Rules on the Road

Driving down Nebraska’s highways, it’s easy to get a lead foot or simply be tempted to set the cruise control five mph over the speed limit to reduce the amount of time spent on the road.  Both come with the risk of those dreaded red and blue lights appearing in the rearview mirror.  When suddenly meeting a police car, you hold your breath, silently praying it won’t swiftly turn around and pull you over.  When approaching a construction zone, you hope you won’t have to sit for twenty minutes awaiting your turn to proceed slowly down the single lane. 

The unwritten/informal rules of the road in Kenya are different.  First of all, in semi-rural areas, there is no need to worry about police cars, as there are few officers and they certainly do not have cars.  Instead, the traffic police known for corruption, stand on the edge of the road.  Robert Ngeno, who shares this opinion with many, stated, “That’s the only job there is that people wake up and go to the road to get money without doing any work!” 

More times than not, when I have been in a vehicle, we have been waved over to the side.  The driver then drops a bribe (usually 200 Kenyan shillings or about $2.40) out the window and is then signaled to continue onwards.  There is no problem. For personal vehicles—at times I think there isn’t any real problem, but for public vehicles, which are always overcrowded, paying the small bribe keeps them from suffering severe consequences as new traffic laws dictate. 

While I was in Nairobi a few weeks ago, the new traffic laws went into effect.  No, I think some changes ought to be made as Kenyan roads are among the most dangerous in the world with a very high number of fatalities in traffic accidents, but in my opinion, the consequences for offenses under the new laws are unreasonable.  Take for example someone having no insurance on his/her vehicle, even if it expired only one or two days prior.  This person could face a fine of 500,000 Ksh (nearly $6,000) or 10 years of imprisonment!  Of course this led to an uproar and many Kenyans (especially in Nairobi) did something that they are great at—They went on strike and rioted.  I was in Nairobi’s Central Business District, when I noticed something amiss.  To my horror, I watched as conductors shoved people out of buses and matatus, honked their horns, and drove recklessly: speeding, careening around corners, barreling over medians, driving on the wrong side of the streets and nearly hitting people all while empty inside.  Angry citizens began to throw things at the vehicles.  I knew I had to get out of there.  After two hours of searching for a vehicle willing to carry passengers down Thika Road, I was forced to pay 300 Ksh as opposed to the normal 80 ksh to Juja, but it was worth getting out of town.  Prices were very much inflated over the next few days and are now fixed at higher rates than they were back in November. 

Before entering any vehicle, I am sure to negotiate the fare so as to prevent being overcharged or having an argument within.  Most vehicles are stuffed far beyond capacity—the records of vehicles that I been in are 16 people in Corollas meant to carry 4-5 people, 26 people in Nissans intended for 14, and 4 people on motorbikes which are not designed for more than 2.  Overstuffed vehicles are not the only things on the roads that are often riddled with potholes and quite often large rocks and dust, not to mention an insane number of speed bumps.  I’ve seen roads shared  by lorries (semi-trucks), motorcycles (bodabodas), matatus, private cars, buses, donkeys pulling carts or packing sacks of maize, pedestrians, and camels. 

The roads are like mazes—various forms of transport speeding around others while dodging potholes and taking unmarked detours.  In many places—especially between Kericho and Kisumu or Litein and Eldoret, the roads are supposedly under construction, so vehicles are forced to go down onto rough dusty paths and come back up after some time, without any signs of directing them.  Other surprises to drivers can be unmarked speed bumps and sometimes series of them.  Between two small towns in Bureti District, is a series of speed bumps: 1 bar, 2 bars, 3,4,3,2,1 within a few hundred feet.  Vehicles weave back and forth across the two lanes as they rumble slowly over them making them seem more dangerous to me than if the vehicles were driving quickly.

As uncomfortable as public transport can be at times, I’m thankful I don’t have to drive these crazy roads and remember to keep on the left-hand side.  I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand them.

Patience

Is patience a virtue? 

Where does it come from?

Where does it go?

Is is hope dying?

Is it not caring? 

Is it growing?

Is it learning? 

Is it loving and forgiving? 

More than anything else,

it is something I’m learning,

but sometimes it’s so hard!

