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Published: December 31st 2013
I'm getting used to the daily life and routine here now, up with the cockerel, 6am, and greeted by a chicken on the bed. Breakfast is a slice of bread and chai (tea). Fetch water which is heavy work. An apple or banana for lunch at 2 and then we have dinner at sunset at 7ish. Dinner is usually cabbage tomatoes and onion cooked in loads of oil served with either rice maize or chapattis. Apart from the oil, it's actually quite nice. Our evening meal is eaten in torchlight only which is hard to get used to. I did try and cook an early meal one day so we could eat in the light but they prefer to eat at sunset. I'm usually in bed after a thorough bug search by 9pm exhausted but still have trouble sleeping in the bed which is really uncomfortable. One chicken has taken a liking to my bed and I seem to be constantly having to shoo it out. The cat pounces on me from a height which freighted the life out of me the first time and the bugs are massive and I find at least 1 each night in there. I've not
Me and Josephine
Cooking prep Christmas Morning, I'm in charge of spuds.been hungry once but I think that's because I'm so busy. Life here is tough work but I'm happy to be helping where I can. My hosts are looking after me well and are quite protective.
Friday, the weekend before Christmas. We have finished at lunchtime today at the project so we head back home. When getting there I am invite to go to the merry go round at which confusion sets in...... I find the merry go round is a woman's community group (approx 15 women) at which they all discuss ideas of how to help one another. They make me feel very welcome and a chapattis and chai is given to me immediately. I can't understand a word of what is being said but some is being translated for me. Each week they meet and pay 100ksh each and take turns to host the meetings. The host gets all the firewood and provides chapattis and chai (tea) for all. Names are drawn out of a hat 3 times the first name gets 50% of the Money the other 50% goes to the host the second name drawn, hosts the next meeting and the third name receives
prayer from each member of the group.
Saturday we go to Ngong to shop, I buy Christmas presents for the family, colouring books, crayons, balloons and bubbles for each of the 5 children, a solar radio for Isaac some cooking pots and shoes for Josephine, a Masai blanket for Isaac's father and a kaftan for Isaac's mother. I have finished shopping so rather than hang around and wait, I make my way home on my own and start preparing dinner. It takes a while to get a fire going but once lit, I'm fine. I've had a whole week on rice maize and cabbage, which has been okay up to now as I have not had much of an appetite. I've bought some sausages and mincemeat and for our evening meal I make a sausage casserole. My hosts arrive home at 7.30 at which time it's just ready, it has taken 3 hrs to cook. It goes down very well I am happy to have helped.
Sunday, we have enough sausage left for me to cook for sausage sandwiches before attending Church, yes that's right Church!!!! My hosts are very religious and I am keen to
go with them. We can her the music coming from the church from our house, it's a base speaker that you can here. As we get closer the music is good, sort of reggae/gospel music. It's only a small church but it's full of mainly women and children. The service starts with lots of singing and dancing by all, and then the children are invited up to sing and then the teens and lastly the women. My host Isaac is one of only 3 men there and he does a speech during the service. 3hrs later I've had enough, I though it was never going to end. For our evening meal on Sunday I have prepared home made burgers from the mince beef I bought, which went down a treat.
Monday I am told not to go to the project and attend a festival with Josephine. I ask what the festival is for and I am told it’s for a male circumcision. There are approx 300 people there and you can see them arrive from all different directions, most are dressed in traditional Masai dress but not all. They start with giving each person a plate that is
Nancy
Cooking prep Christmas Morning piled high with mash rice, goat and chapattis. It's at this point I learn that I don't like goat! There are 4 5 pots full, plenty to go around. After the feasting they move to another area at which a base speaker is in place with a keyboard. Then more prayer, singing, dancing and preaching which lasts 2 hrs. The men and women are segregated and do not mix. At the end I was still unaware of who was hosting the festival or who the boy was who was circumcised. On our way back home I ask Josephine many questions about the service and was told the circumcision was for a girl and not a boy. She said the circumcision took place over a month ago but they have the celebration at a later date so the authorities don't find out. Female circumcision is illegal in Kenya too. I'm not comfortable with being part of the festival and inform Isaac that female circumcision is illegal in the UK. I tell him it is considered to be child abuse and he becomes slightly annoyed which makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. I decide to leave the subject there and go to
Florence
Cooking prep Christmas Morning bed.
Christmas morning, and it's still hard to believe where I am. With a heavy heart I am constantly thinking of my family. I look forward to seeing what the day brings, a Christmas like no other. Firstly I give my hosts there gifts at which they are extremely grateful for. Then the slaughter of the goat which was pretty horrific to watch but I made myself. They suffocate the goat and then slit its neck, the blood is then drained and salt added and drank by all the men. Then for the women the cooking preparation starts. All 5 women, myself included in sat in the cook house (a 6x12ft shed) preparing veggies, chapattis and goat for dinner. Some 5 hours later dinner is ready. I also cooked some jam fritters. I was going to buy a Christmas cake but I thought I would make something cheap so they could afford to make it too if they like. It's just jam sandwiches in batter then covered in sugar. It's an old favorite I remember my dad making us as kids. All in all a pretty hard day if your a woman. They all enjoyed the gifts I
got them though, a definite feel good factor. I have decided to buy Josephine and Isaac a water tank. Josephine really struggles fetching water each day which is why I have taken over the job. The tank is approx £150 so I've asked Isaac to do the necessary to order and I will pay.
Boxing Day Josephine and I Went to collect fire wood, it's really tough work and takes approximately 2 hrs. She does this twice per week. There are giraffes nearby so we (Isaac and I) went to try and get a closer look but they don't let you get too close. There are monkeys in the hills too which I am yet to see. Today I'm told we have goats intestines and stomach for supper. Just seeing it raw is disgusting, although I did try some, I already know I don't like it because it smells off. I have a bite and it's as foul as expected. Within seconds I've started to wretch.
Friday I'm invited to a baby shower. Isaac's adopted sister has recently had a baby and lives in a village north of where the rest of the family is. It's
a 2hr bumpy drive from where we are but they live just the same, although they seem to be slightly worse off than where we are, they don't have a toilet they have a mud hut on site and they tin hut is small. They start with giving everybody food..... More goat! The baby is wrapped in a new blanket that has been bought by a family member and then passed to each woman. As the baby is passed money is put inside the blanket. When a female marries she goes to live with the male’s family and is not allowed contact with her family more than every 11 months. It's not considered good for the female to have a lot of contact with her family once she is married except in special circumstances like the birth of a baby. Another rule made by a man no doubt!
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Tracey
non-member comment
Well done you
Am utterly in awe of you, what experiences you have and how you make the best of things. I read your blog as I was sitting in a restaurant in Madeira overlooking the harbour and immediately did not feel hungry and wishing I could send my food to you there. It sounds as though you are enjoying things although it sounds tough, especially as you are a female! Take care, happy new year to everyone there and look after yourself, love you xxxxx