reede, 26. november 2010

3 months

Soon, soon and 3 months are over.

These months have gone faster and faster with every passing day.

After 3 months in Kenya, I discovered that I have not visited even a single new place and I was really feeling that it is time to go and discover Kenya again. 

So, it was just yesterday morning, when I took my (actually Elen's) backpack and said goodbye to my mud hut and people. Every time right before I start going to the unknown, I feel some kind of small fear and temptation to stay in the place I know and just continue living the comfortable life in the environment that I know.

Most of us in the Western world, we are working all the time to ensure our lives. To have insurance for everything. To make life more comfortable, more perfect. It's like building the wall between us and the real world higher and higher, because the more insured and comfortable we are, the less we want to discover anything new, because it seems dangerous.

Anyway, while already on the road, all the fear seems funny. It feels good to be on the road. It is good feeling to sit in the bus and not to be sure about how the place I am going looks like. It's good feeling to get out of the bus when driver tells you that this one here is the destination. If I do not know what to expect, it makes me to appreciate small things, as well as it makes me somehow vulnerable. I discovered that if I drive my regular and everyday road in Kenya, I often think about my own things and do not look around me, but if I drive a new road, I am opened to everything - new people, new ideas, new surroundings, everything.

The first evening we arrived to Kapenguria, that is called the capital of west pokot. We just drove through the town, because we did not understand that this is the capital town. Few houses - even my home village is bigger :) The evening ended with staying in one of the very few lodgings - it was one of the four rooms behind the "Poa place bar". The noise lasted until the morning, but at least they had good music and I was just sleeping.

In the morning, we walked back to the bigger centre on the main road and passed Tegla Lorupe peace center - She is a pokot woman. Next interesting sight was a HUGE church. Really huge one.

Day continued with the waiting in the matatu. One or two hours I guess. But we were not in a hurry. After we decided that Kapenguria is totally boring and there's nothing that we would not have seen yet, the road onward was a good surprise. Our destination, Ortum was surrounded by uncountable mountains and having all the basic things I could want, even the room for 200 shillings with a great view, socket, network and electricity. And all these mountains. Tomorrow morning I choose one and see how the west pokot looks from the top of this one.

If there's electricity, more stories will be found here also tomorrow evening.

kolmapäev, 24. november 2010

Not on a trip.

During last 1,5 years I have been living in different countries. Doing different things, adapting with different ways of seeing life. Different people. Different goals. Different atmospheres.

For the last few weeks I have a strange feeling that this is not anymore a trip or being away from home for a short time. I feel like I live exactly there, where is my bag. And this is my present. My future is future.

:)

esmaspäev, 15. november 2010

So I was travelling for few days to meet my friends all over Kenya.

This time I took the real and big bus this time as the memories from my last longer trip are still fresh. My first matatu driver was sleeping and woke up only when there was a hole in the road (luckily there's no problem with those) and I was really afraid of my life, I stopped the matatu and left. While I was waiting for the second matatu, a lot of young men came around me and tried to "help" me - that means to earn money from my presence. If a matatu stopped, they made some kind of deal (they thought that they are making it secretly)- they were basically selling me to the driver telling some price that he should ask from me in the and and what I had "agreed" with them. I was so annoyed, that I even did not want to ask the price that is obvious thing to do before sitting in. I decided that I will pay the amount according to the distance.

Well, I sat in and this matatu had no breaks. I was angry. I was sick. I was tired. And I was sure that with the "luck" I had that day, the next matatu will be worse. So I hoped that the town comes soon. And it came, too soon for the price that was asked from me. If I refused to pay, the driver said that the men had said him that this is the price I pay. I got angry. I said that many people can tell him many things. Then I said that he should repair his breaks, he asks "so what?", I said I could go to the police, he got very angry, asking: "Are you threatening me, let s go to police." I said that OK, let s go. I guess this was not the answer he expected and instead of taking me to the police station, he just drove the opposite way to the Nairobi highway. Then he stopped. I said that this is not the police station. The co-passengers said that "you arrived safely, why do you complain." I was wondering, how people care about their lives so less and just said that: "I hope that you reach to Nairobi still alive. Anyway, I was sick and tired, paid the money and left.

So, this time I took the real bus and the trip was really uneventful, only in Kisumu some people had created some kind of road block and were running around and jumping from car to car and putting some plants to the cars. I was not sure about what was happening, people closed the windows and all bus was quiet. But our bus driver was a real macho. He just held the leg on gas and drove through all this while a lot of cars had stopped and got stuck. Later on I heard that people are protesting because of the bad situation of the roads. Yes, they have a good reason for that - the road from Kakamega to Kisumu is kind of awful, consisting of only holes and the drivers drive on the side that has less holes or on the sidetrack of any line. Sometimes the sidetrack has 30 degrees angle or something similar, so the trip is an experience for sure.

---

One of the best moments during my trip to town is always eating.
I just discovered that I have got used to the Kenyan/Luhya village people way of eating.
Morning equals to the chai (tea). Sometimes I have also some bread, butter and tomatoes.
Lunch time equals to no food or sukuma and ugali (maize flower mixed with water and boiled and some green vegetables).

Dinner means ugali and sukuma. Or rice and cabbage if I'm lucky. Or sometimes even some potatoes. But that's it. No cheese sandwiches or pasta :) No meat. Ugali. Ugali. Ugali.
I wouldn't tell that I can't get food. But there's no variations. And also some important components (for me) are missing. So if I get to the town, I go and order everything I want and EAT. It feels really good. But even in smaller towns it's sometimes difficult. But I just eat my vitamins and if I reach back, I EAT!

:)

kolmapäev, 3. november 2010

Left alone.

Alari started moving towards to Estonia and I returned alone to my home in Shianda. After the trip that was not my favorite one I arrived to Shianda and everything was the way it is in Shianda.

Yesterday I lighted the lamp and started writing. Then I got the idea to draw. I usually never draw. But I did it this time. And I was drawing 4 different images... somehow I liked it. I was just listening music, thinking, writing, drawing... Today I add also learning Swahili and reading. It's good to have my own space for a while - I have a whole house :) Before drawing I did another thing that I do quite rarely - I was cleaning and arranging the house. It created a good and peaceful feeling that some things are in order - felt like I would have cleaned my life as well.

There's less than a week left in Shianda before I take a vacation. It feels good and I have enough time.

Yesterday I decorated the home:) Next to the map of Estonia and Kenya, I added the big and colorful world map. I have always wanted to have the world map on my wall and now I have it.

No more news.
Last week, last week :)
Toetab Blogger.

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