| Volume: 1 | Issue: 3 | March 5, 2008 |
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From: Kenya, East Africa...
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Hello All! Since my trip to Ethiopia in September, life in Africa has changed so much. Ethiopia is a whole different world when compared to Kenya. I found the food to be progressively intolerable. The Ethiopians are grain and meat consumers. Vegetables, especially fresh, are in short supply. The food was relentlessly spicy compared to the flavorful, but relatively unembellished, food of Kenya. The center of every meal was injera; a steamed paper thin bread made from a fermented grain called neff. The whole diet was a nightmare for someone with a Candida problem. I ended up on anti fungal drugs and suffered from the flare up for a couple of months after returning to Kenya. On the other hand, the women were beautiful, their dress stunning, and the country was steeped in the history of ancient Christianity. The people were more like the people from the Middle East. They were thin and elegant compared to the stocky Kenyans with their kinky hair. Rachelle and I were constantly calling each other to look at this or that beautiful outfit. It seemed to be a country where women appreciated and admired what other women were wearing. We spent hours shopping for Ethiopian materials and the lovely shawls that are standard attire. The Ethiopians love dancing to their traditional music which has a Middle East sound. In the evening they seemed to prefer watching dancers on the television to watching regular shows. Their dances were not easy to imitate, although Rachelle could do a pretty good job of it. She lived in southern Ethiopia at a convent for half a year. I tried. I also learned to ululate (that's that lalala yell). When in Rome you have to do what the Romans do. The ancient churches and monoliths that we visited throughout the country were fascinating. I hadn't realized that there was so much ancient history preserved in Ethiopia. Christian Orthodox prayers were broadcasted over loudspeakers throughout the day much like Muslim prayers elsewhere. Huge churches had been hewn out of solid rock mountainsides. The Ark of the Covenant is supposedly kept in a stone temple, although no one is allowed to see it. I personally feel it's hidden in a secret cave in the countryside. This is the country of the Queen of Sheba and of ancient mysteries. Gold and silver artifacts are everywhere. Donkeys, more than people or cars, still carry the burdens, and are found everywhere, even in large cities. I started laughing one morning when I realized, after the fact, that a string of camels had walked in front of the cafe where I was having tea and I didn't even consider it unusual. This is what Africa does to you. Our return to Kenya was quickly followed by a shift (change of houses). Dick and I now have our own home and compound. We also have 2 men day workers, 2 Massai night guards, a live-in housekeeper, room for over 350 chickens, a garden, and 2 dogs. Our house is on a hillside overlooking a valley. The hills in the distance are quite tall and lush looking. There are a variety of bright flowering trees all around us. Colorful birds of all sizes and shapes visit the compound. There's even a large bright blue lizard who hangs out on the stone wall that surrounds the compound. This is quite a change from life in the USA. The rent here is a bargain for 3 bedrooms and a large living area, but the house still doesn't have water or window screens. I have learned to take baths with a liter of water and be happy. Dishwater and laundry water is used to flush the toilet. The past month the chickens were drinking a lot and I even put a moratorium on laundry. Water has to be hauled in 20 liter containers and stored in a 4,000 liter outdoor tank. Supposedly we'll have water this week, but I'm not holding my breath. One week can easily run into four weeks or months. It's called African Stretch Time. I don't think I'll ever be casual about water usage again. Because jobs are hard to come by, we had the men build the chicken houses so that we could keep them employed. We have extremely good workers and we wanted to make sure that they could continue to support their families. Two weeks ago we sold our first batch of 200 dressed broiler chickens. This has been quite a learning process for someone who's never handled live chickens. I'm proud to say that I can now catch and carry chickens without being pooped on. We also have some local colorful chickens. The two local hens just hatched 22 babies. It's so funny to see those hens hanging around with all these little legs and feet sticking out underneath them. Currently we have no new broilers or layers due to the violence in the country. The Massai are a hoot to live with. If there are two Massai, there's a lot of laughing and loud talking. If there are three Massai, there's an automatic party with music and possibly dancing. We employ one Massai, John, but we can have as many as six for a meal. Lately there have been two or three at night. They speak no English, just Kiswahili and their local language. The Massai are noted for their loyalty, honesty, and brotherhood, that's why they're sought after for night guards. They're also noted for their fighting ability. There are still a lot of them that have participated in lion kills. They always carry swords and short sticks that could probably crush a skull. When John opens the gate of the compound for someone after dark he's carrying his bow and arrows. The locals fear Massai for a good reason, and I feel very protected in the compound or on the streets when John is with me. Some thugs tried to rob John's friend Isaiah last week. Because he's rather plain