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Published: January 11th 2014
What an amazing few days. I think this is the first time I have not seen the new year in with a few drinks, and also a first to be tucked up in bed before 10. New Year's Eve is not celebrated here but New Year's Day is, much the same as Christmas Day, it started with the slaughter of a goat and then the food prep by the women. This time I opted to go with the men and see what they get up to whilst all the hard work is being done by their wives. We visit approximately 5 houses throughout the day to wish the families Happy New Year. There is goat potatoes and rice offered at each house and the men take a plate at each one. I managed 2 potatoes and a chapatti!
Thursday 2nd we have booked to go on a safari as the volunteers get a much reduced price than other visitors so we have chosen a 3 day safari in the Maasai Mara Reserve. The drive is a 6 hour bumpy ride with a lunch stop on the way. Up to now I have only had the opportunity to wash in 2"
of water so I'm looking forward to a shower more than anything.
We arrive at 2pm and are driven to the reserve shortly afterwards. In just a couple of hours we've seen elephants, zebra, wildebeest, giraffes and gazelles. The sun set is beautiful. The air feels more tropical to where we have been staying and it's the first time since arriving in Africa that I have been able to sit outside and enjoy the evening air. Back in Olasiti the evenings are extremely windy and cold.
Day 2 of the safari we are searching for lions. It's taken us a while but we do see a male and female together enjoying an afternoon nap. Then suddenly the male starts to mate with the female for what seemed like seconds before letting out an almighty roar. It sounds frightening and I'm not sure whether he did it because he was mating or that we were disturbing his performance. We are taken to a lake where the hippos are found which is close to the Tanzania /Kenyan border. The boarder is marked with a milestone with a T and K spray painted on it. We stay here for
a while and have lunch amongst the monkeys and birds that are brave enough to come and share with you. After several hours of driving around in a 10 seater Toyota van, it's me that is starting to feel like a caged animal in a zoo so I'm happy to leave.
We travel then to a Maasai Mara village nearby who give us a great welcome and show us round their homes and village. The village consists of approx 50 homes. The homes are made from cow dung, soil, ash from the fires and water. The male buys his wife for approximately 14 cows and then she builds the house for them to live in. The more cows a man has, the more wives he can buy (usually 2). Unlike the Maasai people I am living with the family all live in one room, the same room all the cooking is done. The young goats and cows have a room in the house too. It's very dark in there with a window that is only approximately 5" square.
The following morning, were up before sunrise so we can enter the reserve for sunrise which is beautiful to see.
This is when the lion’s cheetahs, and leopards hunt for food. Within minutes, we are driven to see the sight of a cheetah that has just killed a wildebeest. He is frightened by our presence and tries to tug at the wildebeest dragging it away from us. He soon realises he is not in danger of loosing his kill and continues to devour. Overall it's been a fantastic 3 days away made even better by being more appreciative of good food, hot running water and a comfortable bed. The journey home seems to take forever but on arrival I'm greeted with all the children running towards me wanting to hold my hand and then the rest of the family give me the most amazing welcome home, they greet me as if I have been gone for a year. They say they have missed me and I realise I have missed them too, I really feel at home here.
Sunday I've declined going to church but take the morning to relax with a book and nobody about. The first day of rest.....Bliss!
Monday 6th, 2 more volunteers have arrived and we start work once again
on the orphanage build. There is still a lot to do but for now, we have to level the floor with small stones and lay concrete, and put windows and doors on. All the volunteer donations have paid for this build but the progress is slow, nobody owns a clock so the men turn up whenever and when they do turn up they disappear to god knows where. I found them one day all sat down listening to music and quickly marched them back to work. My host Isaac said he was shocked and said I should be careful not to upset the men because they are not used to being spoken to by a women like that. I replied "oh please apologise for me as I'm not used to working with lazy shits either"!
Tuesday 7th I've come home from work to the women skinning 2 goats because they have died. They have died because they are sick with pneumonia. I ask if they will eat them and the reply is no because they have died due to illness. Thank goodness! The skins are sold for 1.50ksh. The medication for them is expensive but they have
to buy some before it spreads to the rest of the goats. This care is only received by the goats or cows. If the dogs are sick then they are left for dead. Being a dog lover I'm saddened by the treatment received by the dogs and my host family is no different to any others. At one house I experienced a dog being shot in the leg because he came too close to the food. The dog was just left screaming with pain. At another house I've heard cries from a dog for more than half an hour because it is in pain from a beating. The dogs are there to protect the property and nothing more. They are never fed but they survive on scraps of food thrown out or bits of food left in the water thrown from the washing up. There are 5 dogs here and they all fight for food and are really skinny. One of the dogs here was walking like it was drunk, it had no coordination and could hardly stand. They said it was sick and was laughing at it fall over. Since that night, I've not seen the dog and suspect
it has died somewhere. As one animal goes, more appear, I wake up the following morning to several chicks that have hatched.
The doctors are back at work now and therefore Josephine can go to the baby clinic to register her pregnancy. She is 6 months pregnant now. She says she has to be there for 9am so I am ready for 8.50am and still waiting to leave the house at 10.50. This is normal here and a little frustrating for me at the excessive amount of time wasted just hanging around. We arrive at the clinic at 12.30 and find 20 other women there with their young babies carried in a sling on their backs. Some are just weeks old and others months. All the women there say hello to one another and me too. They look around at all the other babies, comparing there bundle of joy with everyone else's, in exactly the same way I remember doing with my children at anti natal clinic. It's not long before a woman arrives and takes a baby girl off her back and plonks her on my lap and then another baby appears from her back.... Twins!
She asks me to hold her and go into the clinic room with her to help, and I'm more than happy to. All the babies are undressed one by one and weighed. All the mothers have their clinic card checked and then they leave. All the babies seem happy and healthy. Even in 30 degree heat they all have 2 layers of clothes hats and 2 blankets around them.
Friday 10th, I've been told by Isaac's sister that there is a swimming pool near to the town so I'm keen to go. We walk up the mountain and are given a lift down the other side in a pickup truck, which is gratefully received even if it was sitting up the back with 17 goats. Isaac's brother-in-law drives us to the pool as were told it's not safe for us white folk to be travelling on the bus alone. We spend about 4 hrs in the pool which is bliss and although it's pretty basic, it feels great to be in the water. We have the pool to ourselves most of the day but all the people arriving later on cannot swim. I was asked if I
swam in the Olympics because they have never seen anyone swim before. We get the bus back accompanied by Isaac and are squashed into a 10 seater minibus with music blasting from the speakers. The bus is full but still another 5 people get in. Along the journey we are taunted with racist remarks by some which was pretty uncomfortable to experience. At our arrival we are pushed from the vehicle and more racist comments are made. The journey was only about 5 minutes but it was an unpleasant one.
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Anne Doveston
non-member comment
Happy New Year from Anne
Sounds so interesting Lisa. Do you have much to do with the other volunteers? Where are they from? Women' lives have come a long way, it must be so frustrating at times. Well done! you be careful. But glad you ask awkward questions occasionally. X