see in the mainstream. If someone asks me what is Kenya like, I want to be able to respond with non-cliche comments. e.g. Q-What is Nigeria like? A-It’s hot, but after the first two days, you get used to it. The people are loud and can be rude, but they will care for you like their own family.

A big fear I have comes as a result of being the only black student on this trip. Nigerians kiss up to white people because they believe they have money. It’s funny because white people get better treatment in a black man country. I’m scared that I won’t be seen as interesting because my colleagues will be seen as more interesting. I hope that’s just me overthinking, and projecting Nigeria unto Kenya.

What do you want to learn about Kenya? What questions do you have?

I want to learn more about Kenyan pop culture. Which hits are popping? What celebrity scandals are brewing,etc. I want to know how corruption manifests in Kenya, and what ways the government mismanages resources. I want to know how being a touristy country affects the citizens of the country.

What have you learned about yourself? What questions have you been prompted to consider about who you are as a writer and as a person?

I started this blog cause I wanted to better my writing, and expose my thoughts to the world. I have learned that I am a very cautious writer. When I write, its not just my person that is exposed to the public, and I am very aware of that. I always think about what any random person reading my blog might think about the family I come from and that shapes the way I write.