Building Futures, Inc: Wednesday, June 29, 2016

I got a half-decent night’s sleep. I think I fell asleep around 11:30 and woke up at 5. Considering the previous 7 days, 5 ½ hours is pretty good. I’m going to try very hard to beat that record tonight.

As it turned out, I was the only resident in the building they placed me. 6 rooms, 1 guest.; not bad at all. When I opened the gate to leave, a bellman appeared out of nowhere, and he was rewarded for his perfect timing. The smallest bill I had was a 500ksh note. I handed it to him say, “Good timing.” He grinned from ear-to-ear saying “Asante sana!” (Thank you) repeatedly. I said “Sawa, sawa, karibu.” (it’s ok, you’re welcome).

I met Isaac at the reception desk just after 7. There weren’t too many people milling about, as the early morning game drives depart before 6:30am. In there place stood a couple small travel groups waiting for their transportation to take them back to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. I settled the bill and walked with Isaac to the car. En route, Isaac asked if it was okay if we bring one of his friends with us – he was also on his way to Narok, and a ride will save him from hiring a matatu. I didn’t have a problem with it.

Once in the car, Isaack carefully backed out of the parking spot. He stopped, put the car in drive and was staring at the dashboard. Before I could say, “Is everything ok?” he said, “I think we have enough to get there.” It wasn’t at all convincing. “No, no no,” I said, “We are not taking a chance on running out of gas!” Isaack was laughing before I finished the sentence. “Okay, okay,” he said through his smile. We got another 9 liters and proceeded out of Sarova. The sign just outside the exit warned of “Wild Animals Roaming Free, DANGER.” I guess if you get past the armed guards so that you can go for a run, that sign is the last line of common sense). We picked up two more ‘hitchhikers” - a young boy and girl waiting for a matatu to take them to school. Their mother’s were there selling curios to the tourists who have to stop at the entrance gate. Despite my inability to speak or understand Maa (the language Masai speak) I could tell they were pleading with Isaac. He turned and looked at me and ten minutes later we were on the road to Narok with three passengers.

I don’t know how, but I think the road is worse in this direction! I had to push my teeth back in every 15 minutes. Perhaps I should have timed it with the poor guy that was throwing up every 20. I felt bad for him… after 90 minutes, Isaac was asking if he had malria. Fear not, the man is okay. Isaac saw him one hour after the trio disembarked and he was fine. Motion sickness is not exclusive.

The migration has begun a month earlier than usual as evidenced by large herds of impala and zebra we passed long after we exited the park. I was surprised to see so much trash on the ground. The majority of the refuse was simply plastic bags, but they were everywhere. You don’t see anything like this inside the park, and it’s sad to see it at all here on the open land. Isaac said that it would only take an area governor to organize people that would walk through and pick everything up. The desire, however, is just not there. If the government doesn’t care about the road that leads toone of largest revenue generators in the country, why should the people care about the trash littering the countryside. We’ll soon find out, because the drivers will be starting a strike on July 1^st. They’ll park their vehicles in Narok where the dirt road begins and no one is able to pass in either direction. People get stuck inside the park and outside the park until someone from the government shows up to appease them by providing a date in the near future when the road will be paved or graded. They’ve been saying they’re going to pave it, but I’ve been hearing that for 7 years. At best it will be graded. That should last about 3 months.

There was a lot more traffic on the road today, so there was extra dust getting kicked up, and we only passed one broken down van. I was elated when I finally saw the tarmac approaching. I don’t know if the vibrating car had any effect on me, but the sun beaming into the car was giving me the nods. Tonight might be my best opportunity to get some sleep. It’s only 9pm! I might get to sleep before 10.

Isaac wanted to take me to a curio shop next to the Kenol gas station. It was actually one of the first ones that I was ever in, although they’ve definitely downsized. I later learned that the rains forced two shops to evacuate. It also severely damaged all the dirt roads through the small villages on either side of the asphalt. It also explains why they’re digging what looks like a moat along all those same dirt roads. The drainage has been so bad as of late, that Narok was flooded, the streets were destroyed and, worst of all, two people lost their lives. The roads are so bad that I actually thought the car might flip over at one point. Again, I don’t know how he manages driving over the deep crevasses in the road. I thought to myself, “This is how the Grand Canyon started.”

