In rural areas, gifts of sugar or tea are quite common. While you are likely to have some cultural mix-ups as an American visiting European countries, it's nothing compared to Africa, where things seem to work completely differently from the US. WebThe data for each country can be found here: Kenya and United States Native languages Religions Data inventory and updates A country comparison like this can be based on Remember Wahome Mutahi's writing? Most Kenyans interweave native beliefs into a traditional religion. As a traveler, I found that getting used to the different meanings of the word was challenging and critical. learned behavior of people, including their languages, belief systems, social structures, institutions, and material goods. What should happen is that parents from the mans side should seek permission from parents of the womans side to have their daughter hand in marriage. I actually find it ridiculous when people do these comparisons because I don't think any society is aspiring to be like the other. Slowly but surely, the multiculturalism that made America strong will be the very reason that will make America weak. This is not ancestor worship per se, but rather a belief that when someone dies their spirit lives on and must be acknowledged. In Kenya, 85% of the population do as of 2019. be 80.4% less likely to have internet access. Ranked 65th. Spend any amount of time in the Middle East or North Africa, and you will become familiar with the Arabic phrase "inshallah." Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Kenya.or United States Kale boiled and fried with tomatoes, onions and oil. When you start traveling, you realize that the American, or Western, way of doing things is just as strange to people from other cultures as theirs may seem to us. However, they try very hard to remain faithful to only one lover at a time. Wait to be invited before moving to a first name basis. What about those who fight over dead carcasses of elephants or hippos. If you know that you are going to visit someone's house for lunch, it is advisable to warn them beforehand so they do not go to the expense of purchasing meat. More if you take dialects into account. In Kenya, the top tax rate is 30.0% as of 2016. Beyond your first assertion about food wastage, which is generally true relative to Kenya and perhaps the rest of the world, the rest of your observations are entirely wrong. The practice is different from the American style where after a man or woman establishes his or her date, they openly show it in the public. There is an abundance of international restaurants including Italian, That was not the case in Tanzania. English is used for international commerce, higher education, and national administrations, while Kiswahili is used for interethnic social interactions and grassroot or local administration. United States has a GDP per capita of $60,200 as of 2020, while in Kenya, the GDP per capita is $4,200 as of 2020. be 10.3 times more likely to be unemployed. Life is on the go. Even some presidential functions takes minutes, na watu wanaenda shughuli. The Campus Times staff has worked hard on a responsive web redesign. Villagers would come early in the morning toyou guessed right, gawk at the huge earth movers and trucks the whole day. While many Westerners tend not to associate Africa with Islam, it is the most common religion on the continent. Three Cultural Differences Between Kenya and The USA. Other major ethnic groups include the Luhya (14%), Luo (13%), Kalenjin (12%), Kamba (11%), Kisii (6%) and Meru (6%). Initially we thought it was because its Sunday and everyone was attended church or temple. (Where does he want us to go this early?) More than half of the country's ethnic groups have Bantu origins. 1 Jan. 2020 https://commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides/afghanistan-guide, Commisceo Global Consulting Ltd. (2020, January 1) Afghanistan - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. If invited to dinner at a Kenyans home, bring pastries, flowers, or sweets for the hostess. Signing in allows you to change your location, ask questions in our community, contribute to our cost of living database, and more. For this reason, I will never comment on any of your blogs. Back home, I was medium size but when I came here, I am considered a size small to extra small-something that upset me terribly! They are all proudly in display in the city, in the suburbs and in the village. WebHospitality. This led to lots of early-morning scrambling to pack my bags. What was the point of this haphazard article, if it was to portray the differences, it failed, if to educate, it failed. !watch the Oscars n the Grammys,start theirKenyans don't dress better than Americans..heck Kenyans don't even dress better than Ta. Ones ancestors are thought to be able to influence events in life since they are in a limbo state and closer to God than the living. I remember commenting to my mom that visitors had stayed too long. 2. And Kiswahili is only one of the few dozen languages spoken in Kenya. She came back two hours later, exhausted from the harassment and apprehensive about going out without me for the rest of our time there. United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. Countries in Africa have a reputation for widespread corruption. Mandazi - Kenyan version of a heavy donut, typically eaten with a cup of hot chai. Kenyans usually cook their food in oil for long periods of time before being eaten and use lots of salt. Different people have different habits and traditions that suit them but none are superior than others. They respect their elders and that is why ancestors play a big role in the culture in Kenya. