Friday, 20 July 2012

July 7th - A Busy Saturday - Visitors and Dancing


I dropped into Thika for a little shopping and meet Dan and Helen who are on a final whistle stop tour of their friends in Kenya before returning to the UK after a year with VSO. We meet at Blue Post Hotel which overlooks a fantastic waterfall and take chai and samosa in the grounds and relax after their long journey from Nanyuki. Then after a long wait for a matatu that can take the 3 f us plus their bags we finally arrive at the orphanage around 3.30pm. A quick coffee and drop the bags then we take a short walk (about 2km) across the valley. This is a fairly steep sided valley very green with banana trees, maize, avocado and mango trees etc with a small river in the bottom. A complete contrast to Nairobi where Dan and Helen are based.

The Walk Across the Valley


Outside Faith's House with her Family (Faith is on the right with the Jackson 5 haircut)


We head to Faith’s shamba (Faith is the new hairdressing instructor at the poly but also a good friend of the ladies at the orphanage so I have known her a while). She invited me to bring D&H to a family gathering this afternoon. Unfortunately we were late (due to the Matatu delays) so most guests had gone. We still had a great time and chat over chai and chapatis admiring the fading light of the sun set over the expansive view of the valley. D&H have progressed well with Kiswahili so there was much goading of me to get better!!

Faith walked us back to Kandara as she needed some pills from the pharmacy for a sick mother. We popped into Relax Inn for a quick beer and found a dowry after party in full swing. We squeezed our way through to the back bar. 3 Mzungus got a lot of friendly attention and there were a few in there that I knew. As we sat down Helen announced she had just experienced her fastest chat up (Kenyan men can be very forward, especially with mzungu ladies) a chap had held out his hand in greeting and said “07….” Before saying anything else he was giving her his number!! With Dan behind her!

Anyway we enjoyed the beer with a constant stream of people coming to say hi and curious about 3 Mzungus. 

Faith went home and the 3 of us went back to the Orphanage to cook dinner, egg fried rice and stir fry courtesy of Dan. Then just after 8 we went up to the Dining Hall which on a Saturday night becomes an impromptu dance hall. Music is played and the children (aged from 2-18) dance and sing the night away. Helen is a bit of a whizz with the dancing too and tried to keep up with the older boys. Dan and I were given a dance lesson by the girls but every time we though we were getting it they changed the move to confuse us and then fell about laughing!


Dancing with Curia on my shoulders - good exercise!!


Who is teaching who?




Lucy one of the 3 year olds had had a long day and even the loud music and frolicking could not wake her – bless. 


Lucy 


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