News on Kenya’s Diaspora: the return of the ‘summer bunnies’

It’s December once again and being summer in Nairobi, flocks of people running away from winter in the diaspora are landing in the country to spend the festive season with their families. “Summer bunnies” are an interesting lot to have around for the comical stunts which they pull once they land at JKIA. There is more than enough content for a comic script.

Some have only been overseas, or ‘in the States’ as they prefer calling it, for at most an year, but shock on you when this fellow lands home, they have a foreign accent and have allegedly forgotten not just their mother tongue which they used to speak fluently a year ago before they left the country, but the local dialect ‘swahili’ as well. And its always an interesting scenario when these fellows have to address their old folks especially in the rural areas where the services of a translator will have to be sought.

Another thing that will bug the local mwananchi is the way most summer bunnies, especially the youth, tend to act as if they left their manners in the USA.

KENYAN DIASPORA RETURNS: WHAT HAVE THEY LEFT BEHIND?

Its summer time to them so they will dress for summer, outfits that will leave the conservative wondering if they picked them up from the tailors before the garment had been completed. Others are out to show the world that they are up to date with all of the latest gizmos in town, which they stuff in every corner of their clothes and parts of the body, which leaves them looking like walking electronic shops. You will be so embarrassed if a summer bunny happens to spot your iPhone which is coincidentally similar to his, “oh my God! Where did you get this? You mean they are also here, it must be a counterfeit….?” they will be caught saying.

Woe unto you if you have a summer bunny visiting this Christmas as you will be turned into a tour guide. Walking along the streets of Nairobi and your dear ‘tourist’ exclaims, “you mean Moi Avenue is still here?” like the city council ought to have taken the street else where and replaced it with another.

To all the mums who were meant to believe that they were the best cooks around, well shock on them when their lovely daughter insists on not taking mum’s porridge which was her one time favourite, arguing that it will make her fat.

Well, this correspondent harbours no hard feelings for our dear brothers and sisters, just a reminder to them that this is Africa, home sweet home, nothing has become too foreign, even for you.