Day 4, Friday, October 3, 2014 … We are up and packed early, attended Mass, breakfast at the compound, then drove into town to exchange our dollars to shillings. However, there was no exchange because we didn’t realize we’d need passports to make that exchange, and we had already given our passports to the Diocese office for safe-keeping! We did
spend about half an hour in Kitui town while we waited for Fr. Charles to join us, and the people watching was fascinating … all the women dressed either in “executive” attire by the younger women and the more traditional African dress of very colorful skirts, tops and head dress of the moms and grandmothers; many young men selling their wares (I watched one carry about a half dozen winter coats to a group of people sitting on motor bikes. He spent quite a bit of time trying to convince someone to purchase one, as they tried them on … I think he finally did made a sale!); police/military all around carrying AK47s; and of course the traffic as cars, bikes, motorcycles, trucks, tuk-tuks, Donkeys and people all compete to cross the same intersection in some manner!
A driver from the Diocese then drove us to Miambani ... it may be only 10 miles away, but it took better than an hour to get there … all on an extremely bumpy, narrow poorly maintained, dirt road . I can’t even imagine what it is like during the rainy season. More thrilling than a roller coaster ride! At one point we were along the top ridge of the mountain side and the view was spectacular … down into the valley, then up the next mountain side, very small houses or huts scattered around, all of the area cleared for crops and fields for grazing goats or cattle, though the “fences” are vegetative bushes that grow naturally. As before, people, donkeys, goats, cattle all share the road with pick-up trucks and motor bikes. Miambani is located in a deep valley with high mountains surrounding it on three sides. We’re told it is quite beautiful after the rainy season when everything is green. Actually it is quite green now … but it is, indeed, hot, hot, HOT … and no air conditioning! There is a bit of a breeze, which helps only a little.
We were greeted by Joseph Michael, who is the Chair of the Parish Council, and John Ilindi, who heads up the CMA (Catholic Men’s Association), and Ann Kiilu, a Staff member heading up the CWA (Catholic Women’s Assoc.). During tea, it was very interesting learning about their families and about the life of the church in Miambani. There is also a parish school here that was started by Fr. Charles three years ago, grades K-6. As elsewhere in Kenya, many of the students are boarded on site while some go home at night. At our afternoon relaxation in the shade, a group of about a dozen of the cutest little kindergartners approached us with smiles, handshakes and an intense desire to have their picture taken. Of course, then they wanted to see themselves in those pictures I had taken … so precious. Culturally, Kenyans are very, very welcoming, expressing their love at our being here … and always, always a handshake whenever you meet them. They serve their tea quite different from us … we have a choice: hot water as we do it, or a mixture of hot water and milk to which you add your tea bag and some sugar, a sort of Kenyan Chi. I was leery about the milk-thing, but it actually was quite good.
A driver from the Diocese then drove us to Miambani ... it may be only 10 miles away, but it took better than an hour to get there … all on an extremely bumpy, narrow poorly maintained, dirt road . I can’t even imagine what it is like during the rainy season. More thrilling than a roller coaster ride! At one point we were along the top ridge of the mountain side and the view was spectacular … down into the valley, then up the next mountain side, very small houses or huts scattered around, all of the area cleared for crops and fields for grazing goats or cattle, though the “fences” are vegetative bushes that grow naturally. As before, people, donkeys, goats, cattle all share the road with pick-up trucks and motor bikes. Miambani is located in a deep valley with high mountains surrounding it on three sides. We’re told it is quite beautiful after the rainy season when everything is green. Actually it is quite green now … but it is, indeed, hot, hot, HOT … and no air conditioning! There is a bit of a breeze, which helps only a little.
