advertising in Kenya

We have many of the same products here that exist in the US. But the advertising is very different. It is culturally appropriate.

In the US, advertisers often compare their products to "the other leading brand." There are some here which follow that method. However some products aren't competing against another brand but a completely different way of doing things. For example, Pampers are compared to old-fashioned flat cloth diapers without waterproof covers. Always are compared to using folded up toilet paper.

Not many people have washing machines. The vast majority of laundry detergents are hand washing powders. They do compare to other brands, are a little too obvious about to which brand they are comparing, and get in trouble all the time. The commercials are quite different to what we would have in the US, yet they use the same elements.

OLX is like craigslist in Kenya. Most of their ads show people living in flats in Nairobi. They have house help putting away groceries and advising the woman of the house to sell some stuff so she can buy a bigger refrigerator. Or a couple is preparing for the birth of their first baby, selling stuff from the husband's bachelor days to make room and get money for baby gear. But one is such a great juxtaposition of traditional Kenya and modern technology - a country boy using a smart phone to sell stuff on OLX so that he can buy a cow.

I'm hoping that these commercials are available worldwide, and you can watch them. Enjoy!

how I ended up here

When you have no water running for weeks and months, you have to go get your own water.

I recently sketched a timeline of events in my life and before my life through which God has brought me where I am today. It definitely started before I was born.

Before I was born, my dad gave up his career at IBM to finish his bachelor's degree, go through seminary, and become a pastor. Before that, his grandmother had been praying for years (decades?) that one of her children or grandchildren would become a pastor.

Because of that, I decided I would not go into vocational ministry nor would I marry someone who was. It's not a comfortable life! I knew that as a PK (pastor's kid).

handwashing our clothes post-housekeeper, pre-washing machine

So how did I end up here anyway? I could have written this blog post about PKs and why they either "go awry" or not. Just substitute a few details here and there and you have my experience. As I read that post, I thought of a few reasons, and they are the same as the ones Dale gives for himself:

• My parents practiced what they preached. (My sidenote: In conversations with fellow PKs, parents not practicing what they preach is the #1 reason PKs give for deciding Jesus is not for them, though my survey is limited to the handful of atheist and agnostic PKs I have known.) 
• My dad and mom spent time with me.
• I was able to see past the negative side of ministry.
• I made a personal choice to follow Christ and my faith became my own.

Seeing past the negative side of ministry took time, and I tested it out by starting with a 2 year commitment to Wycliffe and OM before I got married. I knew I could survive 2 years, and if it was too hard or too much, I could go back to trying to start a career. But I found my place beyond the negatives (though I complained about a lot of things along the way).

In addition to my trial experience, I remember one particular sermon/lecture from my dad that stayed on my mind as I was deciding. (Actually, I still think about it when I find myself longing for the comfort of, say, reliable utilities or the convenience of online shopping. I can still hear his voice, "They find a way to be comfortable...") I don't even remember whether my siblings were present or if it was a private sermon. Dad was talking about the human tendency to crave comfort, but that pursuing comfort comes with sacrifice, too. Many have sacrificed what they felt God calling them to do because what God was calling them to would have required sacrificing comfort. Following God requires sacrifice: true. But not following God is a sacrifice. And a big one.

One of many verses from the Bible that confirmed Rodgers' and my dream was from God.

Not that a good job and house in the suburbs are bad or wrong. Not that everyone is supposed to take a vow of poverty. The point was that sometimes God calls us to give up some things in order to "seek first the Kingdom...and all these things will be added to you." (see Matthew 6:19-34)

"But when God calls...you have to make a choice. You can say "yes" or you can walk away from His will for your life. After struggling for months, I made the choice to say "yes" to God's plan for my life.
"I said that to say this. At the end of the day, each person must decide for themselves if they will follow Christ or not. Yes, godly parents do make a difference and help cultivate the soil, but they cannot make the decision for their child." (also from that blog post)

It's easy for people to see that we have sacrificed comfort to live this life. (How many weeks did we live without running water in our house?) What they don't see is that, had we chosen comfort, we would be sacrificing so much more.

on chocolate away from home

Life overseas is different in many ways. Ice cream is one. Here, there's far too much ice and not enough cream. Bakery cakes are another. I have no idea how Kenyan bakeries make their cakes to be so horrible. Chocolate is different, too.

Kenya has a few varieties familiar to a girl from Texas. There are Snickers, Kit Kats, Twix, and Peanut M&Ms. There are Mars bars, which are similar to Milky Ways in the US (but if you see a Milky Way outside the US, it's a Three Musketeers; if you see a Mars bar in the US it's something else entirely). The rest is either Cadbury's or Beacon.

