The diary of a British expat living in Kenya. News, views, debate and a healthy dose of trivia.
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Friday, April 03, 2009
Yippee
I wrote an 800 word piece about 'Bringing up Children in Africa' for the Family page of the UK Telegraph 'Weekend' section, with photos - and have been told by the editor that it will be run tomorrow (Saturday 4th April). It'll be online later next week. How exciting! Hope it was not an April fool!
hello, i've just read the article in the telegraph. it caught my eye because my mum and dad did the exact same thing ... but about 44 years ago. i was born in zanzibar and we left when i was one. dad had a job with frey bentos (the meat pie people). we have some great family stories and pictures. i enjoyed your blog, all the best ...
Wow, well done you! I look forward to reading the article, I'm certain it'll make interesting reading. Enjoy your holiday, I love England having lived there as a student.
I read your D.T. article with some interest. I was 23 years at Mombasa and points south and was ten years in Kenya after uhuru. We were married in Mombasa Cathedral and had one child born in Kenya and the other in Tanganyika. In the game parks we always observed the rule that one must remain in one's car except at the recognised lodges. We had frequent picnics in places where there were no baboons and no wandering buffalo. We always used mosquito nets and regularly took our Paludrine and none of us caught malaria in all that time. Apart from one viper that found its way into our house and a few grass snakes, we had no trouble from them or from scorpions. I'm sure that my wife never had to "bite her nails" in apprehension! Nor did we feel that "we had to take our chances and hope for the best" - a curious philosophy. Healthwise, things must have deteriorated as neither our children nor us ever had TB, typhoid or hepatitus vaccinations - but we did have ones for Yellow Fever and Smallpox - it was the law. Power cuts were rare and street riots non-existent except during the Zanzibar revolution which fortunately left us unscathed. There was no tarmac between Mombasa and Nairobi to start with and I think the roads were safer than tarmac with big pot holes in them. A maximum speed of 55 mph was required over the corrugations. Should anyone reply to this I am curious as to where the photo in the D.T. was taken.
Wow, reading your article confirmed so many of the suspicions I and many of people I have talked to have about expatriates in my country. You had not one nice thing to say about the experience here? Not one, at all? Looking at the white 'bwanas' one is always aware of a smug sense of superiority that is barely hidden beneath their smarmy smiles and ritual complaints about how hard it is to be in Kenya, to raise children here and all that other brouhaha. Maybe I'm overly sensitive but from reading the article a picture is painted of a miserable existence in the land of us 'barbarians'. Perhaps a kind suggestion, go forth to where you'll be happy, leave us to our helpless state and bad influence on your children.
Wow, Mr Anonymous - hello! where is your sense of humour!?!
Why not read back through the blog and see what you think, rather than reading this article in haste then jumping to unfavourable conclusions.
It would be lovely to change your opinion of 'smarmy, smug, complaining' expats - if that is at all possible. However, it seems like your mind is absolutely made up already. Shame.
So I read the article....and i think the Africa your describing is of centuries ago! Seems like your describing a time before colonization...where there are no cities or good hospitals or good schools or universities. Having grown up in Africa, i think my 'African experience" has been very good. I'm a well rounded adult as a result of it. Dont think i would want to grow up any where else. So relax...have fun and dont worry about your kids..they will be just fine!
hello, i've just read the article in the telegraph. it caught my eye because my mum and dad did the exact same thing ... but about 44 years ago. i was born in zanzibar and we left when i was one. dad had a job with frey bentos (the meat pie people). we have some great family stories and pictures. i enjoyed your blog, all the best ...
ReplyDeleteWonderful!
ReplyDeleteI'll go look for it----have a good holiday :-)
Molly
congratulations! be sure to post up the link as soon as it is on line on the telegraph..have a good trip home
ReplyDeletekudos to you. please post a link
ReplyDeletecongratulations. happy for you. i'm a kenyan in the uk and i enjoy your 'musings' alot.
ReplyDeleteWow, well done you! I look forward to reading the article, I'm certain it'll make interesting reading. Enjoy your holiday, I love England having lived there as a student.
ReplyDeleteWe lived in Africa 50 years ago.My wife's book GOODBYE RHODESIA tells of our life there with two daughters, and nothing seems to have changed.
ReplyDeleteMartin
Congrats! I'll look for it online later in the week!!
ReplyDeleteWe lived in Rhodesia 50 years ago with two daughters, and your article could be a description of our lives then.
ReplyDeleteNOTHING CHANGES!!!!!
Oh? Better get it out of the bin! Missed it sorry... Whoops!
ReplyDeleteI read your D.T. article with some interest. I was 23 years at Mombasa and points south and was ten years in Kenya after uhuru. We were married in Mombasa Cathedral and had one child born in Kenya and the other in Tanganyika. In the game parks we always observed the rule that one must remain in one's car except at the recognised lodges. We had frequent picnics in places where there were no baboons and no wandering buffalo. We always used mosquito nets and regularly took our Paludrine and none of us caught malaria in all that time.
ReplyDeleteApart from one viper that found its way into our house and a few grass snakes, we had no trouble from them or from scorpions. I'm sure that my wife never had to "bite her nails" in apprehension! Nor did we feel that "we had to take our chances and hope for the best" - a curious philosophy.
Healthwise, things must have deteriorated as neither our children nor us ever had TB, typhoid or hepatitus vaccinations - but we did have ones for Yellow Fever and Smallpox - it was the law.
Power cuts were rare and street riots non-existent except during the Zanzibar revolution which fortunately left us unscathed.
There was no tarmac between Mombasa and Nairobi to start with and I think the roads were safer than tarmac with big pot holes in them. A maximum speed of 55 mph was required over the corrugations.
Should anyone reply to this I am curious as to where the photo in the D.T. was taken.
Bill.
far less prestigious than the UK Telegraph, but if you'd like an easy blog post, I tagged you in my blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://itsasmallspot.blogspot.com/2009/04/honestly-honest-scrap.html
Congratulations. Your article is online!
ReplyDeleteClick HERE to read it.
Your blog should get more readers as a result?
Keep up the good work.
Robin.
I SAW IT, HOW COOL!!! Sheila USA
ReplyDeleteperhaps the comments here may interest some of your readers http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article3142494.ece
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/4196312/A-helping-hand-with-a-house-full-of-kids-in-Kenya.html
Wow, reading your article confirmed so many of the suspicions I and many of people I have talked to have about expatriates in my country. You had not one nice thing to say about the experience here? Not one, at all? Looking at the white 'bwanas' one is always aware of a smug sense of superiority that is barely hidden beneath their smarmy smiles and ritual complaints about how hard it is to be in Kenya, to raise children here and all that other brouhaha. Maybe I'm overly sensitive but from reading the article a picture is painted of a miserable existence in the land of us 'barbarians'. Perhaps a kind suggestion, go forth to where you'll be happy, leave us to our helpless state and bad influence on your children.
ReplyDeleteWow, Mr Anonymous - hello! where is your sense of humour!?!
ReplyDeleteWhy not read back through the blog and see what you think, rather than reading this article in haste then jumping to unfavourable conclusions.
It would be lovely to change your opinion of 'smarmy, smug, complaining' expats - if that is at all possible. However, it seems like your mind is absolutely made up already. Shame.
So I read the article....and i think the Africa your describing is of centuries ago! Seems like your describing a time before colonization...where there are no cities or good hospitals or good schools or universities.
ReplyDeleteHaving grown up in Africa, i think my 'African experience" has been very good. I'm a well rounded adult as a result of it. Dont think i would want to grow up any where else.
So relax...have fun and dont worry about your kids..they will be just fine!