Start reading from the blog post titled "Rural Week!" below
Waking up this morning, I couldn’t believe it was already Friday. While the days have been long, the week sped by. After the girls left for school I helped prepare vegetables for lunch and got ready for what I was told would be an adventure later in the day. As we waited to get picked up by piki piki (Motorbikes - called boda bodas in Nairobi) the girls arrived home and we played a while. Somehow Nicole managed to explode the ink of a pen all over Velma and I. I washed off my arm but there was still a bunch on my sleeve. Just then, Megan and her host mom showed up to join us on our adventure. Her host mom and Caroline were very adamant that I had to go change my shirt. I insisted it would be fine and I didn’t have any other clean ones anyway, but they said a dirty one would be better. After some arguing, I finally convinced them it would be fine and we set off walking towards the school. There we met Maddi and my host mom along with three other teachers who drove the piki pikes.
We each sat three to a motorbike, with mzungu’s in the middle. Our first stop was Phil’s house where he has started a large organic banana farm. He showed us around and told us about the banana plants and organic farming. We stopped by his house for some bread, tea, and cassava. His father had heard visitors were coming so he had waited all morning to meet us all. After signing the guest book and taking a few pictures we set off for a famous rock called Kit Mikayi. Along the way one of the motorbikes broke down so we took a quick break and stopped for sodas at a restaurant along the road. When the bike was fixed, we set off again. The landscape was indescribably beautiful. Brilliant green fields, banana trees, hills with enormous boulders, and the bright blue sky with Lake Victoria in the background framed my vision.
At Kit Mikayi there were some arguments about the entry prices, which were too high because they had come with mzungu (of course), before they finally came to an agreement. A guide explained the history of the rock in Luo as Phil translated. In short, Kit Mikayi means the first wife’s stone. After a man had discovered it long ago, before there were any houses in the area, he built his home nearby and spent all his time at the stone - hence it kind of became his first wife. It was later used for sacrifices especially when the rains were bad. People would go to the rock and slaughter animals, placing their intestines in a crack in the stone, and praying (amongst other rituals). Then, that night, it would always rain. The guide said he had witnessed the last ever sacrifice there in 1967. After hearing about the history we were able to climb up into a cave where people were praying. Though they were Christians they practice a form that has many elements of traditional beliefs and practices. We saw what basically looked like an exorcism – there were people wailing and screaming, trying to rid one of them of bad spirits. On top of the cave, incredible views spread before us. It was completely breathtaking. We took many pictures before climbing back down.
At the bottom we were met by a group of women, many in grass skirts and holding tambourine type instruments, ready to do a welcoming dance and song for us in Luo. We quickly joined in and danced in a circle. After the festivities I asked Phil if they just do that for mzungu or if it is for all visitors. He said all visitors, but that they get especially excited when mzungu come.
We hopped back on the motorbikes and ventured to the shores of Lake Victoria a few kilometers away. We saw many fishing boats and nets and a swarm of children eager to see us (after already being shouted and pointed at throughout the day by people excited to see a white person). It was starting to get really old to just be recognized by the color of our skin. We met some of the fisherman and took a quick ride in one of their skiffs. We all tried to squeeze into one boat (including my rather large family members) and we all shouted as it rocked and tipped precariously. Back on land our tour guides made us take pictures with the little children (rather uncomfortably). Afterwards, we went in search of fresh fish. We saw a bunch drying out in the sun and others so fresh they were still flapping their gills trying to breathe. Some of our parents bought fish before we headed off again.
The sun was beginning to set but they insisted we go to the nearby(ish) town. The women went to the market and left us with the men who took us to a local bar. At this point Maddi wanted to get back to spend time with her family, Megan was just done, and I was getting there. We got more sodas after declining Tuskers and then Maddi and I were wisked off to the dance floor. Quickly though I said I was tired and had to rest. After realizing we were the only women in the place full of men on a Friday night, we pushed to leave. The men were very nice and we left right away, stopping at a stand to get treats for our host siblings. By then it was pitch black and being in the busy market was a little nerve wracking. But soon we met up with the women and were able to head home. Phil and I talked a lot about Colorado, politics, America, music (he has a family band!) etc. on the way. We stopped to drop off Maddi and I got to meet her parents before heading home. At the house we had dinner of vegetables, ugali, and another whole fish…
As we ate we talked about the day and how I will miss them so much and how they’ll miss me. I gave my mom my email and promised to keep in touch and send photos. We all hoped that someday we could meet up again. I thanked them for the wonderful time and experiences and for the amazing day. I really will miss them. Overall, this experience was really great and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to do it in the way we did. I came in with no expectations and will leave with a wealth of new knowledge, new experiences, and friends.
