The last of Kenya

Hi there,

Well, we just got back from our day around Cairo. Wow. Wow. Wow. Ooops......sorry.......I had promised myself I would find another word or two to use because you are probably getting tired of WOW. Ok, how about, beautiful, eye-opening, amazing, incredible, ageless reality, dusty, smog galore, lots of people, fantastic, surreal! Anyway, what a day! We have some quiet time now and I want to finish up the blog on Kenya. I promised you a part on our visit to the Masai Mara village.

So here goes. The tour group broke up into 3 different sections and headed to different villages (so we wouldn't overwhelm the people). We arrived and Benson was our "village guide". He was quite proficient in English and most gentle and understanding with our questions. It cost each of us $20US for the intimate look at their life. All the money goes to building schools and for education. We were more than happy to contribute to that.

When we arrived, the young men greeted us with a ceremonial Welcome Dance. Pretty interesting. That was followed by a dance by the women. Our observation was that the women looked very unhappy. The men were always smiling and laughing. The women were sullen and unhappy looking. (My comment was that they are bloody tired!!!!!! They do everything!) Anyway, they were all very welcoming! They have been inviting tourists to their villages for quite a number of years now so it's not like we were a novelty to them (although I am sure they are no different than us in that they sit back in a corner later and comment on the rich, fat North American tourists!). They used to be nomadic but now, apparently, they stay in the same place because they don't have to rely on the land totally; they get income from tourists which helps them a lot. Benson was saying that the men want the women to keep learning how to make beads, bracelets, etc. so they can sell them to the tourists when they come.

Once the dancing was over, we were welcomed into the sanction of their village. They have their little mud huts constructed in a circle (for safety from the wild animals). The women make the huts out of cow dung and water and straw for the roof tops. It takes them up to 10 days to build a house. They last about 3 years and then must be built over again because they start to leak. When a young Masai wants to get married, the parents choose the first bride for them. After that, he can choose as many wives as he wants. Benson explained that the choice is not based on looks or personality, but rather it is more important to get a wife who can build a good house, provide children, etc. Interesting! Divorce is non-existent! Benson was curious about our divorce rate and observed that it was probably because we do base a lot of relationships on looks and emotions.

When we went within the circle of huts, the men demonstrated how they make fire (like the boy scouts)!!!! They are slick at that! From there, we split into even smaller groups and were invited into their mud huts. I went along with Elviera, Anne and Tina. We had a bit of a chat with the young host (John) outside the hut where he showed us the piles of wood that the women gather every day to keep the fires going. Those piles are HEAVY!!!!!!!! From there, inside we went. Well, geez, we couldnt' see a darn thing. It was pitch black in there. John lit a fire and we sat and had a chat. I was invited to sit on the Momma/Poppa bed (made of sticks and covered with cow skin.........okee dokee.......I'll go ahead and sit, not knowing what the heck I was sitting in/on!!!!! And this was the day I chose to wear my white pants. Brilliant!) Anyway, we were again humbled at their hospitality and their willingness to help us understand their way of life.

They only eat meat, and drink cow blood and milk. That's it! That's their complete diet. The men eat two times a day - early morning, before they head to the fields all day to tend to the cows, and then in the evening when they return. I asked John if they took the equivalent of a "bag lunch" with them so they could have something to eat during the day. Nope, he said. The only thing is that they go down to the river for a drink of water when they get thirsty. Otherwise, they wait till the evening meal which is, again, boiled meat. They explained how they extract the blood from the cow's jugular vein (shooting an arrow into it). Yikes. We do appreciate our life in Canada! They sure don't have an obesity problem though!!!!!! We sat in the hut for about 15 minutes; our eyes adjusted to the dark but it was still difficult to see anything. I just pointed my camera and started shooting some pictures, hoping something would come of it (with John's permission). Another interesting thing is that the hut didn't have any odor (remember, it's made of cow dung!). But it was a rather warm and sunny day. Don't think I would want to be there in the rainy season! There was cow dung everywhere and we were told that when you step in it, it will bring you good luck. I know I have some good luck coming MY way now! ha ha

From the inside of the hut, we were invited back out and were welcome to take as many pictures as we wanted. I wanted some close up shots of their ears! Take a look at my pictures and you will see the large ears (like in National Geographic!), their jewellery, etc. They dress like this every day! The colors are so beautiful! Then we were invited into their little "craft area" where they make jewellery, etc. and sell it to the tourists. Of course we bought things to support them! The children were delightful!

I had my black travel bag with me, that has spaces on the front where I inserted the pictures of my kids and grandkids. The children and women LOVED the bag!!!! They were especially enamored (spelling?) with the picture of my 5 year old grandson Brian holding his pink soccer ball (wish I had had the foresight to pack one and bring it for them!!!! I've seen it enough times on World Vision with Rod Black to have known better!!!!). You'll love that picture of the kids surrounding me to have a good look at my bag! They were adorable!

On my way back to the van, I met Emmanuel. He is one of the English teachers. Of course I HAD to tell him about my son, Kevin, who is also an English teacher. We had a fascinating discussion!

Anyway, that was our visit and it was an eye-opener. These are happy people! It is contagious to be with them. We learned lots as they were very open and sharing!

Come along on this journey and enjoy the photos, and say a prayer of gratitude for your own lifestyle and all the blessings you have!

Bye for now. Cairo notes will appear later tonight. We are going for a dinner cruise on the Nile. Hooray!

Happy Pat

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