Upon my return to the States I was of course inundated by numerous get togethers with friends wanting to catch up over the last eight months. Surprisingly, though it probably shouldn't be, the questions they asked me most about were not of all the exciting adventures I went on; instead they wanted to know about the guys I met and how the dating scene in Nairobi differs from that of Dallas.
True, this is probably indicative of the type of friends I have, the majority are married and have or want a child and are growing increasingly concerned by my singleton status. Granted the mentality has changed over the years and I am no longer considered an old maid in the U.S., but sadly, throughout Africa I get the same barrage of questions from many of the women I meet. "How old are you?" "Where's your husband? "Why aren't you married?" "When are you getting married so you can have babies?" Apparently I am doomed to life as a cat lady because I would rather follow my passions and help others instead of settling for some Joe Schmo and popping out his kids.
So in response to all the questions I'm going to give you a little insight into going out in Nairobi: it's like being in alternate universe. I am most certain the amount I get hit on here has more to do with the color of my hair and skin than anything else, but even still it's off the charts, and a bit overwhelming for someone who isn't a fan of the dating ritual anyway. I feel like every time I stepped away from my friends I got pounced on by some random. Do I look like a lost puppy? Perhaps a bunny to be hunted? What's going on? I even had one guy tell me, as an apparent pick up line mind you, that I would "make nice mocha babies." I mean come on, guy, what response did you think that would elicit? Instead of responding what I was thinking, "I prefer my coffee in a cup, not a child," I just walked off to avoid elongating this poor attempt at a conversation starter. As someone who wasn't actively looking to participate in the dating scene at that point all of this was a bit strange to me, but that's all about to change.
I could give you a list a foot long of all the things that drive me insane about guys in Dallas, but I think that's true of the world over, so while I document my misadventures in Nairobi, I'll let my friend, Savvy Singleton, tell that story. She is telling it as it is with what's new in love, lust, and faking it in Dallas over at her blog so pop over there and check her out as well.
True, this is probably indicative of the type of friends I have, the majority are married and have or want a child and are growing increasingly concerned by my singleton status. Granted the mentality has changed over the years and I am no longer considered an old maid in the U.S., but sadly, throughout Africa I get the same barrage of questions from many of the women I meet. "How old are you?" "Where's your husband? "Why aren't you married?" "When are you getting married so you can have babies?" Apparently I am doomed to life as a cat lady because I would rather follow my passions and help others instead of settling for some Joe Schmo and popping out his kids.
So in response to all the questions I'm going to give you a little insight into going out in Nairobi: it's like being in alternate universe. I am most certain the amount I get hit on here has more to do with the color of my hair and skin than anything else, but even still it's off the charts, and a bit overwhelming for someone who isn't a fan of the dating ritual anyway. I feel like every time I stepped away from my friends I got pounced on by some random. Do I look like a lost puppy? Perhaps a bunny to be hunted? What's going on? I even had one guy tell me, as an apparent pick up line mind you, that I would "make nice mocha babies." I mean come on, guy, what response did you think that would elicit? Instead of responding what I was thinking, "I prefer my coffee in a cup, not a child," I just walked off to avoid elongating this poor attempt at a conversation starter. As someone who wasn't actively looking to participate in the dating scene at that point all of this was a bit strange to me, but that's all about to change.
I could give you a list a foot long of all the things that drive me insane about guys in Dallas, but I think that's true of the world over, so while I document my misadventures in Nairobi, I'll let my friend, Savvy Singleton, tell that story. She is telling it as it is with what's new in love, lust, and faking it in Dallas over at her blog so pop over there and check her out as well.
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