Day 9: Nimepata Marafiki Wengi Kenya

Habari ja Asabuhi!

I am completely exhausted this morning, Kenya is too much fun for me to handle. I went for breakfast and it seems they now understand that I am not able to eat very much in one sitting. They served me fruit, sausage and eggs, no excess food this time. It seems to concern them and they ask if I am okay. Ndiyo, nikosawa. (Yes, I am okay.) Good mornings all around from everyone and as usual they asked about my plans for the day.

I got ready and waited in the lobby for my ride to arrive. The van pulled up and I was surprised to see Patrick, Mishoki, Njoroge and Amos all there. I climbed in and told them about my traditional dance experience, poa sana and gota! They were laughing and surprised by gota. I pulled out my outdoor journal which I had been using as my Kiswahili notebook. I got Amos's attention and said, "ulikuwa wapi jana?" I was asking him where he was the day before. Again everyone laughed and he told me he was at a seminar. He asked if I missed him. Ndiyo.

We headed down to Nyeri in the valley to help Mishoki fix his phone before we headed to the coffee farm. Nyeri is much larger and busier then Naro Moru. After sitting in the van for a while I got out to stretch and asked where the bathroom was. In Kenya, a bathroom is not such an easy thing to come across. A good bathroom, extremely rare.

We went across the street, down a block, through an alley, through another alley, up a flight of stairs to a restaurant on the roof and then beg for permission to use that bathroom. All that for a hole in the ground with 3.9 walls around it, no toilet paper, no sink. Nothing like having three male Kenyans drag you all over town for a bathroom.

We returned to the van and waited a little longer for Mishoki to finish. A man came up to my open window with his hand out asking for chai. Amos reached over and shut my window. The man walked around to the other side of the van and was speaking with Amos. Amos explained later that he shut my window because my backpack was by it and he could have swiped it. Apparently Amos asked him why he was asking for chai and he replied for December. He wanted chai for Christmas, it was May.

On our way to the coffee farm we passed the Mt Kenya Coca-Cola factory and of course jumped out for a quick picture. In hindsight it may have been cool to ask for a tour for compare and contrast reasons since I've been in the Minneapolis location several times.

We parked at the side of the road and walked through the coffee farm to the office where we waited to ask the manager for a tour. It was nice having Njoroge with being he was an econ major and was able to explain the history of the coffee industry in Kenya. The manager sent us to the processing area for a tour. I was quite happy I already knew the way coffee cherries were processed because I could barely understand our tour guide.

I took more pictures then necessary again. I kept telling myself I was where the coffee action happens! I couldn't believe it!! We walked back through the coffee farm and I explained to the guys how my camera had a timer and we all posed in the coffee trees for a picture. Mzuri sana.

I still could not wrap my mind around the fact that I had now been to two coffee farms!

We went to lunch at our now usual spot. I again ordered fries and sausage. Njoroge ordered an item call samosa. I asked what it was and honestly it sounded similar to a pasty. He let me try a bite and I knew that is what I was having for lunch from then on. Enough with sausage 2-3 times a day.

I realized that no one could really afford to eat out with me everyday and came to the conclusion that maybe I'd just pay. I also bought everyone coffee. To buy coffee and lunch for everyone cost me $4.00 at most, easy for me, hard for them. Why not pay?

We then went to NakkuMatt in Nanyuki. It was there I had the idea of showing my new friends how to make s'mores!! Challenge accepted, they wanted to learn. I found marshmallows, banana and apple flavored ones but it had to do. I found some chocolate and had to really think when I couldn't find graham crackers. I finally settled on chocolate chip cookies and what was called "family bisquits" which looked kind of like a wafer cookie. I paid 700ksh for the whole she-bang and we were off.

