Walking towards the final passport check at Geneva's airport, listening to my ipod, I was thinking about the last days spent in Europe and the next months to be spent in Kenya. When "Love like a sunset" came on, a simple 7min mostly instrumental by Phoenix, I had reached the point of thinking how great the days had been with friends and family. I guess the combination of the beauty of the song and the hopeles thought of trying to share my time in Europe to anybody here brought me to the brink of tears. Surprized by my sudden emotional outburst I stepped aside as to not face passport control with tear stained eyes you never know, these days anything can be a bomb even your underwear. I guess that showed me just how detached the two worlds are in many ways.
Putting that aside I was greated kindly when I arrived a few days late due to delays of all sorts. I adapted back quickly and have over the last couple of days improved my room and invested in the kitchen a little. With almost childish joy I have added a table from the local carpenter for 7Euros (a stool is to follow soon), hung up some of my lamps and rearranged a few things to make the room more comfortable. For the kitchen I bought a pan and spices with which I will cook for myself more often. For myself because nobody really wants to eat what I cook it is too unknown, leaves more for me! Plus I have to eat less Ugali which I really can't stand..
Otherwise the food is really okay and it is surprisingly satisfying to eat what you planted/harvested yourself. Whether it is roasted maize, watermelon or mangos they all taste great. Though all the euphoria of a good harvest after such a bad drought is matched by my disappointment that so many plants have sucumb to the sun or insects showing just how dead certain parts of the farm are.
The first evening I came back I realized to my surprise two things had changed: toilet paper was in the living room not only my room and Peter and Alice were brushing their teeth! Whether I caused them to change their habbits or they just felt like their teeth needed some hygiene I do not know either way I see it as my first major success! Another plus is that Peter reads most of the magazines I have lying around and he really seems more informed.
On the first weekend I visited the house of the family of Peter's wife just across the valey yet it seems to be a different world. I'm guessing I'm somewhere above 1500m and although it is January (supposedly the hottest month of the year after september)it gets very cold. The view is amazing as not much on the horizon is higher than us. The area is far more densley covered in trees than Kathuni and generally looks wealthier. The high altitudes and the better environment provide them with enough water. The family is very welcoming and the children especially are more open and cheerful than others. As a guest to a foreign home the entire procedures and rituals of the Kamba hospitality have to be followed, which basically means I do not see any of the women except when they serve tea or food. Another thing is that the father and Peter talk in Kikambe and clearly about me, not that I mind so much as I do not sense they are talking about me in a bad way. Peter then apologizes but not for talking about me in a language I cannot understand but for talking in Kikambe. I answer he should not be worried and everything returns to normal.
Over the past days I have come to the conclusion I want to raise funds for 5 tanks that will be spread in the community rather than giving one a family each that way we can raise more from the community and more people profit and also tought in the nursery school of 5 to 7 year olds (half of them coughing constantly as lung diseases are widespread) more to that some other.
Kwaheri

Back in kathuni and desperately looking for a light switch... I'm stocked up on books and pad notes so I think the next couple of days I will be busy as there is nothing left to do on the farm except wait.


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Stuck!

Flight from Geneva delayed for 2 hours and so I am spending the night in Istanbul at the expense of Turkish airlines.


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Location:Istanbul, Turkey