I am a dark chocolate kind of girl. I prefer dark, semi-sweet, or bittersweet chocolate over milk chocolate. I can, however, make room in my world for milk chocolate, especially when dark chocolate is hard to find. The rack of Cadbury's chocolate bars usually has 10 or more varieties of Dairy Milk with something added to it (nuts, mint, crunchies, whatever). Beacon is the same. I have only tried 1 variety of Beacon, which is their supposed dark chocolate bar. It tasted like milk chocolate with extra sugar. I don't think I could handle their milk chocolate.

I know some of you love Cadbury's Dairy Milk, and I mean no offense to you personally, but Dairy Milk is an abomination. It's barely even chocolaty. It's like sugar and milk with chocolate coloring.

If something is supposed to be chocolate, why not make it chocolaty? Speaking of which, I do not understand the existence of white chocolate. It's not that it tastes bad, but it's chocolate, without the chocolaty part. What's the point of that? Like blonde brownies. Brownies without cocoa? Why make blondies when you can make brownies?

But getting back to the topic, Cadbury's has saving grace, in 2 products (which is more than I can say for Beacon). First, the Creme Egg, which obviously is in a class of its own (though I strongly believe it would be greatly improved if done in dark chocolate). Second is Bournville, which is a dark chocolate bar we sometimes find here that is actually quite good.

Lately, our Tuskys has had these in stock constantly, but they didn't always. When I first discovered it, we found them so rarely (once a month or so) that Rodgers would buy me one any time he saw them. By now, even Nate and Ben know which chocolate bar to choose for me. I don't think they even realize that the purple Dairy Milk packages contain chocolate, too. And that's as it should be.

Gideons

This is about the organization Gideons International, not about guys named Gideon. 

The first Gideon I can remember coming to speak at my church had one hand. His other hand was a hook. Being an amputee has nothing to do with being a Gideon. Gideons distribute Bibles in hotels, schools, prisons, and hospitals. But in my head, they are also kind of pirate-y. Because of the hook thing. That was my first impression. (Not that it's a bad thing - this is the way my mind works.)

There was a Gideon in church Sunday, talking about the work they are doing in the area. Rodgers mentioned to him that he is always in schools and could very easily help out in the Kilifi and Malindi areas.

I told him that if he's going to work with the Gideons, he needs to get an eye patch or a peg leg or something. Maybe a talking parrot.

my multicultural children

[Previous post on the topic here.]

A few weeks ago, we were out at a restaurant. There are many expats in Kilifi, though we don't know any of them. There happened to be a family at the restaurant that night who were a mzungu (white) mom with a black Kenyan dad. Their son was about Nate's size. Nate was so excited to see them, even though we didn't talk to them. He said, "Mama! That boy looks like me!" All of our friends here are black. All of his classmates are black. In the US, our friends are a bit more varied, but mostly white. Nate doesn't know any other kids who are half black and half white. It was kind of cool to see him find out that he and Ben aren't the only tan kids with curly hair.

Of course, he knows he's different from the majority of the kids here. Everywhere we go, kids run after us calling out, "Mzungu! Mzungu!" (And they aren't just talking about me.) But he still thinks that someone being black or white means they are wearing that color clothes.

This morning, I saw this posted on Facebook [click]. I think it's a cute commercial. I didn't see any of this hate speech myself, but I don't understand why people even care. But anyway, I mentioned this ad to Rodgers, and it started a conversation with Nate about our ethnicities and skin colors.

Rodgers asked Nate, "Are you mgiryama-mzungu?" (Which our boys are.)
Nate said, "No. I'm Mr. McQueen." (As in Lightning.)
Rodgers, "Are you mgiryama?"
Nate, "No."
Me, "Are you mzungu?"
Nate, "Yes."
It looks like we don't talk enough about being mgiryama. He has been told a lot that he is mzungu.

I asked Nate what color his skin is. He said his is red. He went on to tell me that mine is orange. Ben's is pink. These are his favorite colors, by the way, in order. Rodgers' skin is brown. And Gigi's is peach. Later, I realized he was holding these crayons in his hand, so his answers may have been influenced.

note Ben's teeth marks on the end of the peach

We'll keep talking.

where nothing ever grows

When I started blogging, I posted more general musings than update-style. Then I started having kids and ... I didn't really muse any more. Plus, I have tons of things to post about the kids. So my blogging style changed. You could say this post is going back to my roots.