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. It could mean "hopefully," "I hope so," "maybe," "who knows," or "it's not my problem," among a dozen other things. Commisceo Global Consulting Ltd. (2020). Ugali Kenyan staple; made with corn meal and boiling water into a heavy paste with the consistency of play-doh, only eaten with another dish such as sukuma wiki, nyama choma, or another vegetable or meat. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Chapati - Kenyan version of a heavy tortilla, made with flour and fat, fried and best eaten hot. Also: a group of people that share the same May 5, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/cultural-differences-kenyans-malaysians-chinese-and-americans/. Arabic, Hindi, etc). In the process of socialization, human beings adopt a certain culture; culture is defined as commonly experienced attributes and traits that can be seen in a homogenous group of people mostly living within the same locality. The harassment isn't limited to foreigners and tourists. Different societies have different, cultures that make them different from each other. Comparatively, those in Kenya have better quality of life. Values, ideologies, perceptions, and beliefs that people hold are greatly influenced by their country of origin. Around 13% of the population are of non-African descent, i.e. Photo by Belle Maluf on Unsplash, Always take your time when meeting people to properly chat. They equally have less of mental / psychological issues, lifestyle diseases, weirdos etc, mass shootings relative to the U.S. And in the long run, hii mbio yelekeapi? This might happen in a formal conversation as well, like briefing sessions in your internship, lectures during field trips, and classes you may be taking in our partner institutions. Mzee Moja, take a walk into the black community and interact more with them if you can and you can see no. She curtly responded in Kikuyu " here we are not like you Kenyans in America, we like people and want them to stay as long as they want when they visit.". It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss Food and drink > Alcohol > Alcohol consumed from > Homemade and illegal drinks. Dining patterns vary tremendously according to ethnicity, location and socio-economic position of the host. It is no wonder to see a girl nurse changing inside her car at the hospital parking lot; because she did not have time to do so between her two jobs. WebThe distinction between East Asia and the West is only one of many cultural distinctions that separate different ways of thinking about intelligence. 3 times more than United States. Did you read about those guys who would rather die of illnesses than let a cow that died of ECF go to waste. But, not quite so easily the average Kenyan with a high school education speaks at least three languages; English, Kiswahili, and their mother tongue. For newly established and more formal relationships, diplomacy will be of utmost importance. WebIn China and Japan, for example, people are very punctual, that is, they dont waste on unnecessary issues. I kind of agree with numbers 1 & 3 though I have some reservations, but number 2 stands out. Kenya remains East Africas largest and most important business, financial, and transportation hub, with 80 percent of East Africas trade flowing through Mombasa At times, I found the phrase frustrating, until I learned to decipher the meaning. No wonder a Kenyan will waste their phone credit to ask you Wiku mani? (Where are you man?). Commisceo Global Consulting Ltd. Afghanistan - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. If in a family of say 4, 6 or 8 only one person is productive; then you expect deficits in the needs of such families. The level of conservatism can vary greatly depending on what part of the country you are in. In Kenya, that number is 40.0% as of 2013. be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line. Next time, address more topical and interesting issues of the day. Githeri Kikuyu staple; beans and corn mixed together, with our without another vegetable. 1.93K subscribers. I can not imagine someone going to my parents home and demanding a tax on their house or land in Kenya. what life is like in countries and cities around the world. Please bear with us as some older content may be temporarilily unavailable. What do you call it when the West give food and other aid to the needy peoples of the world? Not only are these foods inexpensive to buy, but by buying them one is promoting the local economy and directly helping someone to support their families. Titles are important. In Kenya, there are 26.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. be 18.0 times more likely to die during childbirth. It is a good idea to take a small amount the first time the platters are brought so that you may take second helpings when urged. The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. Both tend to yield similar results; several baby mamas/daddys, split attentionsnone better or worse than the other. Respect for the old is also highly valued and disregard of elderly advice is a vice punishable in the community (Long, 2005). People even have Sunday bests! And most other African countries are also the same. While I was visiting Business Insider's Lagos office in January, there was a power outage followed by the office building's generator breaking. With a couple of hours left in the workday, some employees started heading home. Back home, food is served in moderate portions so that if one needed more, they could always ask for more. The only issue is economics. Maize - Street food; unsweetened corn roasted over hot coals, most commonly served with chili lime salt. Education. The best course of action is to behave formally. Finally, what does Mzee Moja mean? Duh. A US News & World Report survey found it was perceived as the fourth-most corrupt country in the world, and it scored a 27 out of 100 on a corruption index (100 is very clean) by Transparency International. In United States, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. Weak signals and poor reception are common challenges, especially in the rural areas. He has not judged them as bad or good. In Egypt, when I asked a tour guide what time we would leave for the day, he told me, "9:30 a.m., inshallah." After staying with blacks for quite a while, I have observed on them, exactly what no. Meeting schedules may be structured or not at all depending upon the ownership of the company. It is a sign of wealth. Make no mistake, the sheer amount of food wasted in one county in the USA per day is enough to feed the Horn of Africa for a month. It's a younger sister to racism, tribalism, clanism and many other forms of -isms. Generally, people are expected to keep their shoulders and knees covered, and swimsuits are worn only on the beach. Read more: After spending months in the Middle East, I'm convinced a single phrase with more than a dozen meanings is key to understanding Arab culture. In Kenya, on the other hand, 27.9 children do as of 2022. be 15.0% less likely to have access to electricity. We had sports but one practice and one game a week AND never on a Sunday. 5. Cooking at home, you will have no problems finding enough proteins to supplement your diet. Each tribe is further divided into clans WebThe one major difference that Ive noticed is that even though the Czech Republic has a lot of religious imagery most Czechs arent religious. In most cases, children live with their parents past the age of eighteen years in Kenya. There are also the Nilotic tribes such as the Luo, Kalenjin, Maasai and Turkana. Cultural Differences Between USA and Kenya, Culture is defined as the way in which people go about their daily lives. Capital: Nairobi. Hofstede In our home we don't really throw much food away unless it is bad as is the case with fruits and vegetables. @iphone4g. Commisceo Global Consulting Ltd. 2022 All Rights Reserved. Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service. Kenya is located in eastern Africa, bordering Somalia and Ethiopia in the north, Uganda and South Sudan to the It is customary to give small gifts to servants, trades people, and service workers at Christmas. Therefore, it is a good idea to provide a historical framework or context when attempting to introduce a new idea or process. It must be noted that most of the food in Africa is natural and fresh, as opposed to the artificially-flavored, refrigerated food mostly consumed here. American English is only one of the versions spoken around the world. In Kenya, there are only four telephone service providers. Take the time to inquire about the other persons general well-being, family, and business in general. 1. I will admit that in the beginning, I definitely suffered from culture shock. In case he is not likely to come fast, then he is served food in his absence as a show of collectivism. As my partner reminded me, she had experienced plenty of catcalls on the streets of New York and harassment related to her gender and race growing up in a suburb of Washington, DC. ?About saying pple in kenya/Africa waste time greeting @ other,talking to @ other I totally disagree juu in USA /Europe they don't care about @ other,I have seen them even taking their parents or sisters to court juu ya 200$.Can u find this nonsense in Africa? The African languages come from three different language families - Bantu languages (spoken in the center and southeast), Nilotic languages (in the west), and Cushitic languages (in the northeast). Afghanistan - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. In Kenya, that number is 7.1% of people as of 2016. The notion that men are superior to women supports Hofstedes notion of power distance, the culture is used to create social stratification in Kenyan families; men are highly valued. They want to stop you in the hallway and they cannot stop talking, you have to excuse yourself. After a divorce, children are the properties of the woman in America while in Saudi Arabian; men should take the role of taking care of the children. I keep something in the fridgefor X amount of time then throw it away. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider That is unlike us Kenyans where you can talk as you eat. The majority of Kenyans belong to Bantu tribes such as the Kikuyu, Luhya and Kamba. It is a sign of respect to lower your eyes when greeting someone of a higher status or someone who is obviously older than you. BTW while we are at the subject, I read in one research journal that Americans have more sex partners in their lifetimes than the polygamous Africans. In this video I explain all the things that I have struggled to understand all these differences since moving to Kenya! Because people eat and drink on the go. This is a humorous light piece of writing and not in the least, intellectual. Or, 2. Even if you have paid your house off, the property taxes will be paid until you sell off the property, an income that will still be taxed. Gifts should be nicely wrapped, although there are no prohibitions concerning the colour of paper. Of course, Africa is not a monolith. After an acceptance token of dowry has been paid negotiation starts. At old age, parents are not supposed to be taken in old homes under the care of the homes but children are supposed to include them in their families as part of them. So we have Chinese, Kaunda suits, West African, European, and American dressing styles. In the United States, families are relatively, smaller in size. A sentence would start in English and down the road, wanders off into some other language before finding its way back to English. AU Nairobi | Kenyan Culture | American University, Washington, DC Only in the summer would girls pretend to be wearing some handkerchiefs around their waists. The villagers would be heard complaining.

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