How to improve your street smarts

Some things cannot be learned in a classroom. There are lessons that nobody can teach you, yet if you do not know them you could find yourself in a spot.

How, for instance, could you possibly know that the “innocent” people around you dabble in the underworld?

This is where being streetwise comes in. No matter how polished and educated you may be, without this brand of knowledge, you will remain naïve for a long time.  Start developing some it systematically. Here are a few guidelines to get you started.   

1. Step out of your bubble

When you live in a bubble, it is easy to lose touch with some things on the ground. Living in a bubble means that you are confined to your own world with its people and way of life and yet you live within a bigger society. It is very easy to live like this in Nairobi. If you have never stepped out of the confines of your neighbourhood and shopping centre for years, you could lose the street touch.

Get out of the area and see how others live. It will teach you many lessons. This works whichever class of society you come from.

2. Keep your ear to the ground

A lot is learned from listening to what other people say. It does not mean that you are a gossip if you listen to whatever others say about others.

As long as you do not twist the facts and add your own biased opinions, you cannot be accused of malicious gossip. If you listen keenly to some of these things, your street wisdom will rise because you will know what goes on around you.

3. Find out what is going on around you

As much as you probably would not wish to associate with bad elements in your society, ignoring and pretending they do not exist will not help you much.

For example, acquaint yourself with drug dealers and confidence tricksters to know what they are up to. You could be their next innocent victim. Learn the street language.  Get to know where people hang out and what goes on in some of these places.

Visit a changaa den or a miraa selling base and listen to the live chatter there.

4. Learn about the latest scams

Every year new frauds and tricks do the rounds. All these are meant to separate you from your money. As time goes by, scammers are becoming more sophisticated and subtler.

Make it your business to know all this by researching on the Internet and reading. This way, it will be difficult for anyone to pull a surprise on you.