We Make it Rain

It is our fifth day in Kenya and our fourth in Ngara, the community in which we are staying. We did arrive safely in Nairobi early in the morning on June 18. After finding Jake, settling in at the Upper Hill campground, exploring (getting lost) and catching up on some sleep we left Friday morning for Isaac's homestead.

The three of us took a mini-bus shuttle from NBO to Nyahururu, where we then caught a matutu the rest of the way to the village. A matatu is a 15 passenger but smallish van operated by a driver and a conductor who try to pack in as many people as possible from one stop to the next. At one point I counted 22 in ours.

On our way to Ngara we saw numerous herds of cattle, zebras, and a family of monkeys by the side of the road, drove alongside a vast stretch of the Great Rift Valley, and crossed over the Equator. We are now in the northern hemisphere; however this is not considered the summer season. The mini-bus was also stopped twice by Kenyan police soliticing bribes.

There has been a drought in Ngara, and much of Kenya, for the last several months but it did start to rain when we arrived! Unfortunately, it was not enough to make any signifcant difference but Isaac still introduced us as visitors who "bring blessings and good luck". We have been greeted and invited into people's homes constantly since arriving. We shake a lot of hands and have attended several "self-help group" meetings. These are gatherings of neighbors and friends who come together to address various challenges facing the community.

And we drink a lot of tea. 6, 7, 8 cups a day. Tea is a part of everything in this culture! Mama Max makes us a pot first thing in the morning and it is the last part of our day -- sitting together in the living room, drinking tea. Mama Max is Isaac's wife; her Christian name is Joyce but she is often called Mama Max because it is her first born son's name. Their family is hosting us while in Ngara but Isaac left early Saturday morning for safari. It is Joyce who has brought Joey and I into her family in the most welcoming and beautiful way. We are fortunate.

Until next time!