We got to back to Bantu Lodge and got to s'more making straight away. The staff let us go back and prepare a jiko (a small portable grill-like structure). Amos scooped some wood from the large stove the kitchen uses and we headed towards the campground side of the lodge. I quickly grabbed my two sets of velcro catch on the way. Patrick and Njoroge went off to find sticks, Mishoki chilled and Amos and I played catch. He seemed surprised as to the ease of catching the ball when it's velcro and a tennis ball.

Njoroge and Patrick came back empty handed. They asked what size sticks I needed and then just cut them off a nearby tree. We finally got our sticks and it was s'mores time! Charles, who works at Bantu, joined us. I showed them how to prepare a s'more and then they all made and enjoyed their own.
Charles made an extra to take to the rest of the staff. A few minutes later two chefs from the lodge came out to learn how to make them. I was very professional in my teachings but inside I was laughing hysterically. Who would've thought I'd be in Kenya teaching chefs how to make s'mores. The marshmallows were new to everyone, even though they sold them in the store most people had not seen them before. We all continued to make s'mores and I tried to explain why they were called s'mores. I'm not sure they fully understood but they at least pretended to.
At Nakkumatt Patrick had seen and iPod and I showed him

mine. It was very much a hit as it didn't leave his ears for quite some time. I had to continually remind him that he couldn't recognize the volume of his voice when he had the iPod on. He was even playing catch with the iPod in. I know it may have been fun for him but I didn't know how much I liked the feeling that I was Americanizing him, even if just for a minute.

We finished up with the s'mores and I went to my room to rest before dinner. It wasn't long before I got restless so I went outside for 4:00 tea. Evling and I were sitting at a table when a baboon hopped onto the table next to us and took the sugar bowl.

After some laughter Evling decided she should get the dish back. She stood up, kicked off her shoes and chased after it. She ran far across the back lawn and to the forest's edge. Finally, somewhere beyond my sight the baboon dropped the dish. I told Evling she was very courageous but she seemed to think little of it.

At dinner I again had African Bone Soup which tastes really good but smells like a milkhouse. The first time I had it I asked Charles what it was, which I kind of regretted. Apparently it is bone marrow, fat and maybe some other stuff blended together. It is kind of foamy in texture, sweet but subtle and smelly. All the food was always really good I just fail to have the appetite of Kenyans. All meals are served as a buffet and each Kenyan builds a mini Mount Kenya of food on their plate. Personally I stick with the great plains.

After dinner I again had my coffee in the lounge. The lodge was busier today and an unfamiliar face came up to talk to me as I was writing in my journal. For the first time in Kenya I saw someone who had clearly been drinking. He babbled to me about how he was from Nairobi and was here to raise the standard of living in the rural areas. I didn't ask what he meant because I didn't care to hear his filthy words about my favorite part of Kenya. He reached for my Kiswahili book and gave me his email address, for what purpose I did not know. He asked for mine so I just gave him my junk email address.

Matthew, Steven and others soon joined me and my laughter filled Kiswahili lesson began. The unfamiliar face returned again to ask me if I had enough coffee. I said, "nimetosheka," which means I am satisfied. A while later he returned again to ask if I still was good on coffee. I could tell Matthew and Steven were slightly annoyed. Laughter and fun continued until the receptionist, Steve, came to verify everyone had their room keys before he closed up the front desk. The unfamiliar face again came up to me asked if I had mine. At this point I was slightly disturbed, if he saw my room key he would know what room I was in which I preferred he didn't.

Matthew and Steven began talking in low stern voices in Kiswahili. After they finished Matthew apologized and said they were annoyed because my well being was none of his business. He wasn't staff and had no need to look out for me. I was annoyed too but knew I was safe and just as a precaution Matthew escorted me to the walkway leading to my room that night.

I crawled into bed and was only laying there for a minute before suddenly, like surround sound, I could hear every animal nearby calling out. The tree hyrax, colobus monkeys, horses, chickens, birds, dogs and more I couldn't recognize. Something exciting was happening, I didn't know what, I wasn't sure I wanted to find out. I closed my eyes and let the wildlife sing me to sleep.