Seeking advice/tips on mzungu-kenyan relationships
I am a 20-something Canadian male from Toronto area working in Kenya. I've been here a number of months and recently met a Kenyan girl. I have travelled lots and always been wary of cross-cultural relationships due to all sorts of concerns: expectations, cultures, long-distance, motives, etc. Meanwhile this girl have been getting to know eachother and it feels like a natural healthy relationships not one built on differing expectations and motives (ie. sex vs money).
However, this is also my first time dating cross-culturally and would like some advice/warning/encouragement from anyone specifically Kenyans.
As for relationships, is it common for a girl to have several 'boyfriends' at once? What does 'single' really mean? When does one go about defining a relationships? What if she asks me to see her family? Should I be offering to pay for things? What sort of things will she be expecting from me? What does it mean if she has/has not introduced me to any of her friends. How does sex factor into a relationship.
I hope I'm posting this in the right place. It seems like an encouraging community.
K.B.
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Hope that you'll soon be enligntened.

Harmonie.
As for relationships, is it common for a girl to have several 'boyfriends' at once? I do not think it is "normal". She should commit to one partner.
What does 'single' really mean? Single really doesn't have any other definition. If your single you not seeing anyone else.
When does one go about defining a relationships?I have always thought being open and upfront from the beginning saves a lot of time and effort.听
What if she asks me to see her family? Unless you are planning to Marry her/get serious I wouldn't.
Should I be offering to pay for things? Yes you should.
What sort of things will she be expecting from me? financial support among others rates highly.
What does it mean if she has/has not introduced me to any of her friends. Could mean you are the other man or nothing at all. What do you think?
How does sex factor into a relationship.Highly!
1. It is not common or acceptable to have several boyfriends at once.
2. Single is as the guy above has said. It's the same definition, the world over. However, lots of people say they are single when in fact they are messing around but because nothing is concrete or committed, they term this as being 'single'.
3. One should define the relationship as early as possible to save on hurt feelings or wasted time in case you're both not on the same page in terms of expectations of the relationship.
4. If she asks you to met her family, then it is a sign she is serious. We are very careful about who we bring home to the parents because we do not come from a culture where it is acceptable to date around before marriage.
5. Should you be offering to pay for things...yes. Should you be paying for everything, no.
6. What sort of things will she be expecting? Can't really answer this as all girls differ, however, I can assume fidelity, respect...
7. If she hasn't introduced you to her friends it might mean she does not trust them and wants to lock you down before they can snare you. Might seem ridiculous but a white man is 'hot' in the kenyan dating scene as many see it as their way to a mealticket.
8. How does sex factor in? Depends on the girl. If she's religious, then she might not engage in pre marital sex. Otherwise, it pretty much is a done deal usually.
Sounds, something is a miss!
Not feeling the honesty exists!
Go slow, take a step at a time, learn her well.
Thank you
Regarding your concerns:
The 'cross cultural thing'.听 For me, it never entered my 'arena', but my family and friends were full of the usual bulls**t about cross cultural relationships not being successful etc etc etc., which I ignored!听
It would be very easy for you to get your deeply held beliefs and suspicions about cross cultural relationships and cultural differences 'colour' your relationship and ultimately spoil it.听 Try and let your thoughts on this go, as soon as possible.听 Otherwise, when it comes to any disagreements between you, it will be so easy to blame the 'cultural difference', when in fact it isn't this at all.听 听
If it helps, remember that Kenya has been heavily influenced by the British, over the years.听 Many Kenyans are therefore quite westernised.听 Cultural issues are important, especially if the relationship progresses, and shouldn't be ignored.听 The best person to discuss this with is your partner.听 By doing this, you will be able to gauge how 'traditional' she is.听 You can also get literature about the various tribal customs.
I found it useful to find out about these and understand the culture and beliefs - my parents-in-law live in a fairly remote village and are quite traditional.听 I did this mainly by talking to me Wife and asking questions.听 I find that the cultural difference is interesting and I have NEVER believed it to be a barrier.听
As previous posts have indicated; single means single.听 It is common for Kenyan married men to have a mistress, but Kenyan women don't tend to have several boyfriends.
Defining a relationship; not really sure what you mean.
Meeting her family;听 You will know she is serious when you are introduced to her family!听 She may be more reluctant to introduce you to her friends, unless she is very secure in the relationship and can be sure that none of her friends will attract you.
Paying for things;听 my experience is that Kenyan women are quite traditional in this respect.听 You should offer to pay, in the first instance.听
Sex;听 It is very individual and depends on how religious she is.听 Why not ask what her views are?听 Please get an HIV test done before sleeping with her.听 HIV is common in Kenya.
Things to watch out for:听 听
How do you know that she isn't just after a meal ticket?听 This is quite difficult, but I would be wary if she always wants to go on dates to expensive places, wants do do lots of shopping and for you to pay, always seems to have relatives who are in need of cash for medical expenses etc.
How do you know that she doesn't just want to get a visa to go to Canada?听 Possible signs may be; a lot of talk about wanting to travel/live outside Kenya.听 Possibly wanting to get married quickly.听 Quite difficult to gauge. Perhaps fortunately for me, my Wife had been to the UK several times before we met ................ she never liked it much!!听 I also knew a couple (Australian Husband, Kenyan Wife).听 She had very much wanted to live in Australia, prior to their marriage.听 When she went there, she absolutely hated it and they returned to Kenya.听 From the听 outset, my Wife informed me that she didn't want to live in the West.听 If you are serious, you may need to be willing to live in Kenya ....... just in case.听
Above all, go with your inner feelings about your relationship - its often the best indicator.听 It her intentions are not genuine, deep down, you will feel uneasy.
First post.
I'm an American male engaged to a Kenyan female much younger than me.听 I, too, have traveled this globe for many, many years and I have been exposed to a variety of cultures and thus women of those cultures.
Without getting into specifics about my relationship with Naomi, I will attempt to make observations why she is different than any woman I've ever met.
In no particular order:
She is:
A terrific listener and only speaks when she has something to say.
Unusually beautiful by any standard but isn't pretentious about how she looks. (I will say it appears that Kenya has an unusually high ratio of good looking women compared to other countries.)
Loyal.
Confident in who she is.
Understands her role in our relationship which we have clearly defined.
Loves doing kid stuff...jumping on the bed, playing tag, running around just for the heck of it.
Happy to live in Kenya the rest of her life if she has to.听 But ready to go wherever I lead her.
Doesn't give skin color and age any weight in our relationship. Her eyes are on my heart.
Note: We have talked at length about the world stigma of interracial relationships, especially in our case which is the most unusual of all: White man/black woman, doubled up because of our age disparity.听 She is prepared. So am I.
Appreciates what she has and doesn't dun me for more "stuff"...uh, except for shoes...girl can't have enough听 stiletto heels...
Enjoys cooking, cleaning, washing.听 Doesn't mind getting her hands dirty.
Grounded, doesn't get too high when things are great or too low when times are not so great...even during that "time" of the month.
Loves her family.听 She is her gram's primary caretaker and does gram's very personal daily duties that gram's has trouble with now, if you know what I mean, without a second thought.
Loves children. She doesn't have any of her own but when she gets around kids she jumps in plays like she is one of them.
Loves to dance.听 It's a marvel how she can defy physics with different parts of her body going different ways in sync.
'Nuff said...
So, is she a typical Kenyan woman? I don't know. I have met her friends and family but I can't say she is the same or different from them.听 I just know she is different than any one I've ever met anywhere when I look at her total "package".
Does she have faults? Sure she does. So do I.听 But I have more trouble dealing with hers than she does with mine.听 When I'm an idiot, it does't affect her vision on being with me forever one iota.听 The only thing that will change her mind is if I am unfaithful for more than just the biblical reason. Unfaithfulness in Africa can get me and her dead. That, she made loud and clear. Like I said: Loyal...period.
I will say this: If for some reason we didn't work out and I was open for another relationship, without question I would be looking for another Kenyan. So there ya go...
Hopefully, I given you some insight to answer your own questions looking through my eyes as a guy who has been where you are.
One last: HIV is a serious matter to consider, duh, but especially in Africa.听 We both got tested 3 times over a six month period to ensure we were not positive.听 Do not take it lightly. Know everything about it and protect yourself, and her, until you know for sure you both are clear.
Good fortune to you, sir...
Cheers,
Pauline
Gdluck.
I was deceived.听 The girl I described is not the reality.听 I was played big time.听 She took me for what she could get from me then left me.
She is Kikuyu, a liar and a thief. I saw a colleague last night I had not seen in 18 months and the same thing happened to him.听 A kikuyu woman he loved just upped and left him.
I rescind my statement that if things didn't work out between us I would look for another Kenyan woman.听 No way will I trust another Kenyan.
So my advice is now:听 Have fun with her, laugh, dance, forget about being serious and expect her to leave you someday...
Sadly all of the above is true.
unfortunately there is no script we can read to give an insight to the outcome of a relationship...
All the best,
Jabineer
All the best with the canadian Hope your true love is(the Kenyan)Mo'nique M'hoyah wrote:Enough said on this... Kenyan ladies and foreignors they go crazy whenever they see a white guy,.. Well the notion every enlightened kenyan girl has over whites is..>(they will give you money for sex which is crap)! Kenyan ladies work your a**es dont go looking for whites for (meal tickets) this is not a good picture.....But my heart is still for a Latino out there,....<3 them xx xx Jabineer sorry about what happened to you...(take it as a lesson but dont paint every kenyan woman as the same) beside this mentioning of tribe is unacceptable...
All the best with the canadian Hope your true love is(the Kenyan)
bueno yo soy Latino ,.
,
y voy a estar por all谩 un buen largo tiempo

