While people in Kenya who have never had the chance to travel abroad are complaining about anything and everything that is wrong with Kenya. Those who have what seems like a golden opportunity to live far from our sweet homes in search of a better life wail at how they miss the unusual beauty in Kenya. You’ve seen the truth in the popular saying, “You don’t know what you’re worth until you lose it.” They crave things that most of us take for granted. The little things we overlook seem to mean a lot to those far from our country’s shores. Things that deserve our gratitude but sustain our ingratitude are the same things that Kenyans in the diaspora desperately crave. Well you will never understand what you enjoy in Kenya until you travel abroad.
Yes, it might sound sarcastic, especially for people in Kenya who can’t wait to travel abroad, but sometimes we just need to live away from home to be more appreciative. After a long chat with a few Kenyans living in diaspora, these are some of the things they shared with us that they miss from home.
The calming weather
In Kenya, locals hardly have to worry about the weather. You don’t get migraines about tornadoes, hurricanes, storms and snow and Kenyans abroad miss that. The scorching sun we all love to complain about at home seems so desirable in winter abroad, especially if you’re dressed in warm clothes and Boots are wrapped and breathe the dry air. It’s easier to deal with the blazing sun at home by cooling down and regulating the air with air conditioning than it is to deal with the extremely cold winter abroad.
Kenyan Masala Tea and Coffee
Kenyan tea is the most beautiful of all and is also followed by coffee. Sip tea with friends or enjoy the special tea served in each house when guests have milk and bread as gifts for their hosts. Kenyans living abroad miss this a lot.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Kenyans in the diaspora cannot deny that they are missing out on the lush and succulent vegetables here, no matter how developed and vibrant the city they live in now is. And with that we are definitely not talking about dry vegetables, but about fresh and natural vegetables. These guys your mom had to bring to your house look delicious and fresh compared to the dry and boring food you eat abroad. It’s easier to buy juicy fruit from nearby vendors and markets, or random farmers with roadside pickups selling fresh fruit and vegetables at absurdly cheap prices, than anywhere else outside of Kenya. And yes, a reminder of the fruit market, the smell of fleshy fruits and vegetables, most of which are on display, continues to enchant your senses, if you think about it. The deliciousness of fresh mangoes sliding down your throat or delicious Farmer’s Choice sausages that make you drool are the fantasies that keep you hooked.
Bargaining at the market:
Kenyans in the diaspora miss haggling over the cost of fruit, vegetables and other items at the market. Unlike in Kenya, they buy things that already have a price and are only open to negotiation while the sale is ongoing. Despite the fact that haggling is not unique to markets in Kenya or other African countries, the way markets abroad can offer their customers a bargain differs from the way it is done at home. They miss dealing with local women and men who actually take their wares to open markets and strive to sell as much as possible. You miss the scuffle and all the noise at the market.
Kenyan party atmosphere
Kenya especially Nairobi has one of the best nightlife around the world. The vibe, the dancing, the music, the beautiful atmosphere that comes with Friday nights when people are ready to party the night away. They also miss the Kenyan habit of buying boiled eggs, fries etc early in the morning when going home from the club.
No fast life
Life abroad is fast. Time is far too valuable, especially for those who combine more than one job to make a living. So Kenyans abroad miss the slow life here. They miss out on the time they spent at the weekend meeting up with friends or watching a football game together over a few drinks. Life at home was slow but now they are trying to adapt to fast-paced life abroad. Also, now they don’t have time to stop by their neighbor’s whenever they want a cup of tea or have such a nosy neighbor who is always asking their whereabouts. How about the sound of children playing outside on a Sunday morning, if they just want to catch up on some sleep or receive visitors on Sunday afternoons? They miss that too!
Matatu rides
Yes, you read it right, they miss the craziness that comes with insane matatu riders on the road, the fight for passengers, the hustle when you want to buy second-hand clothes at open-air markets, the items, the street vendors in your face compel your attention, especially the things that make you a true Kenyan.
They miss not having as much help as they have at home
Domestic work does not cost much money in Kenya, but people with children abroad struggle to afford it. Hiring a nanny for your children can cost a lot of money abroad as opposed to our homeland where an average earner can employ about a nanny or two to look after their children when they cannot cook for them, wash or wash as well cleaning at a very reasonable price. Life becomes easier and less stressful when you can afford to pay a carpenter to fix bad furniture, a tailor to mend or alter clothes, a painter to paint your house, or a gardener to trim your garden . In fact, there is help for everyone as almost everyone can afford these things, without having to be too rich. Now tell me what could be better?
make pigtails
Kenyans living abroad will not deny that they miss being able to do their hair at will and wherever they want without having to make an appointment at hair salons when you need an urgent hairstyle. They miss the normal women’s display in hair salons. Shows 3 different women laughing and talking out loud, arguing and talking about anything and everything including men, children, husbands, politics and our country in general while doing their braids at the market in a record 2 hours! After all, they miss how incredibly cheap it is to get a nice hairstyle.
Special Kenyan Customs
Whenever you travel abroad, you will miss people standing in front of a newsstand and looking at the newspaper as if they don’t understand where the country is going. You will miss wandering randomly through the streets and meeting a Maasai herding his cows on the lands. You will definitely miss watching school kids. If you go to school alone without having to wait for the school bus, you will miss seeing kids playing in the rain or seeing naked kids walking around the streets roasting on the streets Buying corn and a preacher shouting on the top voice as they preach to the idlers who listen intently to him at the bus stop, all these unique things make them homesick and miss life at home,
When was the last time you inhaled the sweet aroma of pilau?
Kenyans abroad crave the delightful smell of pilau and tea masala, fresh coriander and royco used to flavor dishes. They love it when someone brings these spices from home. But no matter how big the spices they carry with them, they still miss walking around the market, being greeted by the scent of fresh spices and breathing in the delightful smell.
The landscape
They miss the wildlife in the Mara, camping and safaris across the country, and all the other great things that make visitors or tourists want more. They miss Kenya’s alluring and mesmerizing beaches and scenic spots.
family love and excitement
Another important thing that Kenyans miss abroad is the education package that comes home with them. Family is important and it’s more amazing when you stay with your family. Not necessarily living with them, but the fact that it’s easy to visit any member of your family you want. The happiness that comes with a mother’s love, siblings who drive you crazy, dealing with aunts and uncles who always remind you how you were born just yesterday and how time flies, your grandparents who always want that you subsist on whatever they can make Sure, the countries abroad don’t offer any of that.
Parenting in Kenya is like community Raising your children, as everyone does in a community, helps raise a child once it is born. You can get help in raising your child to be a respectful and moral child with the help of your parents, siblings, neighbors and those around you, unlike out there where everyone basically minds their own business.
Houses are more affordable here and they miss it too
Believe it or not, it’s cheaper and more affordable to rent a home than it is abroad. And Kenyans outside know and miss that. You can afford to live alone at home with no roommates to share the cost of rent because you have the opportunity to choose the type of house you want at a great price and not pay half a year’s rent need in advance!
Mombasa beaches
You definitely miss Mombasa, the sunny weather, the beaches, the crazy party scene, the beach parties and the amazing Swahili dishes that Mombasa has to bring to the table and so many water sports activities.
A touch of cold Tusker beer with Nyama Choma
Nyama Choma tastes heavenly and cannot be compared to anything else. After a stressful and hectic day, your system just thirsts for a few bottles of cold tusker with some ugali and roast meat (nyama choma), but you miss the feeling.
What do you miss the most when you travel abroad? Share your experience in the comment below.