Living in the Tropics

Living in a tropical climate is very different from Nebraska. I am sure we all knew this though. I am in Kenya during their winter, which is also their dry season. It’s also much cooler than I had thought. I haven’t gone one day without a jacket. Sure, some days it gets pretty warm, but it’s just easier to keep my arms covered for two reasons. 1: my jacket protects me from mosquitoes. And 2: The less I stand out, the more comfortable I am.

I thought it was going to be very humid while I am here. That is not the case, at least not in my opinion. The humidity I am used to is very heavy and feels like I am breathing water. Here, it just feels very slightly damp. I will take damp over humid any day.

There is color everywhere and giant leaves. Things just don’t seem to die here. It’s kind of nice to not being seeing dead plants everywhere by the middle of June.

The fruit here is real! Everything I have been having so far is organic. I don’t think I ever realized the difference. Even the tropical fruit juice tastes different here. I had a mango and a papaya for breakfast this morning. I really liked the mango and let me tell you, anything mango flavored at home (ice creams, smoothies, candies, etc.) is all a lie. They taste nothing like mango.

The insects here are also different. Mosquitoes of course are everywhere. I guess for a long time, people in Nairobi used to think that icipe (which has 2 rooms for just mosquito rearing) released mosquitoes at night as experiments. Of course icipe never did but that is how many mosquitoes are around. I have religiously been putting medicine on my face in an attempt to get rid of the bites as fast as possible. I am up to 20 ish bites right now. I have become much better at killing them though. I learned how to tell the difference between one that carries malaria and one that doesn't. Too bad I kill them before I can really inspect them. I’m not too worried about malaria now (it’s not in the city of Nairobi) but when I leave I will be more conscious about the mosquitoes. And of course, my wonderful boyfriend then reminds me of West Nile… Thank you.... We will just pray I don’t get sick.

There are also lizards everywhere! Or geckos… I’m not sure what the difference is. They seem to be the equivalent of squirrels back home. I almost stepped on one today! Here is a picture of one of the largest lizard/geckos I have seen while here.

This may not have to deal with being tropical, but the sodas here taste different. (to me at least) They are served in glass bottles (which I think is neat). Basically everywhere, they offer coca cola, Fanta (yellow, orange, and grape), Sprite, and Krest. Krest, from what I understand, is like Sprite with a kick.

Another different thing is the amount of daylight I have. Here, it is split about even. with no daylight savings. I am so used to have light more than darkness. It tricks my mind into thinking it is much later than it really is.

Also, everywhere I go, the doors or windows are open. This is one of my favorite parts. Even in my room, there are openings covered with screen to let in air and the breeze.

I hope you enjoyed my take on the tropics. Thanks for reading!