Finding my identity

He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye. ~Buddha

A short time ago, Kenya conducted a census. The census is performed in Kenya every 10 years. Some of the questions asked include: Name, age, education, nationality, tribe, do you have a cell phone/tv/yacht/car/computer, how many bedrooms are in the house, do you use a gas charcoal stove, etc. (Please note that some of these questions were not asked of every person- i.e. yacht, car, computer, etc.)
When I was asked my nationality and tribe I was unsure of how to answer the question properly. I mean in the U.S. it's somewhat easy for me to fill in a bubble saying I'm a Mexican-American. Here it was a tad more weird for me to say that I am an American and that my tribal origin is Mexico. It seemed like the best way to answer the question though with so many generations of forefathers it seems so limited to mention only recent forefathers. Additionally, I am not entirely sure that I find value in the importance of ethnic origin. Does the classification of my ancestry define me solely as being one of "them"? Does it matter where geographically I come from? Does the color of my skin, hair, eyes matter also? Does it matter, or rather, should it matter which 'tribe' or ethnic background I say I am from? After all it is always possible for me to say that I am part Portuguese or Argentinian or Guatemalan and people would most likely accept that as true based on my name.

In Kenya things are a bit different when it comes to ethnic classification. Most frequently, when I meet someone one of the first questions they ask me is which country I come from. I respond "ninatoka nchi ya amerika" which means "i come from the country of america". Sometimes this will lead to another question: where in America? To which I will reply U.S. Once in a while the person will suddenly become ecstatic and make a comment like "Obama!"
At any rate, I am seen as an American and just that. I'm not asked what tribe I come from or anything regarding my ethnic background. If anything, I might be asked where I lived in the US before I came to Kenya.

I was recently emailed from the Washington office to answer a few questions as the office is gathering information and stories from PCVs of Hispanic descent for promotional materials during Hispanic History Month. One of the questions I was asked was "How, if at all, has your background as a Mexican American affected/enhanced/influenced your Peace Corps service?

I wonder the same thing.

I tend to think that having grown up exposed to multiple cultures/sub-cultures and having learned Spanish has definitely made enhanced my abilities to assimilate better with the community. For instance, I am able speak Kiswahili without an accent (I am still learning the pronunciations of af soomaali - commonly known as Somali). Also, possibly influenced by my childhood experiences, I have been able to effectively assimilate into the culture in many ways. The most notable is my understanding of time and how Kenyan time differs from American time (and no I don't mean the time difference ;) ).

Speaking of assimilating, my appearance definitely also assists me in terms of community integration. As my skin complexion is not 'white' many people in the community I reside see me as more of their brother than as an outsider. Add in the fact that I wear a kikoi and you end up with me looking like a person of Arabic descent which works wonders for my community assimilation. Let's also add in that I've been fasting as Ramadan continues (I had to cheat a few times and drink water since I had walked too much but I've been doing well otherwise).
Even with this community integration, I feel its important that I also mention the downside of fitting in all too well. Before I do so, however, I want to add that my difference is vastly different from what African-American PCVs experience in Kenya. They have far more challenges than I've had and I commend them for their ability to withstand the challenges they face and continue with their community development activities.

As for me, I face a very unique challenge. as I look Arabic, I have been mistaken for an Arab on a few occasions which has led police to question me in regards to what I'm doing in Kenya and more specifically in Garissa.
As the conflict in Somalia continues there have been reports in the Daily Nation newspaper that the militant al-Shabab (Al Jazeera has an article explaining who al-Shabab is)has resorted to recruiting youth in Kenya to further their cause. The article I read indicated that the youth may be promised a job with an NGO in or near Somalia. It is no surprise, given this information, that some police officers whom I have not yet made acquaintances with have questioned me. On one particular instance, the questioning occurred at a police station.

At any rate, let's get back to this blog post's topic: identity.

In the recent past I've been considering my identity as a result of the discussions I've had with other teachers as well as articles I've read in the Daily Nation regarding why "tribe" is so important in the census.

Was it appropriate for me to say that my nationality is American and that my 'tribe' is Mexican?
I am still not certain if that was the best way to answer the question. As to the other questions posed earlier: I don't think my skin color/complexion, hair color, and eye color should matter. Nor do I think that the tribe or ethnic background should matter. Perhaps what should matter is the cultural values and beliefs so that we can learn from one another peacefully.

I think that perhaps the most important thing to consider is that we were all born in the same geographic location commonly referred to as Earth. Different groups of people have developed different on Earth and as a result we have different values and different understanding. In the end, we are all human and should treat our fellow human beings with respect and dignity regardless of ethnic background.

A Typical Day?

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, savour you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it will not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky, and want, more than all the world, your return. ~Mary Jean Irion

In one of my first blog posts, if I recall correctly, I included a short bit about what a typical day was for me. A lot of things have changed since that post so I think it's about time for an update on what a typical day for me looks like.

Now lets begin by saying that there is no such thing as a typical day. If there is no such thing as a typical day, then how does one describe a typical day? Well right now the school is still on holiday which means that a typical day during the school holiday is different from a typical day during the school term.
Note: In Kenya the schools are closed during the months of April, August, and December. The school term lasts 3 months and one month for holiday.

Well during the days of school holiday, a typical day looks like this:

Wake up casually at any given time and spend the day walking around town. Usually I will have discussions with people I've met - such as students from any of the given post-secondary institutions in town, shop owners, community development workers (i.e. NGO workers), etc. I also tend to end up meeting new people and having talks with them also.

Typically, the conversations include information about what I'm doing in Kenya, where I come from, how I learned Kiswahili, etc. The subjects of the conversations tend to vary from person to person. Sometimes we will discuss HIV/AIDS and prevention methods, other times we will discuss perceived problems in the community and what can be done to solve the perceived problems.

No matter who I talk to or where I go, I almost always walk (sometimes I will take a matatu if I'm traveling far). My walks around town are by far the most typical thing.
In my walking, I typically see many things which may be considered abnormal back home.
A lot of roads in town are not paved so I tend to walk on sand and dirt while walking from one place to the next. (I wear sandals every day :D )
Typically, I will see herds of sheep resting around town. Sometimes there will be may be 6 or 7 sheep resting in the shade underneath a broken down truck. At other times, there will 2 or 3 sheep on the road (occasionally in the center) not going anywhere.
Also, typically they there are storks to be seen. The storks around here are quite large birds - in fact I've seen some that are as tall as me. On occasion the storks can be seen flocking together near an intersection on my way to work. At other times, the storks can be seen flying around a bit or they will be in the trees enjoying the cool breeze.

Typically there will also be herds of goats (and/or sheep) that will walk around town. Sometimes the herd will be lead by a kijana (young person), sometimes the heard will apear to be walking as if they are not being lead by anyone. Sometimes the herd of goats will cause a brief traffic slowdown which will result in loud horns being honked, and on occasion a goat will be (gently) tapped by a vehicle as a signal to get "off the road".
Typically there will also see a few donkeys near the end of town.

I will also typically see some dead animals or at least parts of dead animals as I walk. For instance, I tend to walk by at least one piece of a goat's leg almost daily (though the location where it may be can vary). On a few other occasions I've also seen the skeletons of goats and small birds in the particularly sandy parts of town as I walk.

However, considering that there is no such thing as a typical day, what I see and who I talk to on each day varies with each new day. Each time the planet spins and brings about sunlight once more, a new day begins and each new day brings new adventures, new friends, and new insights.