Kisumu is hot, hot, hot right now. Even the Kenyans are complaining. Last night Brian stood outside talking to me through my kitchen window while I cooked, deeming the temperature in my kitchen to be miserable. He is becoming like such a Kenyan man, next he'll expect me to serve him. Ha. I did beat him at Scrabble though so all is well.
Yesterday I gathered up my brain matter.. finally got a bank card so can access my pay, attempted to pick up my Kenya Airlines tickets (it takes 60 days for the internet purchases to be processed??)and had lunch with my Dutch doctor friend from Mumias who I am going to Lamu with. I discovered Kisumu has a tourist market and sought it out. I also spent a good deal of time and energy looking for mint for my cous cous.. it is just such a delicious addition, but to no avail. Wednesday apparently.
Today I met Wellington at the District Education Officer's for a meet and greet. He wasn't there again (the DEO), but at least I have been trying. We then did a speech and language training with some of the Kenya Institute of Education (KISE) distance learners.. and boy were they a barrel of laughs. At 1 o'clock I just decided I had had enough and gave them the packet of handouts to read through at their leisure. Then Wellington decided he wanted to take me home (as they do! ha.). "Fine" said I while simultaneously groaning inwardly at the prospect.
Wellington explained that in order for me to know him, really know him I had to see who he was at home and where he came from. Sure. I can't say I know him any better having seen his home, but it was still a cool visit and it's not often you get to meet your co-workers mother.
First though we stopped at a school where Wellington actually did his primary education and his brother now works as a teacher. The school is a part of a link program through the British Council and they currently have some British visitors, teachers who are actually staying with Wellington's mother. Wellington and I rocked up on the motor bike, greeted the headmaster, had a soda, promised we would consider them in the district training and turned down lunch (I was later disappointed to realize it was dengue and chapatti not the typical ugali and skumawiki! Of course - they had visitors!!)
Back on the bike, up a winding dirt path and there we are Wellington's family compound. Basically his mother lives in the middle and her 5-6 sons have houses within a stones throw. I wasn't too clear on the 3 daughters. 1 of them lives in Kakamega though. So apparently as a son you can always come to your mother's for dinner and basically the men get together with their mum every night, eat together and chat about the day, politics etc, pray and then go home at 10pm. And your wives? "They take care of the children. After my father died, the children had to eat at their own homes because it was too much for my mother to be cooking for all of them." How wonderful to grow up with a pack of children all around. It really was a beautiful homestead and I got to see the cows and chickens.
The other day we were talking about children. I was saying I would want four children, but it was unlikely to happen because I wouldn't want to not work for that long. And the Kenyan women said, "you don't have to stop work, the children just run around and other people look after them". I pointed out that as a speech therapist I had to talk to my children a lot. "No" said they "the other children will talk to them." Oh. Okay then. I love that when I am marketing or out and about you will just come across a child sitting by themselves playing, engaged in whatever it is they can get their hands on. Yesterday there was a little one causing havoc with a sack of potatoes, and the world goes on around them.
Anyway, Wellington and I had a good chat over tea and indeterminable jam sandwiches and now I am back in Kisumu. There is a dish here called Katchimberi? something with 4 syllables, starts with /K/ ands with a vowel.. I am going to try and make that to go with my Dahl Makhani (from a packet bad me) and rice. Last night I finished packing so I am going to work on the upcoming training manuals. Hope life is exciting for everyone and Spring has appeared in the midwest. love, love. b
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