I LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE……

I was driving this morning on my way to work and I saw a small girl playing by the side of a busy road, with no shoes on and rusty wheel spoke as her toy.  It just made me think. 

I live in a world where it is okay for children to play beside the busy road. 

I live in a world that is very different from where I grew up.   

It truly is an another world here, in so many ways and I love (and sometimes hate) certain things about this amazing country.  It then made me think about the bigger differences here versus to Australia and below are a few that I thought may be of interest.

I live in a world where-

• There are road rules, but they don’t apply to everyone.
• You cannot trust a police officer for help-ever.
• If there is a road accident, you don’t stop to help by ANY means in case it is a setup.
• A 1.25L bottle of Coca-Cola costs $1.30AUD.
• There is no such thing as a Sunday drive on Kenyan roads.
• A bunch of roses cost$2.60AUD.
• My rent has been frozen for the last three years at $335AUD a month.
• My electricity costs around $30AUD per month.
• My friendships have a cycle of 2 years before they get reposted and move on.
• A bank can go into receivership overnight because of fraud, with no charges to those involved.
• Even if you want to volunteer in Kenya, you need to purchase a 2000AUD work permit.
• If you use a government service, with paid government workers  there is still an ‘extra’ charge.
• There’s no McDonalds.
• There are no letter boxes at your home-anywhere.
• A vodka and coke in a bar costs $2.60AUD.
• My gym membership costs $67AUD per month.
• The color of your skin can differentiate the price of things.
• You grocery shop for an item and then the next week, and the week after it is no longer available.
• It is estimated the average urban Kenyan pays 16 bribes per month.
• Courtesy on the roads does not exist.
• 4 x AA Eveready batteries cost .82c
• The cost of a beer and a soft drink are the same price in the local bars.
• A 500ml beer is 2.32AUD
• A cocktail will cost 8.20AUD in a bar.
• Dinner for 2 in an expat area restaurant will cost 55AUD.
• The first American Domino’s pizza chain opened in Nairobi in 2014.
• Security is a way of life where there are checks in and out of people’s homes, shops, shopping centers, restaurants and businesses.
• You can by a plant from a roadside nursery for .60c
• Kenya provides shelter to an estimated 580 thousand refugees. 
• Anything can be made here locally, from furniture, clothing, wood and iron products.
• Pictures and videos of dead people are posted on social media with no filters.
• Corruption is a way of life here, in all forms.
• Christmas decorations can be found year round in some shops.
• The average Kenyan income is 100USD a month.
• A new law came into effect in 2014 that made it legal for a man to marry as many women as he wants without getting his first wife’s permission. It formally recognized what has long been a cultural practice in the nation. The bill initially allowed the first wife the right to veto the husband's choice of additional spouses but male members of parliament successfully pushed to get that clause dropped.
• It’s not unusual to lose power 3-4 times a week.  Rainy weather and planned outages that last all day are just a few reasons.  The longest I have gone without power was for 39 hours.
• Where ordinary people turn into vigilantes, taking the law into their own hands-all the time.  I saw a man killed in this manner with 50+ people watching, socially it is acceptable.
• There is a national park 7km from the capital Nairobi where you can see lions, giraffes and hippos.
• Kenya is the world’s forty-seventh largest country.
• Kenyans usually drink their beverages hot or at room temperature. Hot beer, anyone?
• Before marriage Kenyans still pay a dowry to the bride’s family, which starts at 10 cows.
• Agriculture employs over 75% of Kenya’s citizens.
• Over half of the country’s population lives in poverty.
• A country that is home 40 ethnic groups that make up the vast population of the country and communicates in more than 60 languages.
• With 6.3% adult prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS, Kenya has as much as 1.5 million people living with HIV. Kenya is the 4th country to have such a huge number of HIV affected people.
• Kenya counts 56 national parks and reserves and is home to some of the worlds’ most ancient and most threatened creatures.
• Kenya has land borders with 5 other countries. They are: Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
• Life expectancy of Kenyans; men: 57 years , women: 59 years 
• Treetops Hotel is where the then Princes Elizabeth of England was staying with her husband (the then Philip Mount batten, but now Prince Philip) when her father, the then King, died. So she technically became queen while in Kenya. Kenya still has a special place in the heart of the British royal family, and Prince Charles and his sons are frequent visitors.
• One million children are still out of school in Kenya. While this is almost half the number in 1999, it is still the ninth highest of any country in the world.
• Unemployment Rate in Kenya is around 40 percent.
• In Kenya, homeowners are less than one per cent of the total population compared to 30 per cent to 40 per cent in advanced countries.
• An all inclusive pay TV package and un limited internet costs 65AUD a month.
• To get your car cleaned inside and out at a car wash will cost you 2.70AUD.  To vacuum will cost an additional 1.35AUD.
• The cost of fuel as of 14 May 2016 is 1.10AUD a litre.
• Taxi costs are based on destination rather than distance or time.
• A Samsung or IPhone costs more here than in Australia or the US.
• Comprehensive car insurance for a Suzuki Swift is 384AUD for 12 months.
• A 2L carton of milk is 3.55AUD
• 1kg of apples is 3.90UAD
• 1kg of bananas is 2AUD
• 1kg of oranges is 2.77AUD
• 1kg of tomato is 1.40AUD
• 1kg of potato is 1.15AUD
• A 1.5L bottle of water is 1.40AUD
• A mid-range bottle of imported wine costs 11AUD
• A packet of cigarettes costs 2.74AUD
• A ticket to the movie theatre will cost you 5.40AUD. Anytime, any day.
• A housemaid/nanny/house help will cost approximately 205-341AUD a month
• A box of Panadol costs 1.40AUD
• A cup of coffee will cost 4.10AUD.
• Antibiotics are available over the counter with no prescription as is anti malarial tablets.
• It costs 68c to buy a movie burned onto a DVD.
• There are 57 registered NGO’s in Kenya.
• It is not compulsory to vote in Kenya.
• There are 2 doctors per 1,000 people and 1.4 hospital beds per 1,000 people.
• Obesity in Kenya is at 5.3% - making it ranked 171 in the world.
• Where analogue phones are still used by a large percentage of the population.

So there is a lot to LOVE and hate on that list, but it is my adopted country and you have to accept her warts and all.  It is sometimes hard to comprehend some of the things that go on in here but as they say C'est la vie…..