Things Commonly Seen/Experienced in Nairobi, Kenya

at our school, the cafeteria food is 100 times better than at school's in the US
donkeys on the side of the road
goats on the side of the road
people walking everywhere
red dirt everywhere
crazy drivers everywhere
super cheap beautiful roses
mothers carrying their children on their backs like a sack
women carrying huge loads of wood on their backs and walking long distances
cows roaming the main streets looking for grass
'police stops' in the middle of the roads
see lots of shacks
gate guards at every entrance
lots of colorful and noisy birds
pollution
police with machine guns
Obama paraphernalia
holes in the roads
people doing everything by hand
eating a lot of potatoes
people on bicycles
men on the side of the road peeing on a bush
plants being sold on the side of the road
furniture being sold on the side of the road
men standing in the middle of the neighborhood roads selling food, newspapers, mirrors, birds, pirated movies, and anything else
having to maneuver my car around cattle

Here's a common story that happens to me every time I drive at night. Let me first describe to you what driving at night means here. For some strange reason, many people drive with their brights on. There are a few dim street lights overhead. So when it gets dark, it is dark. There are a million holes in the road, but you can't see them with the combination of pitch black and other cars brights shining in your face. In fact, you can't see ANYTHING with that combination. Therefore, here's where the trouble comes in. You see, I live in a country where I am the definite minority in skin color. For some reason, the majority here like to walk out in the middle of the street when it's pitch black outside and they wear dark clothing as well. So, you can just imagine what I'm trying to get at and describe without making it sound wrong. I'm just not sure if they're even aware of why it is so dangerous for them to do this. Do they not really think about it, or does it not even cross their minds that if you have darker skin, and are wearing dark clothes, and it's dark outside, do not cross the middle of the street. I cannot see you and therefore I will more than likely hit you. This is one thing that I have come across that really bothers me.