We each sat three to a motorbike, with mzungu’s in the middle. Our first stop was Phil’s house where he has started a large organic banana farm. He showed us around and told us about the banana plants and organic farming. We stopped by his house for some bread, tea, and cassava. His father had heard visitors were coming so he had waited all morning to meet us all. After signing the guest book and taking a few pictures we set off for a famous rock called Kit Mikayi. Along the way one of the motorbikes broke down so we took a quick break and stopped for sodas at a restaurant along the road. When the bike was fixed, we set off again. The landscape was indescribably beautiful. Brilliant green fields, banana trees, hills with enormous boulders, and the bright blue sky with Lake Victoria in the background framed my vision.
At Kit Mikayi there were some arguments about the entry prices, which were too high because they had come with mzungu (of course), before they finally came to an agreement. A guide explained the history of the rock in Luo as Phil translated. In short, Kit Mikayi means the first wife’s stone. After a man had discovered it long ago, before there were any houses in the area, he built his home nearby and spent all his time at the stone - hence it kind of became his first wife. It was later used for sacrifices especially when the rains were bad. People would go to the rock and slaughter animals, placing their intestines in a crack in the stone, and praying (amongst other rituals). Then, that night, it would always rain. The guide said he had witnessed the last ever sacrifice there in 1967. After hearing about the history we were able to climb up into a cave where people were praying. Though they were Christians they practice a form that has many elements of traditional beliefs and practices. We saw what basically looked like an exorcism – there were people wailing and screaming, trying to rid one of them of bad spirits. On top of the cave, incredible views spread before us. It was completely breathtaking. We took many pictures before climbing back down.
At the bottom we were met by a group of women, many in grass skirts and holding tambourine type instruments, ready to do a welcoming dance and song for us in Luo. We quickly joined in and danced in a circle. After the festivities I asked Phil if they just do that for mzungu or if it is for all visitors. He said all visitors, but that they get especially excited when mzungu come.
We hopped back on the motorbikes and ventured to the shores of Lake Victoria a few kilometers away. We saw many fishing boats and nets and a swarm of children eager to see us (after already being shouted and pointed at throughout the day by people excited to see a white person). It was starting to get really old to just be recognized by the color of our skin. We met some of the fisherman and took a quick ride in one of their skiffs. We all tried to squeeze into one boat (including my rather large family members) and we all shouted as it rocked and tipped precariously. Back on land our tour guides made us take pictures with the little children (rather uncomfortably). Afterwards, we went in search of fresh fish. We saw a bunch drying out in the sun and others so fresh they were still flapping their gills trying to breathe. Some of our parents bought fish before we headed off again.
The sun was beginning to set but they insisted we go to the nearby(ish) town. The women went to the market and left us with the men who took us to a local bar. At this point Maddi wanted to get back to spend time with her family, Megan was just done, and I was getting there. We got more sodas after declining Tuskers and then Maddi and I were wisked off to the dance floor. Quickly though I said I was tired and had to rest. After realizing we were the only women in the place full of men on a Friday night, we pushed to leave. The men were very nice and we left right away, stopping at a stand to get treats for our host siblings. By then it was pitch black and being in the busy market was a little nerve wracking. But soon we met up with the women and were able to head home. Phil and I talked a lot about Colorado, politics, America, music (he has a family band!) etc. on the way. We stopped to drop off Maddi and I got to meet her parents before heading home. At the house we had dinner of vegetables, ugali, and another whole fish…
As we ate we talked about the day and how I will miss them so much and how they’ll miss me. I gave my mom my email and promised to keep in touch and send photos. We all hoped that someday we could meet up again. I thanked them for the wonderful time and experiences and for the amazing day. I really will miss them. Overall, this experience was really great and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to do it in the way we did. I came in with no expectations and will leave with a wealth of new knowledge, new experiences, and friends.