Recent Snapshots

Me and Madam Daisy with Class 6 West

Pupils at Kimori Academy on closing day

A glimpse of the Great Rift Valley

A small piece of the crowd at a university graduation

Living in Tea Country

Have you ever stopped to wonder where tea comes from and how it gets to your lips?  Having spent the past 6 months in tea country in the South Rift, I finally took a tour of the nearest tea factory to discover just how the tea I’ve been consuming numerous times each day, comes to be a tasty drink from the plants in the plantations. 

The Mogogosiek Tea Factory, just down the road from where I stay, was established in 1884 and is just one of 65 factories of the Kenya Tea Development Association (KTDA).  Unlike the large British-owned tea estates of Unilever, Sasini, and James Finlay in the area, the factory is owned 100% by a group of 22,000 small scale farmer.  Six directors elected by the farmers oversee the factory’s operations and 150 workers.   The factory is ISO certifies; complying with food safety regulations.  Mogogosiek Tea Factory’s set processing capacity is 15 million kilograms of tea per year; however, they are exceeding that by 7 million kilograms annually.  Tea is Kenya’s highest foreign exchange earner, with 86% of the tea that is produced being exported.  The United Kingdom is the biggest importer of Kenyan tea, while Egypt, Pakistan, India and Somalia are also important consumers.

Once inside the large iron gate, Gladys (one of my Kenyan sisters) and I were taken to an office where we met a manager and were each served a cup of black tea mixed with milk.  We were given a white lab coat and white caps to wear for a tour.  After a satisfying taste of tea, we were met by a worker, Wesley, who was to give us a tour.  He did an excellent job, as he was very knowledgeable and also patient to answer questions. 

Wesley began by leading us out of the offices outside to the Reception Area where the large banana-crème colored trucks carrying 240 brown sisal bags of tea leaves were pulling up to deposit their leaves.  At this point, workers unhooked the bags from the trucks and hook them onto a humming monorail, which reminded me of a miniature ski lift to transport the leaves to where 76 troughs were waiting.    

The purposes of the troughs are to be used for sorting and wilting the tea leaves.  Leaves that are not in combinations of two leaves and a bud, are rejected and must be resorted.  Tea accepted by the Mogogosiek Tea Factory may only be handpicked, not cut by machines as in some larger estates. 

After sorting, the tea is left in other troughs to wilt.  The green leaves are spread quickly by one person in the troughs, followed up by another person who is more attentive and careful to spread the leaves evenly so that they wilt at an equal rate.  The withering area is warm  as the troughs are treated with steam underneath.  Fans rotating clockwise pump steam into the troughs, while they can be switched to run counterclockwise to suck steam.  After 2-3 hours the tea wilts to 67.5% of its original water capacity and is now ready to be cut and fermented.  It is transported from the Withering Area to the Processing Area via a conveyor in between the troughs. 

Down below, in the processing area, weighing scales controlled by a computerized machine, determine how quickly the tea is processed.  At the time we were there, they were cutting approximately 3500 kilograms of tea per hour.  The method of tea processing used in the Mogogosiek Tea Factory is known as CTC (Crush/Cut, Tear, Can).  The withered leaves are cut three times, becoming finer with each cut and filling the area with a strong scent similar to that of cut grass.  After being crushed and cut, it goes through the fermentation process, where the color changes gradually from a bright green to a medium brown.  The Continuous Fermenting Unit (CFU) is the machine used to ferment the tea leaves.  It s controlled by a thermometer and produces a noisy sound, similar to that of a diesel engine, although it runs on electricity.  Until 2009, the CFU was run manually by 90 workers, who then lost their jobs when the electric machine was introduced.  The tea is cut once more in its brown state if it has too much tanine.   After running through the fermentation stage for a second time, the tea moves along a conveyer belt to the drier where it remains for 1 – 1.5 hours. 