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| Typical road "in the bush" |
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| Fr. Charles pointing out the beautiful valley. Miambani is down there! |
We were greeted by Joseph Michael, who is the Chair of the Parish Council, and John Ilindi, who heads up the CMA (Catholic Men’s Association), and Ann Kiilu, a Staff member heading up the CWA (Catholic Women’s Assoc.). During tea, it was very interesting learning about their families and about the life of the church in Miambani. There is also a parish school here that was started by Fr. Charles three years ago, grades K-6. As elsewhere in Kenya, many of the students are boarded on site while some go home at night. At our afternoon relaxation in the shade, a group of about a dozen of the cutest little kindergartners approached us with smiles, handshakes and an intense desire to have their picture taken. Of course, then they wanted to see themselves in those pictures I had taken … so precious. Culturally, Kenyans are very, very welcoming, expressing their love at our being here … and always, always a handshake whenever you meet them. They serve their tea quite different from us … we have a choice: hot water as we do it, or a mixture of hot water and milk to which you add your tea bag and some sugar, a sort of Kenyan Chi. I was leery about the milk-thing, but it actually was quite good.
After a much-needed, very warm and sweaty afternoon nap (me, Bob read instead), John took us for a walk down the dirt road outside of the church compound walking about a kilometer north, where we joined the other “walkers”, donkeys and goats. A short distance away a crew of men and women were working on building a concrete swale across the dry river bed … the stones were being crushed and pounded into place by hand; the cement was being mixed by hand in a
wheel barrow (one wheel barrow at a time for the 200 x 12-foot long swale), sand being provided one bucket at a time … a painstakingly slow process, but about half of it was done. The swale is built at the bottom of the river in lieu of a bridge, so when it rains, and the river fills, the water will run over the concrete slab without washing out the roadbed and cars will be able to cross on that slab. We walked up, up, up a side dirt road to the site of three huge Balboa trees (African trees that have huge trunks and some large limbs, but tiny, tiny, hardly noticeable leaves) and the site of the original German AIC settlement church that came here prior to World War I to develop the area but were driven out by the British shortly after the war. On the way back we crossed paths with an elderly woman wearing a printed long skirt, top and a colorful scarf wrapped around her head. This woman, who was missing several teeth, was so glad to see us, welcomed us profusely, and claimed us as her
grandchildren. We now have a Kenyan grandmother! It didn’t cool down until 5 o’clock, on our way back from our walk … my body doesn’t do well in heat, so my hands were so swollen I could barely make a fist and my face was red until bedtime! We then sat outside the Parish house until 6 o’clock, early dark, when John walked home and we had dinner with Fr. Charles and Fr. Urbanus Kamuilwa, his assistant.
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| The beautiful Kenyan children |
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| Donkeys to carry water |
All meals in Kenya so far have been similar … white rice (though tonight we had spaghetti chopped up), a type of potato, either French fried, baked chips or simply cooked whole, a vegetable and generally an over-cooked chicken, though very tasty. There may also be either a gravy or a soup … this evening’s broth was extremely tasty.
John is a very interesting fellow. He’s 71 years old, married with 11 children, all of whom are also married, 24 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. He was a history teacher and his wife was a primary school teacher, so he and Bob talked a lot about the history and future of both the US and Kenya. From the talks we've had so far with John and others, one notices that the Kenyans realize they are a third-world country, but are very proud of the way they are progressing. They are pleased with the current government, which has a plan of economic development to bring the country into first-world status by 2030. The local counties, of which there are 47 throughout Kenya … similar to our 50 states … are very glad they are now getting some financial help in building their infrastructures and economic development. But there are still some overall concerns of corruption and especially tribal jealousies.
Conditions here are adequate, though our room is small and the bath has NO electrical outlets with only the smallest of mirrors! At least there is plenty of water and electricity, so we feel blessed. (Though as I finished this and got ready for bed, the electricity did go out for about an hour and a half!
