The Journey to Karago
Sunday, June 24, 2007

Today I leave for Karago. I'm very excited and nervous. Thogo will pick me up at 1 so we can depart by 2pm. It should be a good journey but bumpy roads I think. I met an old woman named Lena in the YMCA this morning. She was very concerned about my luggage and helped me to try to call the airport and many places to try to get it but the phone lines were down. Then we walked to the market and bought a few things I would need for the trip and some food for lunch, Luckily she reminded me to buy toilet paper! When we got back we talked to a man about my luggage. He said that the airport would not give my luggage to a 3rd party so I would need to come back to Nairobi when it arrived. They told me it would be better to wait in Nairobi but I knew that was not possible. Who knows how long it would take anyway?

Thogo came at 1:30 and we left for downtown Nairobi. From there we got a Matatu all the way to Runyenjes. And all the roads were paved so it was far better than I expected. Just crowded. Even my small carry on bags were cumbersome. I don't know how I will manage when my big luggage comes. When we got to Runyenjes we switched onto a face to face Matatu: basically a covered pickup truck with benches on either side. That was VERY crowded. We were packed in like sardines. Good thing I'm not claustrophobic. The road was not dirt with lots of bumps. Huge billows of dust formed in our wake. I could tell that these people RARELY saw a Mzungu (white person). They were all starting and saying "How are you?" One woman asked me for money. They associate white skin with money (and honestly rightly so). We got off at Kathenjuri and then started the 2km walk to Karago. At first we stayed on the main dirt road which was easy walking and fairly flat. Then we turned onto a narrow path which was very uneven, rocky, and STEEP. It was like a good hiking trail. It was soo beautiful. Lots of trees and vegetation. I picturesque view of the valley below. The dirt is a lovely reddish brown and studded with massive gray boulders. We met some children on the way and they were very happy to see us. Thogo told me how to say hello in Kiembu which is the local language of the region. I really hope I will be able to learn some. Even the greeting was a mouth-full. So we got to Karago and he showed me the school which is made up of several buildings, Looks nice. Then we went to the Chairman or President's House. It is a very nice house. He even has a car. I have no clue how he gets it to his house but its there. Lots of kittens. We left my bags there and went to the house where I will be staying they seem very nice and they all speak english. We didn't stay long though. We wet to another house down the road. The nursery school teacher's house. Nancy Njeru. The twin girls from Holland were there. I can't remember their real names but the Kenyan names are Mumbi and Mukami. They seem very happy here and laugh a lot. But they will be going back to Nairobi friday morning(much to my dismay)! If my luggage gets here by then I can go back with them to get it. They have given me some confidence that I will do well here. We had tea (Chai) there with bread and some porridge (which was VERY sour ). Fermented mixture of corn meal and some other ingredients. A little hard to drink perhaps I will get used to it. Thogo and the two girls are a lot of fun. It made me feel a little at home. Much later we went back to the chairman's house and go my things. I met one of his daughters Dorothy. Told her that I have the same middle name. When we returned to Juliet's (my Kenyan mother) she had prepared a large meal for me. Rice and cooked veggies. I was not so hungry because I had eaten at Mrs.Njeru's house. But I knew I had to eat it all to be polite....at least the first day. It tasted good but I was getting really full and I had to go to the bathroom and I didn't really know how that worked yet. So it was a bit of a struggle. hah!

After dinner they showed me my room which is very nice. A big bed with a pillow! It was very dark inside at night so I couldn't tell what else was there. Its a dirt floor so I can't put my bags on the ground because of ants. I don't know what I will do when my suitcase arrives. I had a hard time sleeping, I felt a little home sick, But there is no backing out now. I've made a commitment and I will make it work. Things will get better. Even Mumbi and Mukami said it was hard at first and look how happy they are now. I made a promise and I will not break it.