Kenyan Friends
Back to the cacophony of cars, buses and motorcycles, the muezzin calls, and the smoky smells of Nairobi! It is nice to have strong internet ( Steve needs to download thousands of hi-res photos), and we need to purchase some school supplies for our project in Ipalamwa, Tanzania. Our loyal Kenyan friend Samuel picked us up at the bush plane (Wilson) airport and helped us find stores that sell bulk pencils, notebooks, small games and books for the schools and villages in which we’ll be working.
After shopping, Samuel invited us to his home, about 8 miles northeast of the city center where we are staying. He said he wanted us to see his neighborhood, taste some “real” Kenyan food, and meet his wife and 2 small children. He mentioned that his son has not seen many mzungu (white people), and when we got to his neighborhood, indeed, the young kids streamed around us, very curious. We are quite a bit older, taller, and whiter than the people in the neighborhood in which they live.
We were invited into Samuel and Charity’s small home (living room, tiny kitchen, bathroom w/o flushing toilet, one small bedroom) and a few curious neighborhood kids popped in too, the older ones able to communicate in English (taught in schools) and the younger ones shyly amswering some simple Swahili questions. We were invited to cuddle Hope, their sweet 4 month old, and we gave a small rolling truck to Telvin, their son. The truck became the center of attention for the kids, who rolled it back and forth between themselves endlessly. I didn’t see any other toys in sight.
We were served homemade french fries, Kenyan sausages, and uji, a traditional porridge drink made from blended sweet potato, arrowroot, cassava, water, and roasted peanuts. It was delicious, and happily, I’m not yet suffering any “Delhi belly” as a consequence. Both Samuel and Charity said it made them very happy that we came to visit their home. And we felt blessed to be welcomed by kind people from a vastly different culture so far from home, when the world seems at odds in so many ways.
Samuel drove us home around 8:30 in the dark, but we were amazed at the liveliness of their neighborhood streets lined with vendors, food stalls, and so many people that it was tough for Samuel to squeeze his small car through. I peeked into a club playing African music and saw people laughing, drinking, dancing. They don’t have much, but these people are happy!
On to Ipalamwa, Tanzania early tomorrow AM! We are told the villages in which we will be working have neither running water nor electricity, but if our volunteer housing gets any power or cell signal at night, I’ll try posting from there!
Enda Salama,
J & S
Driving into Samuel and Charity’s neighborhood
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