Day 5, Saturday, October 4, 2014 … St. Francis of Assisi It was extremely warm sleeping in the beginning, but by 1 a.m. it started getting cooler and was very comfortable. Well … it’s been quite a day! Bob took a walk through town right after breakfast as they prepared for market day. One or two days a week every town has a market day where local
and remote vendors set up all along main street and sell their wares. By 7 am there were hundreds of people setting up shop in this little village of maybe a dozen buildings. All were friendly and greeted him either in Kiswahlee, Kikamba or broken English. They found his illiteracy very humorous as he tasted their tobacco, snuff, fruits, tried out the cattle leashes, etc, etc. One young gentleman took it upon himself to walk with Bob, introducing and greeting the townsfolk.
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| Market Day in Miambani |
It was the Parish’s fundraising day today. All morning long men and the children were putting up canopies and setting up chairs for the approximately 500 people that would come from all of the 23 outstations of this Parish. People kept coming all morning long, mostly by foot, but some in pickup trucks jam packed with people in the back, joyfully singing! Many of the children were dressed in their school uniforms … mostly those who are boarded here at the St. Mary’s school … but all girls in beautiful, even fancy,
dresses. So cute! Women, too, were dressed in either very nice skirt and matching top outfits or, if they belonged to the CWA, pink tops with the “St. Monica’s Circle” wrap cloth around them as a skirt, and most of them wearing some kind of scarf headwear. The CWA cloths are light blue with a picture in the circle that says Monica’s Circle … St. Monica, an African and the mother of ST. Augustine is the patron of intercession and motherhood who prayed for the conversion of her husband and son … and a white border with the same color blue crosses. The women are dressed attractively and modestly, even in this very hot climate. I’d suggest the designers of clothes for us Americans come to Kenya to get some ideas on designing attractive clothes for us!
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| The parish celebration at St. Mary's Parish, Miambani, Kitui, Kenya |
dresses. So cute! Women, too, were dressed in either very nice skirt and matching top outfits or, if they belonged to the CWA, pink tops with the “St. Monica’s Circle” wrap cloth around them as a skirt, and most of them wearing some kind of scarf headwear. The CWA cloths are light blue with a picture in the circle that says Monica’s Circle … St. Monica, an African and the mother of ST. Augustine is the patron of intercession and motherhood who prayed for the conversion of her husband and son … and a white border with the same color blue crosses. The women are dressed attractively and modestly, even in this very hot climate. I’d suggest the designers of clothes for us Americans come to Kenya to get some ideas on designing attractive clothes for us!
Mass was celebrated outdoors under the tents on Kenyan time … 10:30 mass started about noon … and still the people continued to come! Lunch was then served, and then they proceeded to auction off items, including a goat. During the entire time one of the outstations was selling “friendship hankies”, white hankies with “Welcome, Friend” and a small flower embroidered on them. They also sold colorful sashes. But the people who were doing the selling were the kids! They’d come up to the woman with the goods, get a hankie or scarf, run off to sell it, come back with the money and get another one! The men’s group of each station had a competition as to who raised the most money.
All in all, Father said it was a very successful day, and they exceeded their financial goal. This is also part of a diocesan activity, as all parishes are doing the same thing sometime this weekend. Next Saturday, all parishes in the Kitui Diocese will gather for their family day and bring a portion of their funds to the diocese to be used throughout the area. Before everyone left, another meal was served by the Christian women … it ended about 4 o’clock, giving those 2 hours of daylight to get back home. Father said those from some of the outstations will be walking until long after dark
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| The children anxious to learn about America |
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| Bob, our Kenyan "grandmother", Marcie and Sister Agnes |
Next we walked toward town to visit the health dispensary where Sister Agnes works. Today two babies were born … both boys were named Francis (for Today’s feast day and, I’m assuming, the Pope). My impression … so unsanitary for a medical facility, though as Sister pointed out, it is better than what they had before ,.. nothing. At 6:30 the electricity went out again for another hour and a half … after about an hour we had dinner by candlelight! It is very early to bed this evening. The smiles of all those greeting and welcoming us, the eagerness of the children to shake our hands, get their pictures taken and to learn about America, the heat and dirt … it’s been quite a day!
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