I am 99% sure the U2 line, ‘the streets have no name’ was specifically referring to Kenya and its lackluster attempt to offer directional guidance on the roads. It is simply beyond me how anyone knows what direction they are headed. Yet, this is the beauty of African society as people always appear to know where they are going, hence there is little need for a signpost. This does however cause much consternation for the newly arrived legal intern who faces a steep learning curve in navigation.
My first real experience of Kenyan travel came in the form of a six-hour bus journey from Nairobi to the picturesque lakeside setting of Kisumu. Although the trip covered the ‘best’ roads in the country, I couldn’t help thinking I was part of a Top Gear test drive. I was assured the drivers were competent and so remained opened minded until the driver passed three lorries on a tight cliff edge corner. Hence I resumed my one-foot-on-the-dashboard position, you know, the way your mother sits the first time she takes you on a driving lesson? The bus arrived in record time I must add and seemed proud of its get-out-of-the-way-or-I’ll-knock-you-down policy. Efficiency was welcome; stepping off the bus was more so.
With the fear of travel behind me, our office presented a ‘Legal Awareness’ day in a remote village somewhere in Africa. To help introduce myself I enlightened the highly interested locals of Northern Ireland’s average temperature during the month of December. Completely astonished, a man in the front row barked, ‘Then how do you grow sugar cane?’ ‘We don’t’, I replied (and laughed).
Living in a new culture can be exciting and perhaps even frustrating, yet one can always be guaranteed two things: Taxes and Coca-Cola. Thankfully I’m not required to pay taxes.
My first real experience of Kenyan travel came in the form of a six-hour bus journey from Nairobi to the picturesque lakeside setting of Kisumu. Although the trip covered the ‘best’ roads in the country, I couldn’t help thinking I was part of a Top Gear test drive. I was assured the drivers were competent and so remained opened minded until the driver passed three lorries on a tight cliff edge corner. Hence I resumed my one-foot-on-the-dashboard position, you know, the way your mother sits the first time she takes you on a driving lesson? The bus arrived in record time I must add and seemed proud of its get-out-of-the-way-or-I’ll-knock-you-down policy. Efficiency was welcome; stepping off the bus was more so.
With the fear of travel behind me, our office presented a ‘Legal Awareness’ day in a remote village somewhere in Africa. To help introduce myself I enlightened the highly interested locals of Northern Ireland’s average temperature during the month of December. Completely astonished, a man in the front row barked, ‘Then how do you grow sugar cane?’ ‘We don’t’, I replied (and laughed).
Living in a new culture can be exciting and perhaps even frustrating, yet one can always be guaranteed two things: Taxes and Coca-Cola. Thankfully I’m not required to pay taxes.
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