From Nairobi to Rural Kenya

As I placed my head against the glass of our maroon tour bus, I tried to take in the countryside passing me by. On our drive from Nairobi to Embu we whizzed by people working, eating, and selling fruits and vegetables on teh side of the road. As I watched them I tried to understand through my visual observations, what their life may be like. In my intent gazes out the window I tried to understand their cultural and economic beliefs without applying them to my own.
The incongruency that caught my attention first was how many women alongside the road were herding both goats and cows. From my previous observations of goat and cattle herders in Kenya I have only seen men performing this task. I have not once seen a woman, let alone multiple women in a short distance, herding. As I watched these women performing a typically male task, I began to think back to a class discussion we had had on migration.
In this discussion the topic of migration was brought up, but most importantly it's effect on women. As men migrate to Nairobi, and other economic hubs such as Embu, women assume the jobs and often roles of thier male relatives or husbands. Once I connected the issue of migration with my observations of women herding, everything made sense. As men leave their villages for job oppurtunities in cities the jobs they leave behind are filled by women in their communities. This explains why I saw so many women herding as well as why so many women along side the road were carrying back-breaking loads.
After a small mishap at the hotel we were staying at we heading into Embu and I began my walking tour of the city. Walking around Embu, the largest city in the Eastern Province, gives one the unique oppurtunity of coming into contact with the people of that city. It is in these hands on interactions that ones observations can be put into context. Whenever I travel around a city by foot I try and observe it's inhabitants behavior, dress, and the overall demographic of then city.
In Embu I immediately notice the disporportionate number of men to women. As I continued walking and visiting the landmarks on the checklist we were given it hit me that Embu is the largest city in the Eastern prpovince. Therefore Embu, like Nairobi is probably a migration spot for men living in the Eastern Province. The women i saw herding and carrying large loads are most likely taking over the work of their husbands who have migrated to Embu.
In conclusion, my two hour drive from Nairobi to Embu exposed me to one crucial aspect of Kenyan life today, the effect of economy on both gender roles and communities.

*This is a reflection I wrote for a class, but thought you all would enjoy reading. I will post pictures from my trip to Embu soon, and will post on Meru and Isiolo.