and nerdy looking they didn't realize that he was Massai until he pulled his sword on them. Then they turned and ran for their lives, all the while yelling that they were really his friend. Hopefully they stopped their sordid business for awhile. Isaiah, by the way, is teaching himself to read Kiswahili. Almost all the Massai are illiterate, probably because they live nomadic lives. Isaiah is a very dear and good soul. John spends none of his earnings. He's saving his money to buy more cows and goats. The Massai are still nomadic herdsmen, and John says he cannot live well yet, even though he currently owns 20 cows and about 80 goats. John's home is on the Massai Mara, where he says there is peace among the people. The Massai are also the only Africans who still wear their traditional clothes most of the time. John will wear western clothes at night, but during the day he wears the traditional wraps. He has added a dark green fleece blanket that we gave him to his traditional dress outfit. I think that makes him a Northwest Massai. We are learning Kiswahili now, because that is the language of all our workers. The first sentence I learned from John was I want food. Our last housekeeper was from one of the tribes that is not local, so we haven't seen her since the elections. The ethnic cleansing that has gone on in this area has not involved killing the people, only burning property and chasing the people out of town. The ethnic cleansing that goes on through the government involves killing. I am determined to make this a Kenyan household. We have a Kenyan waterpot for drinking water and sour milk made from the fresh milk that we have delivered to the house daily. I make sure that there's always cake (cornbread) or pancakes for tea. The guys love cornbread made with maize flour. I can't believe they haven't ever had anything like it, because maize is their staple food. I buy the maize (corn) at the market every weekend, then take it to the mill to be ground. I think I'm the only white woman to visit the posho mill, but this fresh ground flour has all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals still in it. I would have to pay a premium price for it in the States. Kibuya market place is only a 15 minute walk from the house. On Sundays we have the largest open market in Kenya. The fresh fruits and vegetables are amazing. Pineapples, coconuts, avocados (about 10 cents each), mangos, watermelons, papaya, potatoes, peppers, carrots, greens, sweet potatoes, cabbages, peanuts, green and yellow bananas, onions, garlic, and all sorts of grains sold out of big bags. And everything is organic and just picked. By now I have my favorite vendors who look for me and give me good prices. I love going to market even though I leave carrying about 50 pounds of food. Imagine carrying that on the back seat of a boda boda (bicycle). My health has improved greatly from the good diet, and I can now tolerate sugar with no bad effects. My weight is down to what it used to be when I was younger. Even Dick, despite his affection for Coke, has lost some weight and no longer has a problem with apnea and loud snoring. Finally I want to talk about the political climate here. The man who is now claiming to be the president cooked the votes, and everyone on this side of the country knows it. The rioting, burning, and looting that occurred at first was initiated by the police under orders of the government. It seems that Kibaki has tried to put an end to democracy in Kenya and doesn't really care who is hurt. Kenya was the model for democracy in Africa. The looting, burning, and shooting was all around our compound, but the local Luo tribe was just targeting President Kibakiâ's tribe. We were safe along with the other Americans, Europeans, and Asian Indians, but we have friends who have had to flee this area. The people forced to leave are refugees in their own country. Most of the people are peaceful still and this climate is unlike anything they've ever seen. The good news is that people got together with their neighbors to beat up the thugs who were perpetrating violence for the sake of violence. The victims are finding out they must reclaim their society by themselves. The police are under government control, and they are worthless. It turns out that our area of the country was the safest. The people in this area actually warned people that they were going to be chased out, and even escorted people to safety before their houses were looted and burned. People from Kibakiâ's tribe went out for blood. They slashed and burnt whole families. The horror stories from the people who escaped are chilling. We are so thankful for intervention from the US, the European Union, and the African Union. There are a lot of new babies who have been named Kofi Annan. There are still going to be a lot of problems ahead, but things are now going in a better direction. We are hopeful and watchful. At least it’s not business as usual for the government. Things have been shaken up. The voices of the downtrodden people have been heard. So this is the news from Kenya. When the good and the bad is weighed out, this is still a wonderful place to live. A month ago we celebrated the marriage of our worker Evans. We bought and slaughtered a goat for him. It was a good day. The day of the worst looting with shooting all around us, the Massai were practicing with the bow and arrows in the yard. They are remarkably accurate and comfortable with their weapons. I'm glad they're on my side. John calls me Mama. Everyone calls Dick Msayâ, which means respected old fart. When I ask God why now?, He just says wait. So I am waiting and healing the sick and needy in His name when possible. God is good. Pray for justice, not just peace, in Kenya. |