Today I went to a two year-old's birthday party. But this was no two year-old's birthday party, this was the son of my friend Rat who took me on the tour of the community in which my program does its surveys and gets its data. So I was very honored to be invited.
Rat lives on the outskirts of town in an area named Manyatta. I did not know where that was, so I hopped on a boda-boda baskeli (bicycle taxi) and told him where I was going. While he knew the general area of where I was going, he didn't exactly know but he didn't let on until he was asking people along the way--who also didn't really know where because where he dropped me off was not really where I wanted to be.
So as my driver took off to wherever he spends his time waiting, I gave a call to Rat and said "Nipo (I'm here)" and he said I'll be right there. As I stood looking around, I was welcomed into a little banda to sit in the shade with some guys and we chatted in the typical blend of swahili and english. They asked the usual question. Where are you from? What are you doing here? What's your name? How do you like it here? And one that I get quite often, do you like our Obama? I'd hate to be anti-Obama here because so many people take such pride in his success since he comes from their country, and for Kisumu, their tribe.
I get a call from Rat, "Where? I don't see you." That's not what I wanted to hear, because if he doesn't see me, I'm not where he is because I don't blend in. I asked my new friends, where I was and they said "Akambatu" which was not where I was supposed to be. Rat said I wasn't far and I told him I would walk myself there right away.
One of the guys says "Why not take a boda boda, its only 10 bob (shillings)." And another says, "Why don't you just take him, he's out guest." And the guy with the bike tells me to come along, and he pedals me a few minutes down the road so I can meet up with Rat.
The party, I learned was beginning at 2PM and I was there at noon, I hadn't quite planned on an all day event, but then I hadn't really planned on anything else so I was there for the long haul. He had invited me earlier to just talk--which I thought was really kind of him. I really enjoy hearing his ideas, and I think the best description of him would need to borrow from K'naan and be "dusty foot philosopher."
We spent a fair amount of time discussing the tree farm he is creating on a veritable piece of scorched earth inside the area where we run our study. He says it was dry, dusty and had a little brush on it, but he has decided to return it to a forest with indigenous trees. He goes out of his way to collect ornamental trees that are native to the area and hopes to preserve their existence on his property as an environmental effort with his own work and funds. We talked about the troubles he has trying to get the documents for the land and the importance of having the deed. We talked about how his neighbors didn't understand what he was doing when he started a little over a year ago, and how they're starting to see the results already and asking him about how they can emulate his work. We talked about how his friends ask him why he isn't trying to make a quick profit by selling firewood or growing fruit trees. We talked about how he will handle people looking to cut down his trees for firewood. He knows he may not reap all the benefits of his land but he looks at his son and says, "Maybe he will benefit or his kids" and goes on to explain that its a gift he wants to leave for the future generations through his sacrifice.
The party was great--plenty of soda and absolutely delicious foods. Chipsi cassava and sweet potatoes for snacks. And a beautiful dinner that had so much more food than was necessary--chicken and fish and meat, ugali, rice and chapati, and of course a cake. I also got to meet a few people at the party from work both foreigners and Kenyans. We covered great conversations about politics, work, life
It was wonderful to get out of the wazungu area and get to where the real Kenyans live to experience the Africa I had been missing.
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