On the road again...

Everywhere I go and every place I see, I continue to be amazed by the diverse landscapes and vast amounts of people in Kenya. This weekend, I spent three days in Maasai land and then three days doing preparation work for my ISP in rural Kisii. Through both of these experiences, it dawned on me how much of the country I will not get to see and also how crazy it is that Kenya, which is slightly smaller than Texas, can have such disparate environments while you can travel across the majority of the Midwest and not get much of a change of scenery. This entry will be about my experiences with the Maasai and I will write about Kisii later on this week.

This past weekend, a group of friends and I hailed a matatu and stayed with a Maasai family in Ngong Hills, about two hours outside of Nairobi . The Maasai are pastoralists that wander across Kenya and Tanzania grazing their cattle. They are the most famous Kenyan tribe in popular culture, and are known for their beadwork, extended earlobes, bright red colors, and for drinking the blood of their cows. Our matatu (a small fourteen-passenger minibus) dropped us up in Ngong Town, which was bustling with people. We met Simon, our host and he took us to the pickup truck that would take us on the rest of our journey. This pickup truck had a six foot bed and we managed to fit five mzungus (white people) and thirteen Maasais, plus all of the things we brought and bought in town, into the back. Although the ride was a bit uncomfortable, it was the most exhilarating mode of travel I have used in Kenya thus far. Basically, we traveled down the side of a mountain into a gorgeous valley in the back of a pickup truck.

The compound we stayed in consisted of a husband, wife, their two children ages one and three, the husband's mother, as well as two of the husband's youngest sisters, ages eight and thirteen. Although we arrived fairly late on Friday night, two of the husband's brothers come over and talked with us for a long time about politics and America and our thoughts on their policies. All of the adults, with the exception of the grandmother spoke extremely good English, eliminating the language barrier that often deters more in depth conversations. In some ways, being in Kenya is really refreshing because even in the middle of Maasai land, where one's nearest neighbors are two kilometers away and there is no electricity, people are informed about the world and are invested in learning more and discussing issues. I guess I always learned about the ignorance and uninformed nature of many Americans, but it still makes me sad when I think about how available information is in the US and how few people take advantage of it or believe it is important to be informed.

The next day, we woke around seven and the sun was just peeking over the mountain. Fog covered the peak and it looked magical. Since the Maasai rely mostly on cows, they drink a lot of milk. The first thing we did in the morning was attempt to milk cows. It is a lot more difficult than one would think. We went into the kitchen and helped make tea (cup number one). Then, we were summoned to the grandmother's house and served a second cup of chai. When we finished, we went back to the main house and received a third class of chai. After we were sufficiently hydrated, we walked near a neighboring compound. On our way, we saw wild giraffes. Yes, giraffes just waking around, eating, and staring back at us. We went really close to them and it was spectacular. Afterwards, we went back to the compound, drank more chai (cup four), and walked to a pre-wedding ceremony. Nothing exciting occurred at the ceremony besides fifth cup of chai and a synthesizer that played the same three chord progression for an hour, so we left early. On our way back, we walked to a rock cliff overlooking a man-made lake. The lake was made by the Swedish government and instigated by an American man who loved the scenery. He also created placards around the lake that explain the history of the Maasai. We sat on the top of the ledge for more than a half an hour, just thinking and looking—it was so peaceful. Afterwards, we walked home and sat underneath a tree and read. I think I needed to get out of the city and sit and read and relax. The smaller children sat with us and drew all over my hands. When we went back inside the compound, we were given more chai (cup six) and helped with dinner. After dinner, we retired early because we were really tired. (note: the chai was made with fresh, whole cow's milk, so it was like drinking liquid whipped cream!)

The next morning we sat with the grandmother and she showed us how to do beadwork. Then, she showed us all the things she made and we bought some stuff. Afterwards, we went to church, and it was one of the best experiences I've had so far in Kenya (I feel like I say that a lot). A minister was being ordained, so it was a huge celebration. Although the service was over five hours, I was not bored at any second. Groups danced for much of the service and it was fantastic. The same man played the synthesizer, but the dancing by far made up for the repetitious chords. Unlike the dance I'd seen in East Africa so far, this dancing was energized and the people actually moved around. Many of the patterns were really similar to the movements I learned in my West African dance classes, particularly ones from the war dance, making we wonder how authentic the movements were. But, honestly, I didn't care that much, I was so excited! After church, we ate and caught a ride back to Ngong Town with the god fearing folk who came for the ordainment. Overall, my weekend was relaxing, fun, and enlightening. I am excited that I will be furthering my understanding of the Maasai culture in two weeks when I visit Tanzania.

Bits and pieces…

-Cows bring flies and flies are gross. I saw more flies this weekend than I've ever seen in my life. At any given time, we each had over fifty flies covering our bodies, with more lining the tables. Kids walked around with flies as permanent fixtures around their lips and eyes.

-The Maasai are long and slender people. They also have perfectly shaped heads. Traditionally, they extended their earlobes as a symbol of beauty. However, with the onset of schooling, this practice ceased. Therefore, one can easily tell which people went to school and which did not by their ear sizes.

-In the family we stayed with, the husband was one of sixteen children and the wife was one of twenty-two. Grapple with that.