I recently watched a documentary called Genetic Roulette. (While it's very eye-opening and important information, and I think you should watch it, that's not really what this post is about.) One of the experts they interview makes a statement about the biotech industry claiming that there isn't enough food to feed everyone in the world and that their genetically engineered food will solve world hunger. But, that isn't really true, says this expert. There is more than enough food in the world. People are starving because they can't afford to buy food.

This reminded me of the song Do They Know It's Christmas. While I recognize that this song has done some good in the world as far as fundraising and raising awareness about world hunger, I have a lot of problems with the lyrics because they perpetuate the myth about the reason people have to go without food.

While there are regional food shortages sometimes, and the government and World Food Program import food from other countries, most of the time, people who go without food are doing so not because there is no food but because they have no money to buy food.

The lyrics:

1) There won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime. Ok. There are a lot of places where it doesn't snow at Christmas. Like Texas (most of the time) or Australia. This point is moot. Not only that, it isn't even true. There are snow-capped mountains in Africa, and there is snow on them at Christmas.

2) The greatest gift they'll get this year is life. Honestly, is there any greater gift? Is there really going to be something in your stocking or under your tree on Christmas morning that makes you say, "Wow. I no longer need nor want to live because I have now received The Ultimate Gift That's Better Than Life Itself?"

3) Where nothing ever grows. Maybe true in desert regions, but all of Africa isn't a desert. Lots of stuff grows in Africa.

4) No rain or rivers flow. Just not true at all. There are rainy seasons. There are floods. There are many rivers.

5) Do they know it's Christmastime at all. I can't speak for all of Africa, but here, Christmas is a religious holiday celebrated by Christians. Santa Claus, elves, and Rudolph are not part of the celebration because they are part of American cultural Christmas, not religious Christmas. So maybe it doesn't look like Christmas from our cultural perspective, but they do celebrate Christmas.

But anyway. My point is: I hate the lyrics of this song.

captcha

Any guesses on what the second word was?

QOTW:
Man A: In the eyes of the law, you are the more guilty of the two, for the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction.
Man B: If that's what the law supposes, sir, then the law is a ass! If that be the eyes of the law, sir, then the law is a bachelor!

after posting a bajillion times yesterday

I stayed up way past bedtime reading through my xanga blog. Parts of it really, really made me laugh. Very nostalgic.

Anyway, four things:

1. I miss doing "quote of the whatever" at the bottom of my blog posts. I may reinstate QOTW here.

2. The day I started falling for Rodgers was Saturday, June 11, 2005. I didn't blog that, even though I was totally grungy that day, he told me that I look more beautiful every day (which is what put me over the edge). But, I did blog that I visited Claire at camp that day, and that's when it happened.

3. I've forgotten the source for many of the QOTWs. This is a sad day.

4. I'm finally far enough removed from my horrible first job that I can really laugh about my dumb, douchecanoe former boss.

see 'n say

I don't remember if I had my own See 'n Say as a child, but I remember playing with them in church nurseries and possibly my grandmother's house. I remember one that was yellow, with a pull string:

from here [click]

...and a blue one with a lever:

from here [click]

I loved listening to the animal sounds. I can still hear in my memory, "Here is the coyote: ow--ow-ow-owoooooo!"

Nate has a new fangled See 'n Say. He also loves listening to the animal sounds. He hasn't quite figured out the lever himself, but he brings the See 'n Say to me so that I can make it work for him. He has this one:

(sort of, the pictures on his are different)
from here [click]

I like that is has 2 "pages." (The yellow part flips over to the other side, revealing more animals.) Nate likes it, too. He loves turning pages, so flipping back and forth between the 2 sides is one of his favorite parts. I also like the songs - one side plays Old McDonald (with animals and animal sounds from the See 'n Say) and the other plays The Farmer in the Dell. The quiz is fun, too, and when Nate figures out how to work the See 'n Say, I'm sure he'll enjoy that.

Here's my complaint:

Rather than having the same intro to each animal, it switches back and forth between "The [animal] says: [sound]" and "That's the [animal]. [sound]." Then it goes back to "The [animal] says: [sound]." Back and forth. Every other pull of the lever. Fine.

On the side not shown in the picture above, there is a bunny. What sound does a bunny make? I know what sound it makes when a labrador is eating it alive, but that's not really a cute sound for a children's toy. The sound they use is "boing, boing," like a hopping noise. Ok...

Here's the problem: if, for example, the previous animal was "The cat says: meow, meow," and then you play the bunny, it will say, "That's the bunny: boing, boing." But, if you play the bunny after it plays "That's the cat. meow, meow," it will say, "The bunny says: boing, boing."

