Mike's African Adventures

A contribution from Mike:

On Tuesday July 15 I followed Allison to the field. But, this time when Allison and her research assistants were speaking in Swahili to the various farm wives in their dark mud huts, I decided to sieze the opportunity and venture off to explore rural life in Africa. Nomadically walking up and down the six-ft wide washed-out red dirt roads (impassable for any road vehicle) I saw several African women carrying either bananas or 10 L water jugs on their heads. Being that I was very curious and wanted to see the source from which they drew their water, I walked in the direction they were coming from. After about 100 yards, down a steep embankment, I saw the river. It was very silty and dirty... I couldn't imagine drinking the stuff. When I walked back from the river to main road, I talked to a cow-herdsman around my age. He mentioned to me that some mzungus (white people) have a 1800 acre dairy farm about 1km from his. So, after we said our goodbyes, I ventured off to see the people of my own colour.

While I was walking up the long treed farm lane I noticed about 30 Ayrshire heifers grazing in the tall grass. They are the healthiest cows I have seen in my entire stay here. As I approached the house, I couldn't help but notice the highly manicured gardens as well as mature trees. It was an Old- Victorian house painted white with a thatched roof. The estate comfortably sat upon a hill with full view of the rolling Kenyan landscape to the west. A black Kenyan gardener was cutting the lawn just in front of the house so I stopped to ask him if the mzungus were home. He said 'no'. I mentioned to him I did not know the mzungus who lived here and that I was just a passing mzungu. After saying this, I complimented him on the grounds, and on that note he gave me a tour of all of the gardens around the house. At the end of the tour, he phoned the native Kenyan cook to prepare some chai for the me- the mzungu. The cook escorted me into the Victorian mansion and had me sit on a comfortable couch in the parlour whereby he gave me the daily paper to read. After I finished reading the headlines, and listening to the sound of the push lawnmower (a sound reminiscent of home), the cook came back carrying a tray with fine bone china and hot chai! So, for about half an hour during the heat of the day, I relaxed in the cool renaissance house reading the daily paper and drinking my Kenyan chai with sweet sugarcane sugar. After I finished my delicious chai, I then began retracing my steps through the large house. When I arrived at the door that I entered in from, I couldn't help but notice that my shoes were gone!!! When I looked around the corner, I saw the cook polishing my shoes on the nicely cut grass of the back lawn. When he saw me at the door, he apologized for taking my shoes, and he quickly looped the shoelaces through the shoes and gave them another quick polish. I then said my thank yous and good byes to the cook and gardener and then continued on my role as a nomadic mzungu wandering up and down the dusty African country roads.