It was only recently that I realized I hate shoes. It’s probably something I’ve realized before, but I definitely just realized it again. Ever since I got back to Kenya I can count the number of times I’ve worn shoes: one. I have been wearing sandals every single day since I got back from my July visit home.

Maybe it was the California summer that made me remember? You know that dry, hot weather that makes you want to throw on a pair of board shorts, go down to the boardwalk and eat a taco with a cold horchata? Or maybe it was the fact that there are no good pairs of shoes here. Too stylish (can’t pull it off), too ugly (can’t wear ’em), too expensive (refuse to spend that kinda cash on ’em), etc.

Wearing sandals on a daily basis is a gesture that I am pretty sure is lost on most Kenyans (except Sammy, and this other jamaa (dude) I know who lived in Canada for a few years). You see some guys walking around wearing the funny strappy ones (hello, are we hiking Mt. Kenyatta Avenue?), and some others wearing some that look like something Jesus would wear, but very few wearing some good ol’ beach-going sandals (Reef, Rainbow, etc). Most Kenyans think sandals are for wearing in the bathroom… haha.

I just hate shoes. I can’t wear them with shorts, and it embarrasses me to think that I used to—with those big white socks nonetheless! The rainy season starts soon so I guess I’ll be forced to figure it out, eh?