No, it doesn't, See 'n Say. The bunny does not say, "boing." That is all.

Pooh. ::snicker::

My inner 8 year old loves that Winnie the Pooh is called Pooh for short. The ear can't hear a difference between Pooh and poo, you know.

Nate has a lovey/security blanket that has Winnie the Pooh on it. We keep it on the changing table. He usually needs something to do with his hands when he's getting a diaper change. I think it's fitting that his diaper change toy be Pooh Bear (well I call it Poo Bear, but it sounds the same).

This picture is from Bonanza, but that's the one he has.

A few weeks ago, the Atkinson IIIs were here visiting us. Trey was reading Lauren a book of Nate's about Winnie the Pooh. He eats too much honey and gets stuck in Rabbit's door, which is a rabbit hole. The other characters get together to help Pooh get unstuck. At the end of the book, they succeed. The line goes something like, "And Pooh popped out of the hole!" I had tried to stifle my laughter, but who can keep from laughing at that?

And then I remembered (and was reminded again today by Lamebook) that there is a book carrying the unfortunate title of Cooking with Pooh. No lie.

And my inner 8 year old giggles with glee.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Excellent.

what's going on in my mind this Thursday afternoon

I saw a commercial for a new (at least to me) antihistamine. It's called Chlor-Trimeton. Sounds like the name of a Decepticon. It kind of makes me giggle when they say it on the commercial. Still, it's nothing compared to Aciphex, which I've mentioned before.

Secondly, I don't believe in the word "irk." It's been banned to my list of words that aren't really words.

And third, there was another commercial for investing in gold. I have two things to say about that. 1) If something is really such a good investment, does it need to be advertised? 2) A cheaply made commercial doesn't convince me that you're making money, thus it doesn't convince me that I would make money. Obviously you changed your phone number after the commercial was initially recorded. But, you couldn't afford the original announcer to say the new phone number, nor could you afford to rerecord the entire commercial. Instead, you have one announcer say everything up to "1-800," another guy takes over for the remaining seven digits, then the original announcer resumes. It's noticeable, trust me.

Edit: maybe it's a fill-in-the-blank commercial? Like, "say your seven-digit phone number now." You say the number, and it is inserted in the commercial. It would be more seamless to have one person say all ten digits, though.

just what i always wanted

Looks like I'll need to visit Singapore again.

After renovations, Eric Saw plans to have the ship accessible to the public, but from a fixed berth. Even though the ship has avoided the scrap yard once again, it does now seem that her sailing days are over. The plans include an exhibit on board telling the story of the ship’s remarkable history and roles as an onion carrier, coastguard vessel, migrant ship, first-class cruise liner and most recently, floating book fair and home to an all-volunteer international Christian community of over 300 people from around 50 countries.

“Subject to approval by the various authorities, we would like to have themed restaurants and cafés, a bookshop and a banquet room for seminars, conferences and weddings,” said Eric Saw. “We also plan to have the ship play a role as a maritime museum with conducted tours. From a Christian perspective, we hope to host a small Bible School for lay persons which we hope to eventually establish on board. It will essentially have non-certification courses that busy lay persons can attend to grow in their Christian walk. One thing we will strive to achieve is to continue with the wonderful culture that has been so evident whenever someone comes on board the Doulos—a culture of love, friendship, and fellowship. This will be a hard act to follow!”

brief movie review

This week from Netflix - Land of the Lost

It was exceedingly ridiculous, as expected, but I can't stop giggling about this line:

It's a doughnut filled with M&Ms. So you don't have to eat any M&Ms after you eat your doughnut.
(Will Ferrell as Dr Rick Marshall)

sarcasm is my favorite

First of all, it's completely hilarious that Playmobil made this product, a toy airport security checkpoint. But, even better, Amazon allows for customer reviews of the product. I'm giddy with delight. Click here if you have an hour or two to do some online reading.

twilight zoney

This morning, a friend of mine on Facebook posted their status as "just another manic Monday..." Not surprising, as it is, in fact, Monday. Of course, other friends proceeded to comment on the status with subsequent lines of the song.

Friend 1: just another manic Monday...

Comment 1: wish it was Sunday...

Comment 2: cause that's my fun day... 

Comment 3: my I don't have to run day...

Then, another one of my friends posted the same status. These 2 friends do not appear to know each other. The rest of the song is beginning to build up on her FB page as well.

Friend 2: Just another manic Monday... 

Comment 1: wish it were Sunday...