Thanks for the advises, really helpful!
AlejandroRivera wrote:jejeje chileno ten铆a que ser
Thanks for the advises, really helpful!
wena perro , es dificil ver un chileno en kenya ,
= son re piola las minas de kenya ( si las comparo con chilenas )
ud. sabe 
pinguinoma wrote:AlejandroRivera wrote:jejeje chileno ten铆a que ser
Thanks for the advises, really helpful!
wena perro , es dificil ver un chileno en kenya ,
= son re piola las minas de kenya ( si las comparo con chilenas )
ud. sabe
jajaja muy cierto, hay chicas muy bonitas por estos lados
AlejandroRivera wrote:pinguinoma wrote:AlejandroRivera wrote:jejeje chileno ten铆a que ser
Thanks for the advises, really helpful!
wena perro , es dificil ver un chileno en kenya ,
= son re piola las minas de kenya ( si las comparo con chilenas )
ud. sabe
jajaja muy cierto, hay chicas muy bonitas por estos lados
ten cuidado eso compadre mira k algunas son traicioneras ( como dice el loco de mas arriva ) / [ te lo digo por experiancia ... ;/

Thank you,
础耻谤茅濒颈别
am a Kenyan lady.听 am born here. all I have to warn you is to be very careful with ladies in Nairobi.听 there are those nyce gals who are genuine but other are after what you have ofcourse money...
some chicks believe whites have everything and can provide for everything including paying for sex... how sad!听
be careful
take care
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