Eventually we made it to the office of Vivian Mpetti. She’s the local government executive in charge of community development. She was all smiles as we entered her office. We were about 20 minutes late, but not because of Isaac’s driving. It was because the he should run for office. From the security guard that let us onto the facility, to the receptionist, to the woman making copies, to the girls in the hallway, to the military men in the hallways… every single one of them called to him and gave him a hearty, “Jambo sana… long time…” If he had any interest in politics, he’d be a shoe-in. Fortunatley for the current governer, he’s not interested in the least.

We sat at the two chairs in front of her desk after greeting her. Isaac filled her in on who I was and what our plans were. I repeated most of it with more detail and started an exchange with her regarding next steps. It was an easy conversation because she had already heard about me before I got there. This is a pretty big city, so I was surprised. She gave us some ideas on how to avoid a couple of steps towards getting quotations from contractors and assured us that the county government is eager to help. She also added that it doesn’t hurt that we’re in an election cycle. The national government would love to have some “wins” in the books. She informed us that there was a birthing center built on the opposite side of the park. She thought it might be helpful to get those plans and then scale it up or down depended upon what our needs were. She said there should be 3 rooms: pre delivery, delivery and post delivery. I said we were going to do 4 because we didn’t want to completely eliminate the midwives from the process. The additional room will be a consultation room for them. In all actuality we’ll have 5 rooms so that we can accommodate to deliveries. She thought that both ideas were wonderful, so 5 rooms it is! We said our goodbyes and left her office. Then we said our goodbyes to everyone else.

We got outside and before Isaac turned on the car, he said, “Oh. So sorry. I forgot to take a picture.” We were only gone 3 minutes, but it was like the people inside had already begun to miss him. He is clearly loved in this community, but what’s not to live. He is probably the most amiable person I know and he’s always eager to help or please… whichever is needed at the time. I can’t imagine anyone having a disliking for him. I just don’t think that’s possible.

We went back in and Vivian laughed as Isaac took our picture. She put her hand on her cheek as if she was thinking (and she probably was) so I said, “Perfect! Don’t move, you look like you’re making a very serious decision.” She laughed out loud again, but it was after Isaac snapped the picture. It came out beautifully and she was very pleased with it, too.
We left for the second time and made phone calls trying to get the plans from the other birthing center. We had some luck and should be fetching it later in the day.

We went back to Isaac’s home for lunch where his wife Leah was preparing rice and goat stew. Before we went into the home, Isaac had to give me a tour. It’s been a few years since I’ve been there, and there have been many changes. His home is really attractive, and he’s still making improvements. Leah’s growing sugar can and bananas in the back. Isaac built a second home next to his and will be renting it out soon. The revenue generated will pay for their children’s (Caleb,8 and Tatiana,5) fees. There’s also a room inside their home that doubles as a shop with a window on the end so people can come and buy… you guessed it, goat milk! He next told me the changes that are in the works: water tank on the roof, gas heater for the water, septic tank for the indoor plumbing and a second rental house next to the new one. He’s quite the entrepreneur. We then entered his home and after a chai (tea made with goat milk), she brought out plates and the food. The chai was presweetened. For me, it was like drinking a sweet tea from South Carolina after a lifetime of unsweetened Lipton. It was pretty good, but there was know way I could do 2 cups. BTW, she filled the cup right to the top – no fear of me burning my nose.

She pulled out a large spoon and put 3 large ladles full of rice on my plate. I was like a deer in the headlights. I was thinking, “Stop!” but couldn’t speak. I managed to get out a “simama” (stop) as she was ladeling in the goat stew. This was a lot of food. Isaac got served pretty much the same thing. Isaac was laughing watching try to figure out how to get all this in my stomach. Well, I did and I’m not proud of it. I told him I wasn’t going to eat again until Friday. Leah’s a good cook. The goat was cooked with fresh coriander, tomatoes and onions. Deeelicious!

While we ate, there was a change in plans regarding the drawings of the maternity. Now they were going to be delivered to us tomorrow. It looks like we’re in a holding pattern. I wasn’t sure what we would do next, until Isaac said, “Adam, would you like to go visit Caleb and Tattiana’s school?” Would I? I’d love to! We waited for Leah to change and the three of us loaded into the car and drove back down the dirt road. Because Isaac spends so much time on Masai Mara, Leah knows all the shortcuts that Isaac doesn’t. It was nice to see him ask for directions as we came up on intersections. We later pulled up to the royal blue Legacy Mixed Primary School.