What makes it weird is that these 2 friends have the same first name. What are the odds that 2 people I know, who don't know each other, but share the same name, would have the same FB status posted on the same day? That's kind of twilight zoney, right?

Blog Tag

I just got tagged in a game of blog tag by my e-friend, Momfetti. Here's the deal - the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. List six little things that make you happy.
3. Tag six bloggers and let them know they’re “it”.

My six:

1. Fortune cookie fortunes. I love the ones that are slightly nonsensical. I got one once, which I keep on the refrigerator, that says, "Alas! The onion you are eating is someone else's water lily." I can imagine what it means, but it just sounds silly to me, so it makes me laugh. Also, it's fun to add little phrases to the end of the fortune. The most popular of which is "in bed," but I prefer, "and then you'll die." I suppose it appeals to my dark sense of humor, plus there is an element of truth in it. The fortunes Rodgers and I got this weekend work well with either one. He got, "People are naturally attracted to you." I got, "You will always be surrounded by friends when you need them." I'm giggling right now. I love them.
2. Text messages, as long as they aren't the free messages from AT&T advertising something, or the ones that you have to pay for because some solicitor got a hold of your cell phone number, is sending you messages, and to get them to stop, you have to send them one. I hate that kind. But texts from my actual family and friends are great.
3. Food - just about any kind. I have an insatiable appetite these days. I know Nathaniel doesn't need many calories per day right now. He's so small, he only needs for me to eat one extra snack every day. But, honestly, I could eat every hour, and I do sometimes...
4. Nathaniel's kicks and punches. They're so tiny and cute right now. Sometimes, if they're directed the right way, I can feel them through my tummy with my hand. Rodgers hasn't felt them yet because as soon as I feel one with my hand and want to call him over to feel it, Nate seems to adjust his position so that he can punch my internal organs. That's not so cute.
5. Rodgers, for obvious reasons.
6. Puppies - the squirmier and slobberier, the better. I mean, who (aside from those with hearts of stone) can attempt to hold a squirmy, slobbering puppy without at least smiling, if not laughing aloud?
   

child's play

We've begun collecting things for our baby. S/he won't be born until January, but we came into some good deals, so we've got a crate of baby stuff and various large items as well.

This week, I decided to pull out the crocheted booties and bonnet that I had as a baby. So, I took my keepsake crate down from the top of the closet and found them. There's a pair of red and white booties, some that look like white sandals with brown soles, and a pair of blue booties with a matching bonnet. After I found them and replaced the rest of the contents of the crate, it was time to leave for my haircut. So, I left the crate on the ottoman, to put it back in the closet when I returned.

As I walked in the door, this is what I saw:

Peeking out from under the lid are the fingers of one of my dolls, as if she's trying to get out.


A close up.

I've watched enough horror movies to be seriously creeped out. I wanted to just poke her fingers back into the box, and press the lid down. But images in my mind of the lid flying open and a demon doll attacking me prevented this.

So I rationally took the lid off, made sure the doll was not actually possessed and trying to escape the crate, repositioned her, and closed the lid. As far as I know, she's still in there...

Why I love airline food:

It's not the taste that I love, nor the inevitable indigestion that follows eating a meal on an airplane. What I love about airline food is how organized it is.

 

Everyone gets a tray that is put together like a puzzle: a little cup in one corner, with a mini thing of water or juice; fork, spoon, knife, napkin, wet wipe, salt, pepper, creamer, and sugar in a little baggy on the side with a tiny tub of margarine or soft cheese; dessert and fruit courses in their own little bowls at the top; and the main course in its bowl. All those foods have plastic or foil seals on top of the bowls. Then, they give you a roll out of a basket, so you feel like the bread is fresh.

 

I have little appetite when I'm flying. Mostly, I just want to drink gallons of water and, if there's complimentary champagne, some of that, too. But I get such a kick out of the organized meal trays that I must eat at least a little bit of each item. And when I'm done, I put the tray back together in a slightly different order - never put anything back the way it was.

I just had a Lunchables. Usually, I like to bring leftovers or a frozen dinner and have a hot lunch, but we don't have a microwave right now, so I'm stuck with either cold lunches or lunches that can be cooked with nothing but boiled water (I have an electric kettle at my desk). Getting tired of those lunches, I decided to go with Lunchables this week. I enjoyed the Lunchables box much like I enjoy airline food - the little bitty drink on the side and tray with several tiny compartments in it: one for a stack of crackers, one for turkey, one for cheese, and one for a mini snack pack and little red spoon. It's like everything you need for lunch, right here in this box, and nothing extra.

 

I also love first aid kits.

FYI