The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire

Part 6 – February 1, 2015.   Superbowl time.

The Kenyan version of the Superbowl has been going on full time here since we arrived.  I have never seen so many sports on TV at one time.  It’s the FA Cup (I think just Great Britain), European soccer, European handball (quite a game, kind of like water polo without the water) from Qatar, the Africa Cup of Nations (pan-African soccer tournament), basketball from the US, track from Russia, golf from the US, tennis from Australia, and cricket from Australia (and I still don’t have a clue what an “over” is and why anybody cares).   And Sunday night (daytime in the US), after a day of rest, we saw Raiders of the Lost Ark as the electricity came and went repeatedly at our hotel. Monday night we saw the Superbowl replay with no commercials or halftime show.  That part was great.  I hope all Patriot fans are happy and thanking the coach of the Seahawks.

On Monday, we got started on visiting and interviewing each widow in her home.  Unfortunately Sandy had to stay in Kakamega due to GI issues that arrived suddenly (she’s OK now) so I had to go it alone for the day.

In order to get around to some 47 homes in just 5 days we have hired a local person to drive us to and through the village on the long and very bumpy roads.  It’s a far more arduous task than I appreciated from having walked these very same roads over the years.  And of course we had to start off with the drama of a broken fan belt before we even got to the first home.  

But this only delayed us by an hour as our driver, Edith, got on a matatu to Chavakali a couple of miles away where she fetched a mechanic complete with tools and a new belt.

For the whole day I was accompanied by Mary, the Chairlady of the widow’s group, and Rose, our play school teacher who speaks English very well.  

Mary and Rose

Occasionally our group would expand by a couple of women as we wended our way from house to house.  

The experience of riding in the back of an open pickup while holding on for dear life for the day gave me the feeling of being in the movie, "Out of Africa.”  Perhaps I’ll be Robert Redford in my next life or maybe even Harrison Ford.

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This first day’s journey took us to the women who live at the southwestern most edge of the village near the Eregi Hills.   

Which reminds me of a blog I did back in February of 2011 regarding these very hills.  And I quote: 

“A few years ago while hiking through the countryside around the village of Kasavai we came to the bottom of what is called the Eregi hills to the south (https://picasaweb.google.com/kenslerttk/Africa20110217a?authkey=Gv1sRgCIr03MPTmsnyIg#5575101188560804546).  They rise about 300 m above the surrounding ground and are covered with a patchwork of small cultivated fields.  A beautiful scene.  When we asked if we could hike to the top, we were told that it was not a good idea because the hill is covered with snakes, cobras to be precise.

That was enough to take any such hike off my schedule for sure.  But this year, when I came to the hills again while walking with Victor, our local Kenyan CLOUT representative and assistant, I mentioned the snakes and asked him if he had encountered any.  He smiled and said he had not, but he was quite sure there was at least one such snake if not many.

In fact, he says many local residents have seen the snake more than once from a distance, but only between 8 and 9 at night in the summer, i.e., this time of year.  The snake has very bright eyes, or carries a light, with which it attracts and distracts its prey before it strikes.  It is seen as it proceeds west to east along the ridge of the hills until it reaches the eastern end, whereupon it reverses course and heads to the western end.  People do not go to the top of the hills at night!”

Mary told me yesterday that there was a recent forest fire in the hills that killed many many snakes, some as big as rocks, whatever that means.

But I digress.  Phyllis, the total orphan we visited first, has a 1.5 hour walk to our office where the Watafutaji widows have their meetings in the center of the village, if she takes the short cuts.

 

Phyllis, a total orphan caring for her two younger brothers

Ten homes and 7 hours from the start we had returned to the office.  

Tuesday will provide more of the same in another portion of the village and we will begin to collate the data and collect our thoughts to share with you.    

Terry and Sandy