I am glad we are friends... we would make lousy enemies!

 

First a toast to 9 or 8 years of a great friendship!  Wah! Tunazeeka. 

by Glam for miss G

Just another day we met in Daystar, May 2006, PAC  court, Grace looking all mature and classy and me with my rural swag all ready to have a great time in campus (which we sure did) and get Degrees, (of course which we also did -with no single referrals.) *things not to take for granted*

Any who am excited and off course honoured to be the first guest blogger on this very random blog. (Actually am surprised she agreed to this, but then again she doesn’t say no often, at least not to me)
lets gets started, with a disclaimer, am no writer, well at least not a social writer so be sure you will not bump into a joke in this post. In my works we are all about strategic objectives and impact *a moment to worry about all the proposal deadlines staring at me fiercely*.  I digress (there will be lots of those instances, so buckle up)
Oh. Pardon my PR (daktari hajitibu) My name is Glam and if we were 12-13 or there about, Miss G would be my best friend and we would have those BFF pendant chains:) 

(Stella, Mwendwa, Ed Gicovi, Grace Kelley, Francis, Sakayo if you are reading this, let us sort out this during the next sleepover, which I will not be attending, am too Lil Kim for that) Did I digress again already? Back to Glam. Before you ask what kind of creature refers to herself as...ok bla bla bla my official name is Joyce (Joy Ce I prefer) and this is just a cruise down memory lane of the lives and times (plagiarism nayo) of G & J; as friends, good friends and business partners. Can we try out a list of fun, random things we have done together-in our early 20s? Or better still a table (inside joke- never mind)

1. Taking a very random 3 day road trip to Arusha on a very tight budget. (5k to be precise) what were we thinking? But that was fun and random. Ruth is quite the life of the party & I want your small sister’s wardrobe.
2. Spending all our cash on Galitos or Java chocolate fudge cake then calling Sakayo (such a darling) to bail us out cause we are stuck in town. Again, what were we thinking.
3.  Taking one hour to get to the library then spend another 1.5 working on a to do list another 30 minutes of Miss G summarizing the to do list then we realize it 10pm and the library has to close down!  But we are pretty smart we still managed to get the 3.+GPAs, most times, sometimes ok. Tmi.
4. Walking door to door Hurlingham looking for internships. I remember this is when we conceptualized Lime Etiquette - Royal Etiquette. Oh sweet Lime!
5. Ice skating, having conversations that no one else would understand …

Before we go all PUI (inside joke 2) here is my grand conclusion. *Server loading* *server error* take 2. In conclusion, Miss G. Cutie/ queen of summaries and  'Glam stop texting in short hand' speaking of which it shocks me that even when you were a teenager you still, used T9 (how now) I digress. Grace is an inspiring, beautiful lady, grounded, with some insane positive attitude in life I don't know you manage that, always smiling and infecting people with the good cheer.  You are simply amazing. Always taking life easy. Never getting angry. Grounded in her Christianity. Fun. Fun. Waits. Lets capitalize that and probably bold it. FUN! 

Oh no! I owe Grace cake for her 21st birthday. Auuuwi (vernacular scream - you can take the girl out of the village but the village is deep within me) cake. Haya. Added to my 2014 list. Now if only we would start planning the wedding. Your man is God sent. Francis, Salut!  Reminds me of my situation … Glam husband applications open (sema free advertising)

Keep smiling, keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for

-Dione Warwick's song

 Remember we have our 2014 'to-do-list' do not summarize it please (inside joke 3)

Much love, 

Glam

The Samburu-Maralal Saga - Part IV (final)

Here is the last adventure... (written 2 days after the journey back)

Over, but not over yet...

So the adventure only begins when it ends. This adventure is not so much the experience at the trip but what happens to the person...

My heart was changed. All the stories touched my heart to a point of tears, learning that the marginalized communities are really suppressed: they don't feel like they are part of the country and many live in constant fear due to tribal clashes which are a norm & don’t get me started on the development! It is almost @ zero percent, unless at the towns...

There is always the few who are privileged. 

Being touched however is not enough, it takes a Christian who has accepted their call to let themselves be used of God fully to His will & to let themselves be guided on what they can do.

I had to give myself to be used & I have. Wherever the Lord takes me I will go.

On a light touch: how do I forget the physical effect the trip had on me? I got me some bedbug bites from their hotels! Which I took a whole week treating!!!

What an ending, more like the beginning! Of following God's leading & treating bedbug bites...

 Miss G 

Until next time...

Be safe & happy, make a difference, love more & learn from every experience.

Miss G

The Samburu-Maralal saga - Part III

After Dawn...

Here I was thinking we are done. Sweet sleep woke up to view the last hour of nature before leaving the region, then bam! Mud!... muddy mud. We find the muddiest section ever! 

First we pass a stuck lorry, they were using spades to scoop out mud & create a path, then ahead of us one bus & another lorry blocking the way. So we wait for one of them to find an escape. Lady passengers from the bus were so freaked out they got out of the bus, the sliding, skidding, tilting, for a split second I thought the bus would topple. So we watched & waited from a distance hoping will not have to find an alternative route & we didn’t! Thankfully…

So long mud! Or so I though.

We skidded a few more times passed some river that with all honesty seemed like it would sweep us out! Rushing water & the 4×4 had to pass through it & guess where there is a path & avoid the potholes.

Just before I got used to the unpredictable terrain I was told, 'welcome to Kenya' :-) finally! A tarmac road!

No mud, no skidding, & best part, I won’t have to worry about pushing the 4×4!

Grand!

What caught my attention was the statement ‘welcome to Kenya’ which to them was a common statement; they live in Samburu and visit Kenya occasionally. No comment.

