Karibu Back in Siyiapei

Wow.
That’s all I can say. Just, wow.

Siyiapei has a way of confounding every self-generatedexpectation and assumption. I suspect it has something to do with God and a whole lot to do with Africa. And I don’t necessarily mean ‘confounding’ in a negative way, although those first few minutes this afternoon felt a whole lot like the first few minutes of the last time we arrived in Siyiapei—that unpleasant sensation of every organ in one’s body dropping straight to your feet.

Kristin and I arrived in Siyiapei to find that the matron, Everlyn, no longer lives in the 3 room stone house at the rear of the compound. She had been moved into a one room house behind the office and had hung a blanket from the middle of the ceiling to separate the ‘living room’ from the
‘bedroom.’ Obviously, there was no space for Kristin, let alone me, to stay. Sooooo . . . Kristin and I now occupy 2 bunks in a cozy corner of children’s dorm (13 boys in bunks on the ground floor; 8 girls plus us on the top floor.) No running water, no electricity, bucket flush toilets and, unfortunately, no reception for our Safaricom modem. I had to convince Everlyn to allow me to
un-twist the heavy wire that bound our single window shut because, well, it’s summer here in Kenya. Kristin and I definitely had a moment of: Huh. What have we gotten ourselves into?

But, hey. Just as we learned last time: NONE OF IT MATTERS. And we are so happy to be here.

Our welcome to Siyiapei Children’s Home yesterday could not have been more warm. Everlyn was thrilled to see Kristin and at 5 p.m. when the kids walked down the hill, across the highway and home from school, the place went wild. Hugs and hand-holding and an hour and a half photo session ensued (I kid you not!) with me as photographer. Everyone wanted a picture with Kristin: one-on-one portraits, small group shots, large group shots, tough boy shots, sassy girl shots, funny face shots, acrobatic shots—you name it, they did it. And I photographed, until an enormous black cloud unleashed a downpour that drove us all inside the dining hall where we then had a second photo session with all kinds of poses against the mural of savannah animals.

And then, the highlight: Fellowship Time. Fellowship Time, apparently, happens every evening for the hour preceding dinner. One kid is chosen as leader to pray and then the singing begins. Unbelievable! These kids can SING. And clap. And dance. Most of these kids are Maasai and I am telling you, they can sing and clap and dance and jump non-stop. A lead singer did the calling and everyone followed with chorus, and then the dancing just happened—yet it was not at all random. They were totally in synq, like some sort of Kenyan bush flash mob (and I mean that with the utmost awe.) One boy used a stick and his hand to drum out the most intricate beats against a table top. Tomorrow I will video the experience with my little point and shoot, but even
without a visual record, I will never forget it.

Tonight, Kristin and I ended up eating 2 dinners—the kids told us to eat with them, so we were each served sukuma wiki and chunk of ugali the size of a bowling ball. And then, just as we were each scraping half a bowling ball onto the ground for the resident dog, we were beckoned to Everlyn’s house to watch a Maasai Christian music video (I had no idea such a thing existed) and have supper. We watched the video while Everyln cooked over her coal burning one-burner in the middle of the living room. Then we each consumed a bowl of rice and stewed green grams, plus the requisite cup of chai. Our diet today, starting in Kijabe: mandazis, mangos and chai; sukuma wiki, eggs, ugali and chai; sukuma wiki and ugali; rice, green grams and chai. The fact we accomplished this feat, I thought, must prove something about us—but the truth is, it proves something about the wonderful hosts we have been privileged to have everywhere here : the Kenyans are beautiful, generous, loving, grateful and gracious people. And they love to share.

Karibu back in Siyiapei!

Written January 19, 2012