The Darker Side.

Ok, so I just typed this whole blog and then the internet cut out and I lost it. Maybe that is a sign that I was being to harsh! I'll try again...

So I went to the market today to buy jeans for the girls. We had a wonderful donation of clothes from Suzanne Bartlett's daughter, but I wanted to pick up some more pants so we would have enough for everyone!

I was warned that I would be charged the "wazungu" (white person) price. They said it would be at least double. So I asked Teacher Victoria to come with me hoping that having a Kenyan friend along would help. I was able to get 14 pairs of jeans for $20! Not to bad! Victoria warned me that sometimes it wouldn't matter that she was with me. She said if you are seen with a white person some people won't even sell to you.

So we went to find some towels to use as rags at the school. We found one place but they wanted to charge her double the Kenyan price, so we kept looking. Some people wouldn't even acknowledge us. It sucked! So I went and sat in the car while she finished shopping. Hide the Wazungu I guess.

It made me so sad. Racism sucks. I am so lucky to have lived my whole life without having to feel this, but it caught me off guard. I realize that Kenya has a not so nice past with the British Military, but I'm not British! I am white though, and that's all that matters. They assume I have lots of money, little do they know I quit my job and have spent all my money here supported their homeless children. 

I guess I just needed to vent. I just about lost it when a little girl, maybe 5, came up to me in the market and said "Wazungu, what are you doing?" 

Ok, now that I'm done venting, I can get back to loving Kenya. I guess this just shows that there is still so much work to be done.