Reliable people!

I don’t think it will surprise anyone that I left my sunglasses on the table in a restaurant when I left. Neither should it surprise you that when I passed the restaurant some hours later (still unaware of the absent sunglasses) the waiter came running after me to make sure the sunglasses was reunited with it’s owner. People here are exceptionally reliable and honest. I have given them many chances to cheat me, but they never do. I bought two t-shirts in a shop the other day and the lady there gave me too much money in return. When I told her she said it was a welcome-to-2007-offer from her to me. I assume those kinds of offers are usually stated before you pay and moreover to convince you to buy an additional item. But this lady didn’t even have in mind to inform me about the discount she gave!

Another day we sat in a restaurant enjoying a spicy pizza when an old lady came over to us speaking devotedly in Swahili. Apparently she had something important to reveal, but we couldn’t grasp what she said. She was impatiently pulling my arm and I went with her for her to show me what she wanted. Downstairs in a shop where we earlier that day had written and posted some letters, the shop keeper’s smile made me still more confused. I immediately thought we had paid insufficient, but in his left hand I caught the sight of a blue Bic-pen, and realized the old lady had been seeking the owner of the pen!

Downtown Sigowet

Sigowet is mainly a bypassing road, but if you stop to explore the rural village you’ll find that it has almost everything you need. Maria sells tasty tomatoes, Sammy has eggs and cool soda, Michael can sew you a new skirt, in the café they have tea, chapati, cakes and a television, next door they sell mobilecards and in the shop opposite Emma can provide clothes, umbrellas and matresses. If Sammy happen to have only two eggs and we need four, he will surely guide us to someone that might have the additional two. George is the computer-expert in town. He can print, type and photo-copy and after closing his shop he watches dvds on his computer. There is also a corn-mill, a few carpenters, pubs, places to play pool and a handful guest houses.

Resam boarding school

The day starts at 4:50am at Resam boarding school and if you have a look at the school routine you’ll see that the first seven duties of the day take place before first lesson at 8:20! From my kitchen window I can see them in the evening still going strong washing their clothes. I would have liked to see myself as a 10 years old doing the same without complaints!

Jeppa!

In the principal’s office I revealed the list of what I would like to teach and he accomplished almost all my requests. So now I’m teaching social studies that includes geography, history and politics, creative arts that includes music, arts and drama and I also agreed upon teaching physical education. I am very happy with the combination of creative and theoretical subjects. In geography we are learning how to use and interpret maps. Here some pupils in class 6 are measuring the distance from Nairobi to Kisumu.
The other day I tought class 7 to “Jeppa”. It’s a game we used to play on Sjernarøy when I was little. All you need is a long stick, a short stick, two bricks and a lot of good luck to avoid being hit by the stick. I had to invent some new rules because I couldn’t remember them all.

Hello Norway, I have no teeth!

“Come”, an elderly man requests waving his hand. He starts talking without giving me time to cross the street. Luckily a girl next to him translates his statements. “He says you have to tell the people in Norway that you met a very old man without teeth”. I promise to do so and also to show the picture of him.

Blisters!

I’ve had blisters on my feet from walking and blisters inside my hands from rowing, but I have never before come across blisters on my fingers from washing clothes! Washing clothes twice a week keeps them fresh!

First day at school

The teachers sat on a pode in front of all the pupils. One after one they welcomed the children and enquired them to work harder this year. They also thanked their god for bringing them safely into 2007. I introduced myself and told the story about my walk through a village nearby when a boy came up to me and asked “Hva heter du?”, (what’s your name) in Norwegian. The friendship Sigowet has with Norway is very present and perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised when I entered my first class and the children started off with singing “Kjerringa med staven”, almost perfectly pronounced!

Africa

What is Africa? Where is Africa? Who is Africa? Kenya is in Africa. Sigowet is in Kenya and I am in Sigowet. Am I then allowed to tell a story about Africa?

In Africa the sun rises from the east, children love candies and youth listen to rock. In Africa people fall in love. And waiting for a phonecall from the charming, clever, humorous, good-looking guy makes Christmas holiday unbearably long. Family dinners would be far less challenging if HE would only send an sms!

In Africa my neighbour assists me to connect my mobile to the computer and use the former one as a modem for accessing internet. He recommends the Safaricom phone company although all companies are forced to lower the prices due to competition. For our benefit off course!

In Africa the most common New Year resolution made by women is weight loss, according to a national newspaper. Others are being more active in sports, spending less money on their mobile, improving their school grades and argue less with their parents.

In Africa newspapers talk about optic fibre cables, the elections coming up in 2007, how politicians betray their party and how Kenyan women can now smile but still not broadly in their struggle for justice. The world news describe the Madrid airport bomb, the execution of Saddam and the sinking Indonesian ferry. Journalists discuss why US president Bush decided to invade Iraq and the lifestyle section helps you create your dream wardrobe without spending a fortune. Adverts claim a new shampoo give you a better life.
So this is Africa. Off course not the only Africa there is, but one of the billions “true” stories about Africa. There are also stories of AIDS, of corruption, of poverty and hunger that are just as true as my story. Because Africa is a huge and diverse continent!

Boda-boda!

In Kisumu you are just as likely to run into a boda-boda as you are to come across tea in China, tapas in Spain, umbrellas in Bergen and roundabouts in Karmsundsgata. They are everywhere! The boda-bodas are solid bikes with a thick, soft, comfortable rear-seat and a driver! They have attached knobs to rest your feet and handles for your hands. Unless you are already an experienced bike passenger grown up in Amsterdam, I recommend wearing an ample skirt or trousers on your boda-boda expedition to enable you to put one leg on each side. For 20 eurocents a boda-boda-trip is pleasure for a good deal!

A boda-boda can take you safely from the fruit-market to the internetcafé or wherever you may wish. Safely is apparently not entirely agreed upon. We met some American peace-corpsers that told us their insurance only covered accidents on boda-bodas given that they wear a helmet! I am still hoping to get to see such a scene during my stay here!

The phenomenon boda-boda started on the border between Uganda and Kenya. Bike-taxies would carry people from the border and to the border and it didn’t take long until they were nick-named border-border or easier; boda-boda!
Althoug Kisumu can be swollen with pride by the amount of boda-bodas they hold, Sigowet certainly beat them in terms of creativity and originality. Here you can find boda-bodas with a radio in the front and loud-speakers in the back playing Bob Marley, boda-bodas without brakes, boda-bodas claiming to be miss Kenya 2007 and boda-bodas painted in intense colours.