So I arrive to my destination but it seems my trip's adventure is not over!

Arrmmm, in other words, my adventure hasn’t ended.

The Samburu-Maralal Saga - Part II

Here is the story of my morning adventure...

Darkest Before Dawn

The dark adventures

No photos to show this thrill, just my words...

 We depart before dawn & adventure begins right outside the gate. At first I thought the 2KM distance I walked 4days ago seemed far. Wondering to myself 'how come we aren’t getting to the main road?' I go silent assuming maybe the darkness is making us move slowly although I very well knew the speed wasn’t that slow.

 My suspicion finally gets confirmed after my fellow adventure mates (AM) realized I had been too silent: They were speaking a language I do not understand so I couldn’t quite tell how they all realized at the same time that I was quiet. 

I was informed that we had used a different route (phew! Was getting worried @ this rate we shall take 6hrs on the road) but he hadn’t finished the statement, we used a different route in the forest!!! oh boy! Should I be worried? Are there warriors? Or just those insecurities? *ignorant thoughts here*

Well, I dared not ask lest I jinx it.

 Now that my heart was @ peace I could start noticing other things around me like the Christmas song playing on the radio, which was suddenly disrupted by my adrenaline rush caused by the skidding. I had already pictured us all out pushing a 4×4 & by that I mean 2 ladies seated back seat & one gentleman, an important person (title wise).

We however managed to swerve & get out of it. There were quite some more of that swerving as we climbed the hill. When we got to hilltop I breathed a sigh of relief 'one challenge down' let’s see what’s ahead before dawn. 

I just kept hoping some light will start creeping from the skies & I could feel less blind & more aware of my surrounding, but for now we could only trust our driver knew what he was up to.

Finally we begun journey down the hill, rough rugged, rocky, you name it! There was no sliding this time which was great but on an un-existing road, it can’t be all roses… we tilted to points of almost rolling... the end seemed closer yet so far!

About 15mins down the slope with some places not exactly having roads (so we went creating our own paths) we were out of the forest. 

 Back on the highway! haha main road, smoother main road, well not exactly, it is a rough road just not comparable to the hill encounter which was in no man's definition smooth, but the few worthwhile encounters of seeing a stream of zebras passing & spotting the mobile satellite from the hill made a difference.

Back to the smoother rough-road highway-main road, 

I can relax... I slept on the smooth rough road!

Good morning :-) its sunrise!

The Samburu-Maralal saga - Part I

The Maralal Experience

Maralal has been an experience & a half!

We left our Nairobi home @ 6.30am & arrived in Samburu - Maralal @ 3.30pm

all packed for the journey

 

Our transportation which took all day!

 

To the 2KM walk we had to make after alighting from the bus to the hosts house... who said we are going just behind the hill so casually...

Hata you can’t see a hill on the endless path. Haha.

Then the rain caught up while we were walking so we had to seek shelter at a relative's place

As rain starts

5 minutes later

We were sheltering @ the goats crib & they came to their home because of the rain too

 A photo from inside the goat's house... which is where we were sheltering

Because we couldn’t share the house with the goats, the door was closed so we stayed in darkness sipping the coolest tea ever! Made by Mama wa boma.

Aya, eventually the rain stopped & we continued with the walk ‘just behind the hill’ to our safe haven...

As I said, safe haven, coz it sure felt like it. Haha

I was hosted so well

Had a hot shower, Slept well, then had to wake up early to travel another 40mins away (driving this time) to where the conference I was attending & speaking was...

There were 240 youth attendees... yap!

 Some of the attendees

Food was pretty much like any other; Rice & goat meat & cabbage for lunch, Then ugali for dinner; Ugali with liver & intestines.

With tea breaks in between. I was always full & had carried my special snack for the tea:   

My Oreos! 

*insert dreamy voice*

That afternoon my host left me in the hands of the conference coordinators who took awesome extra care of mwaa…

Samburu Hotel & Restaurant where I spent

 

The event that took me to Samburu-Maralal was an annual Christian youth conference for the region: There were communities from Maralal, Baragoi, Suguta-Marmar, Isiolo (& other places i cant remember)...

I was part of the team that was sharing to the youth at the conference. Their theme was from John 8:36 'If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.' My session was on Public relations and media.

Two days went by so fast being with such great people and learning bits of the Samburu words…

My last day in Maralal I did not have a session, so my host picked me up from the conference and took me around Maralal town to tour.

The final day went so well…

1^st the usual tour around the town, then the suburb, then some history here & there alafu i googled 'what to see while in Maralal' & found 'House of Kenyatta’.

So my host took me to Kenyatta House which is part of the National Museum

The place where Mzee Kenyatta lived from around 1961 for over a year with family & that is where he wrote 'Facing Mount Kenya' and from that spot right outside the house you can see Mount Kenya. So much awesome history...

There is more. Lots more I can’t say all in detail, from

• how much enough Wazungu's own like most of the land there, the actual communities are still oppressed, 
• they (The Samburu) have a GRAND tourist attraction site which holds an Annual event every August: The ‘International Camel Derby' 
• also how many people in the community are polygamous.

Lastly, I visited a Manyatta. Woohoo!!! Notice their tiny windows?

 

Manyatta's tiny windows

 

I was shown their special traditional milk preservative: smoked gourd. Milk can stay even a month fresh in that stuff…

Milk Preservative

 

Then was shown a goats boma.

This is their wealth…

Oh lastly, I learned their dance & some words:

KiSamburu:

·         Supa – Hello

·         Ashe – Thank You 

·         Meisis Yesu – Praise God

·         Tenkarana e Yesu – in Jesus name

My day of departure we woke up @ 3.00am! 

Adventure Part II comes in the next post... 'the story of my morning adventure'