Blog Six

A quail catcher’s baskets. Yes, this is a profession.

Blog 6
Well, our stay in Kenya is quickly coming to a close, but things are definitely still happening. This could possibly be my last blog, but don’t count your chickens before you’re even sure if they’re chickens.

Anyway, July 13, Sunday, was your normal Sunday, with church, and the rest of the day off. We went to the Dreamland Education Centre today, which was a good choice because it was led by the boarding school kids. When I introduced myself (a white person causes quite a stir, so you’re always expected to introduce yourself, and give a short spiel about something) as being fifteen years old, everyone kind of shifted and laughed, because a lot of the kids there were older than me. It’s hard to explain. Anyway, it was a good day.

Monday, the 14th was the day that Mom and I left for Butere, where Mom’s old friends, the Ashenes. Upon arrival, we met Johnston, Florence (aka Flora), and one of their sons, Joshua. Not much to do that day, but apparently after it rained, it had been the first rain for quite a while.

The Ashenes with us.

Tuesday was about the same, with really nothing to do, so I was able to finish a book in two days written by the alleged killer of Martin Luther King Jr. proving his innocence. Good book, called “Who Killed Martin Luther King Jr.?” That was pretty much the whole day, but I was able to sleep in, which was nice; breakfast is at 7:30 at the house.

Wednesday was our departure day, and Joshua was kind enough to give us a tour around their ancestral land, and on the trip, we saw an extremely rare bird; the secretary bird. After that, though, they presented us with a kuku (chicken), which we were sort of flustered to receive. I hope he finds a good use for it. Well, it’s back to Kimilili again, and the mosquito nets on the beds are looking good after we got eaten alive.

The secretary bird. You should probably use the zoom option to properly see it.

Ah, Thursday, the 17th. Another one of those “speech days”. This time it was for the purpose of handing over the house that was completely finished. This apparently involved a two hour speech, followed by sermon. It was in Swahili but there was some interpreting this time. Matthew also made a speech, pretty much challenging the fellowship why they couldn’t come and help with the construction (remember that downer day I told you about on Tuesday last week?). That was interesting. Pictures, now…

The completely finished house.

Me unlocking the door to give the keys to Moses.

I think that since this is near the end or our stay, is would be nice to kind of give an overview of the Swahili and Bukusu words I’ve learnt. We’ll start with Swahili, shall we? One note, though. All the r’s have a slight roll, all the a’s are like saying aaahhhh when the doctor shoves that stick thing down your throat, all the I’s sound like ee, and the e’s at the end of the word are actually eh, like a Canadian, (Sorry, for all those Canadian viewers, if I have any…) and when you see an M at the beginning of a word, say mmmm (like when you enjoy the food you’re eating) and then the rest of the word. Also, for most words that are adjectives, just add Sana to make it very whatever.

Probably the six most needed words you need to know-
Habari (Yako)- How are you? Say Yako if very formal, or to emphasize Also, this is what every little child screams at you as you walk past.
Mzuri- Good. The traditional answer to Habari.
Asante- Thank you. You use this A LOT.
Karibu- Welcome/ You’re welcome. You use this for actually welcoming someone, like to your house, and to answer someone who has already said Asante. No, it’s not Caribou, for those people who are reading this at home.
Jambo- Hello/ Hi. You answer this by saying Jambo again.
Sawa- (Sawa)- Either one means Okay.

The “lesser” words, that aren’t necessary to survive.
Mzungu/Wazungu- White person. The M at the beginning is for singular. This, too, is what small children scream at you as you walk past.
Kidogo- Small.
Watoto/Mtoto- Children. Once again, the M at the beginning is singular.
Kuja- Come.
Twende- Go.
Simama- Stop
Pole- Sorry. You actually use this a lot, since it also means “excuse me”
Pole-Pole- Slowly. No, I don’t know why it’s just repeating Sorry twice.
Haraka- Fast/Faster
Narudi- Go back.
Kuku- Chicken.
Wekesa- Harvest. Yes, this is the name that they gave me.
Kubwa- Big.
Tuonane- See you. Kind of informal
Qwaheri- Goodbye. More formal.
Iko- Is there…
Cindio- Do you hear/understand?
Wey-a-Wey- Hey man! Sort of an attention-getter.
Buena- God/Man. Saying eh, Buena is like “hey, dude”
Bya- Bad. Sounds like “buy a”

And now for the two Bukusu words I know. By the way, that’s the local language.
Oreyena- How are you? Same as Habari.
Dimilem- Good. Equivalent to Mzuri.
Ok, I know that I know almost nothing, but considering everyone speaks English, it’s not that big of a problem.