"Africa Time"

Friday morning we went to the teen challenge center. The center is less than a mile from our compound and its establishment was headed by John and Annie Martin, Kenya Assemblies of God missionaries. Teen Challenge is a worldwide initiative to open drug rehabilitation centers. This particular center is a men’s center that services men from age 20 and up who live in the Nairobi area. We were invited to be the keynote speakers at their weekly chapel service. Chrissy Young stepped forward and shared a moving message from her life proving the power of prayer and forgiveness. The men took a particular liking to message as they feel as though they have burned many bridges and hurt many of the people that they love. It gave them hope that those relationships can be restored and that Jesus is powerful to mend all hearts.

“Africa Time,” what does it mean?

We were scheduled to be picked up to go to Teen Challenge at 8 am and to speak at 8:30. Well our ride showed up at 8:20 and we spoke at 8:40. We were scheduled to leave teen challenge at 10 am and we left at 11:30 am. Our next ride was scheduled to arrive at 10:30, he showed at 11:45, and our lunch date met up with us at approximately 2:30.  Nothing stays on schedule!

I am not sure if the time moves faster, or if people aren’t really hung up on the time in Kenya. Part of the problem is every time you leave the house the length of your trip is different. For example, on our matatu rides to MCDC when we leave the house we have a 1.5 mile walk to the bus stop. That walk could be altered by traffic, masses of people, or cattle. When we arrive to the bus stop, there is no  bus schedule, the matatus are privately owned so the drivers stick to the routes that have the most customers. You could wait 5 minutes, or 45; your wait time simply depends on:

• Number of people waiting with you
• Number of people on the previous stops
• The weather
• The time of day
• The temperament of the driver
• Peak hours
• Off hours
• Traffic

And all of those factors come into play each and every time you change between matatus. Our journey from home to MCDC requires 3 exchanges, each route costs a different amount and has its own unique qualities. All in our entire journey from home to MCDC, on average, requires 2 hours each way. The distance of our journey to MCDC is roughly 10 miles.

In addition to extra transport time everything seems to take longer. I don’t know if we are just starting to adjust to “Africa Time,” but anything you try to do seems to take all day. After Teen Challenge today we planned to meet a friend for lunch then pick up a few things at the market; two very simple endeavors. We arrived at Village Market (A shopping complex with a food court, specialty shops, and Nakumat) at 12:30. Our friend arrived around 2:30 and we didn’t get to Nakumat to shop until 4:00! It took us 2 hours to shop and we didn’t arrive home until 6:30. Kenya is directly on the equator so we get exactly 12 hours of sunlight. It is not safe to be out after dark so your day ends at 6:45 with night fall. So what would take a few hours of your afternoon in America takes nearly a full day in Africa.

“Africa Time” is just one of the cultural differences we are attempting to adapt to. It is one that allows for more personal relationships and a relatively less stressful life style. It is easy to get into the groove and pace of things here. We hope to continue to learn and adapt to our new environment for the next 6 weeks! And when we get home we will have to be allowed a little bit of slack as we adjust back to our two job, full time lives!