We entered the compound and immediately went to Tatiana’s classroom. School was letting out, so we weren’t really disburbing anyone. Tatti came with us as we went to the Headmasters office. His name was Kevin and it pleased him when I told him he shared the name with my son. It pleased him even more when he found out I speak Kiswahili. He asked me to say a few words to his eighth graders and I obliged. They don’t see mzungos very frequently. That was deduced when I left that classroom and was mobbed by a big group of 2^nd and 3^rd graders. They looked at me like children at the zoo for the first time. The only difference was that I wasn’t in a cage. They kept their distance until I held out my fist. “Gota” (go-tah), I said. It’s the equivalent of a high-five. I got a fist bump from the first boy, and the levy broke. Next thing I know, the headmaster and Isaac our laughing hysterically and the curious kids rubbed the hair on my arms, touched my skin, asked to touch my hair, and peppered me with questions. The next question came before I even finished the first. Isaac and Kevin continued to watch me interact with them. At one point, they wanted to see me run. Seriously. I told them I was too old.

“Where are you from?”

“Where is your mom?”

“Where is your dad?”

“Are you Masai?”
“What’s your favorite color?”

“What’s your second favorite color?”

“Do you have children?”

“What are their names?”

“How old are they?”

What’s their favorite color?”

“You have a lot of hair on your arms.”

“Why is your hair different colors?”

“Why are you so tall?”

“Are you sleeping here?”

“Why do you wear glasses?”

“Can you take them off?”

“Can you see me now?”
“Show us your muscles?”

“Let’s run!”

They really were adorable. I enjoyed every minute of it, and as they rubbed their hands in my hair, I thought about what they’d say if Katie and Karen were here. I can’t imagine that they’d ever seen red or blonde hair. During their interrogation, there was also a flurry of hi-fives and the occasional gota. When I finally said I had to leave, the two that were having a laugh at my expense (Isaac and Kevin) said, “I’m sorry,” but no apology was necessary. I really did have fun with them. Isaac took a few pictures of me with the hangers on that followed me to the entrance to the school. Several of them had no intention of letting me go, but I managed to get free. Yes, I overpowered a 2^nd grader… in my defense, there were several of them. I hope your laughing, because that’s a funny line.

We then headed back to Isaac’s house with Caleb and Tatiana, along with their niece and nephew. Isaac’s brothers Andrew and Antony live very close together, so we brought home Andrew’s youngest children.

Another chai followed as the kids tried on some of the shirts I brought them. Leah broke open the Dum-Dums and distributed a few to everyone. It wasn’t long before Tattiana stacked a couple chairs together to go retrieve additionl lollypops from the top shelf. Isaac just watched. “Oh man, she’s got you bad. You are in so much trouble.” He said, “She has complete control.” He’s right, she does. We took some pictures as the 4 cousins were clowning around striking poses and laughing. I have no idea what they were saying, but they were having a lot of fun saying it. Isaac gave his customary, “Adam, are you ready to go,” to which I responded, “Yes.” I was getting very tired, so I had no problem going right to bed. I wasn’t even interested in dinner because I’m still working on all the rice. Next time I’ll ask him to clarify by saying, “Go where?”

We arrived at Antony’s house and met his wife Margaret. She was very sweet, and asked us to come in for a chai. Kenyan hospitality is unyielding. In we went. The children came with us and continued to play and fool around. We chatted with Margaret before Isaac said, “Okay, we should go.” Again, should have gotten clarification.

We arrived at Andrew’s house and met his wife Veronica. I’ll point out that both there husbands work at Masai Mara and neither of them will be home until tomorrow. Veronica was just as personable as Margaret, maybe a little more talkative. She’s a special needs teacher, so we talked about that a lot. She also insisted on feeding us dinner. Beef, broth, onions, carrots, peas and potatoes… my stomach said “simama!” (stop), and my brain said, “twende” (go). Vanessa’s a great cook! Everything was fabulous. Now the goal was to get back to the guest house before the food coma began to kick in. Isaac turned and said, “I should take you to the guest house.” No need for clarification there. “Perfect,” was my response.

Isaac left the children behind, which was a huge disappointment to Tattiana. Tears rolled freely as Veronica scooped her up in her arms. That little girl’s got it bad. In Isaac’s defense, she really is a cutie.

I grabbed a couple of waters to consume while I repacked then typed. It’s now 10:45 and I’ve got the nods again. I’m going to try and quickly add pictures before falling asleep. I’m still waiting to hear from Isaac with a start time for tomorrow. I wouldn’t mind if he said, “9.” Nope, I wouldn’t mind it at all. Heck, I’m not kidding anybody. I wake up no later than 5:30 every day. It’s very frustrating because I’m exhausted at night. I’m shooting for 8 hours of sleep. Place your bets…

these are just pictures that i thought were interesting or funny