Upcountry

We’ve just gotten back from going upcountry for the funeral.  It was quite an experience!  I’d been to the area before, but mainly just with Papa Matilda’s family, not Mama Matilda’s as was this time.  Families have a big plot of land, and a garden etc which they use for subsistence farming.  Then it typically gets subdivided so that each child can have a plot within the land.  So families live close to eachother.  We stayed with Mama Matilda’s cousin, Mama Carol.  She had been very worried that she did not know how to care for a mzungu, and was concerned I wouldn’t like to eat their food, and would be unhappy.  But Mama Matilda assured her I am easy, and we had a great time!  She enjoyed showing me their life there, and taking me around to greet all of her neighbors.

The funeral took place the day after we got there, and we all got up early and headed to her aunt’s house (the one who passed away) to get into matatus (like smallish 15 passenger vans) with other family and friends and go to the mortuary. 

After viewing the body, we went to the church and they brought the casket in, said a few words, sang songs, and then took it to the house where the funeral continued.  There were speeches given, songs sung, and then different family groups called up to have their pictures taken by the casket.  People were constantly coming and going from the service, and you could go in the back and talk, eat, play with kids, etc. and then return again.  I’ve been told that the aunt was bewitched by a woman who also bewitched 4 other people in the family.  So the real excitement/drama of the day came at night, after the burial (which happens on the property).  The family was trying to decide whether to burn the woman, and/or her house.  The group of family having this meeting did indeed leave to find her, but she had left the area, and they came back again.  Apparently they went again this morning, but I’m not sure if anything happened. 

Two of Mama Matilda’s cousins and I became good friends (Janet and Alex) and it was fun hanging out with them. 

Back at Mama Carol’s house, the first night, we had dinner, then decided that we wanted chicken.  So we killed a chicken that was running around and everyone did a little bit so that by the end we had a delicious soup.  My job was to hold the legs of the plucked chicken while someone took a machete to it and cut it up.  Then I had to wash all the parts to get some of the blood off.  It was funny thinking about how at home we are very careful to wash even a cutting board that has had raw chicken on it.  But instead, I held the legs, got blood all over me, hand rinsed the parts, and then used my hands to eat the chicken pieces out of the soup.  Haha.  I see people who live in Nairobi etc be neat and tidy here, always needing toilet paper for example.  But when the go back upcountry, they slip right into the life there and a tree with soft leaves becomes perfect.  I felt similar in that I had no care about being dirty or anything, just taking the experiences as they came and enjoying the blessing of being able to be part of a different life. 

This is Mama Carol’s son, he thought that I was Paloma (a star of a recent Mexican soap dubbed into English and watched and talked about throughout the country) and was afraid of my celebrity status.  But he eventually warmed up to me, and even promised me one of the chicks of his chicken!

I’m like 6 days in and its already been quite an adventure!  I’m off to watch some rugby tomorrow, and see some old friends.  Thank you for all of the emails, it has been great hearing from such good friends and family!  I thought it would have been easier to describe the past few days, but its something totally unlike life in the US that its been difficult to do it justice.  So thanks for bearing with me, and I hope you now all have a bit more insight into life upcountry.  I’ve also come back carrying sugar cane, macadamia nuts,  and papaya (which neighbors brought for me), and lots of juicy, sweet mangoes!! 

Kwaheri (bye) for now.

London/ Arrival in Kenya

On my way to arriving in Kenya, I spent 10 or so hours in London.  It was fun taking the subway into the city and seeing St. Paul’s Cathedral (thanks for the tip Mom), whose grounds are apparently home to Occupy London.  Always funny when you can go so far away, and yet see the same things I would have if I’d stayed in the Bay Area.  I went to a pub near Trafalgar Square and they had a Big Ben Burger.  This might be one of the more embarrassing things that has happened to me- My first thought was “Stupid Steelers fans.  How could they even follow me here!?!?”  About 20 seconds later I pulled myself together and reacquainted myself with the fact that I was in London and Big Ben is kind of one of their biggest land marks.  Go Nikki… 

Matilda looking good and ready for school

I'm in Kenya now, and am staying with the family that I stayed with when I studied abroad here in 2009.  We live in Mwiki, which is a small area to the east of Nairobi (maybe google maps will help here...) They are wonderful and one of the happiest families I've ever met.  In Kenya, gender roles are very strict, and most men come home from work and put their feet up on the table and read the paper or watch tv.  They then wait for their wife to come and bring them tea and dinner (this is expected regardless of whether or not the wife also works a full time job).  But my family is completely different, constantly supporting eachother.  It's a fun environment to be in.  I'm going to cook the ugali (water and maize flour combined to look like mashed potatoes that is a staple of many African dishes) tonight for dinner, and learn to cook the rest of the meal.  My host mom is a wonderful cook, and intent on teaching me so that I can go home with a menu of atleast 4 meals at my disposal.  I had some chapati for lunch and was reminded at how far the times I have cooked it have fallen short.  

We had a hair braiding party to get the girls ready for school.  This is Mama Matilda and Abigail.

And Priscilla (another neighbor) playing with my hair (the kids love how soft it is) while I pleat Matilda's

Abigail listening to music

It’s funny how much Swahili has come back to me, and how I have to make a conscious effort to type each word of this in English.  The church service we went to today was in English and then translated to Kiswahili, so I was able to relearn a lot of words that I recognized when I heard them said there.  And as always, being with kids is the best way to learn a language.  They speak slower and if I don’t understand them, the just go about whatever they were doing before.  One of neighbor kids has taken it upon herself to be my tutor, and she teaches me words and sentences and then tests me to ensure I’ve learned properly.  I’m currently hanging out with Matilda, her friend Abigail, and Jasmine.  Matilda has grown so much, and is now 3 years old and in school with her best friend Abigail (also 3). Jasmine looks very similar to how Matilda did when I was there before.  Matilda has been in school for a week and has learned to write numbers, although it is evident that 7 is her favorite as she writes it wherever she can.  They are also enjoying typing with me now, and I had them type in their own names as their contribution.  The cutest thing they have done so far was when kids were gathering by the door to the apartment, the girls were telling them about me saying: "yeye si mzungu. yeye ni Nikki."  This means: "She is not white person/foreigner.  She is Nikki."  It was sweet, and when kids come over Matilda or Abigail tell them to say my name, to make sure they are allowed in.  

Baby Jasmine

Yesterday I went to town to meet up with Brian (aka "best friend") when he got off work, and also to run some errands a buy a phone etc.  I ended up running into a friend I'd made when here before.  I can't get over how small of a world it is sometimes!  Tomorrow we will head upcountry to where my host mom is from, for her aunt's funeral.  Even though its a somber occasion, I'm excited to go see her family and buy some mangoes which grow plentifully there.

 So to recap this random post- things here are great, and I'm excited as I make/remake connections and am getting things going.  Take care!