Kenyan Hospitality

Nothing like blogging in front of the fireplace in my room (that is how the room is heated - I'll be freezing by morning). The road was long (24 hours) but I am finally back in Kenya. It is hard to contain the smile on my face as I ride down the road lined with with red dirt. People are milling about everywhere. The man pulling the large wagon on two wheels will not move for our car. It is just as important that he get his goods to market. Opposite him, the young teenager convincingly reminds the donkeys pulling his wagon that he needs them to move a little faster. I have stepped back in time where life is not simpler, but it simply is. Six guys are each carrying long 2x4 pieces of lumber....It looks like they have a long walk in front of them. The sun is warm for me and I am amazed to see people in winter coats and wool hats. To them it is cold (about 71 degrees) while everyone at home pulls out the shorts when we finally hit 60.

Tonight an invitation to dinner was presented by the family of one of our students. He is 24 but looks all of 15 years old. The "road" was bumpy to say the least, but well worth almost puking in the back seat. The family is one of the warmest I have met. The mother (who by the way looks about 24 - though she is much older) immediately hugs us all and wears a beautiful smile. She has cooked a feast that could easily feed 30 people - though we are only 10. I am chastised gently as I do not pile my plate heavily enough. When I am done, she reminds me that I must have more... and I certainly do. She has made the meal, almost entirely, from her home. She makes us fresh eggs for an appetizer followed by a dish of potatoes, maize, greens and spices called Mukimo. There is a goat stew (he was alive this morning)...chapati, rice, chicken (also alive this morning), kale/spinach, cabbage and carrots....we take honey from wild bees for dessert - it truly tastes like caramel and has the same consistency. After dinner, I watch as mama milks the cow and feeds 2/3 of it to the calf (the rest will go to her family)- the calf buries his nose in the sweet warmth of his mother's milk. It is a sight to see. How amazing that the meal was cooked entirely in a small wood fireplace and over a pot on the floor containing coal. Because there is no port nearby, the family made its own fish pond - which now has over 2000 fish in it. They are working on a second. Besides supplying food for themselves, they sell to the community and local restaurants. As dinner wound down, about six goats - from down the road - wanted to see what all the ruckus was about and who these Americans were. Our hosts' daughter went out to shoo them away from peaking in the window....'twas a sight!

Not a bad way to start my visit to Nyahururu. My tummy is full and my soul feels warm. Tomorrow off to visit three of the participants businesses...stay tuned.