In the Boiler Area, our eyes stung with dust, but we were thankful for the dust masks to help keep us from ingesting the dust.  The drying machines transport the tea to this area sounding of squeaky machines and the drone of a loud motor.  The tea just arriving at the mouth of the driers is warm and full of fibers.  A fibro screen is a machine that is then used to remove the fibers by rolling them out and shaking the seeds down.  This is repeated as often as necessary until the tea is free of dirt and fibers.  The tea is then presorted according to grade, containing sees of differ sizes.  The grade of tea can be adjusted by the time that it spends in the Processing Area.  The larger the seeds, the higher the grade meaning that Grade 1 tea, having the largest seeds, is most often used for export, while the finer grains of lower quality are used locally.  The fourth grade known as Dust 1, is extremely fine like powdered sugar.  Something looking like a winnower is used to clean the tea before it is moved to bins, which are large storage facilities.  The large metal bins read BP, PF1, PP, and D1 according to the grade of tea they are. 

From the bins, the tea is moved to the Packing Section, where there are packers, forming boxes, and paper sacks which are labeled by grade and weigh 68 kilograms.  After the bags are weighed once more, they are sealed and loaded into trucks to be taken to a warehouse. 

Finally, we proceeded past a storage facility of old tires, scrap metal, plastic and waste paper to the Boiler Section: the heartbeat of the factory.  The steam boilers are fueled by wood, usually from Blue Gum trees.  100m³ is used daily on average to keep the boilers running.  The tea factory owns 63 acres of land on which it grows blue gum trees for its own use.  After 10 years, trees can be cut and used in the boilers.  There are workers constantly throwing in logs and stoking the fire, and adjusting the fans to control the heat.  Three large square water tanks are used to supply the two boilers with water.  From the boilers comes a droning sound with a singing noise approximately every 8 seconds.  A very tall chimney waits nearby, sending the smoke far up into the air. 

At the end of our tour we were taken to the shed where fuel wood is brought by large yellow Isuzu trucks and cut by chainsaws and stored as it dries.  Six men work together cutting and throwing the logs by hand during eight hour shifts.  Nearby sat a small red trackor and wooden trailer, as our nostrils filled with the smell of dust.    

We finished by going to the test-tasting unite where tea is taken from each of the areas in the factory and tasted before being shipped to the coastal city of Mombasa for further testing.  The tea is mixed with river water for test tasting so as to not have any minerals in it. 

After learning all this, tasting tea and finding out the 1 kilogram of green leaves produces ¼ kg of tea, I now look at the nearby plantations and estates and the tea in my cup with amazement. 

Month Five In Fotos

Class 8 Pupils on a field trip to a water treatment plant... 

We walked a few miles there and then back again later on 

what I believe is the muddiest road I've ever been on!

Some of the pupils mopping and cleaning the school

Only the floor is left to finish on a classroom under construction

While visiting a family, I was to plant 2 

eucalyptus trees by which they could remember me.  

We were washing our hands after finishing.  

Some of the younger children at school eating their githeri for lunch

Some children who were running home 

from the public school with their toy car 

4th Graders celebrating and jumping rope in some relay contests during P.E.

They are very thankful for the 3 ropes they received from Wakefield Elementary!

The Illusion of Time

As a small child, time seemed to go by so slowly.  It seemed as if summer vacation would never come.  Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed an eternity away.  Now they are just around the corner.  Time now seems to go by much more quickly.  There have been times when I have imagined that I could press a giant ‘pause’ button and stop time, accomplish all that I wanted and then press the ‘resume’ button.  Yet, as we all know, reality isn’t exactly like that.  These last few weeks have felt like a whirlwind and I’m sure it’ll only feel even more so that way as my time in Kenya draws to an end.  With a little over one and a half months remaining, I feel as though I’m racing against a clock.  While I no longer race time like I did in cross country or track, I am facing a longer competition against time, trying to accomplish much in little time. 

Just as the passing of time is inevitable, so is change.  So many things have happened and changed over the past month.  I will highlight a few things here.

I traveled to Nairobi in late October with the intention of renewing my visa and adding pages to my passport and visiting a few friends.  The trip along the rough and dusty roads always seems long.  I rarely notice entering the Rift Valley from on my way to Nairobi, but it is always very apparent as the matatu climbs out of it as we near the city and as we barrel into it on the way back from Nairobi.  Unlike the cool, rainy weather we are experiencing in Kimori due to El Niño, Nairobi was quite warm and arid.  Neither my trip to the immigration office nor to the American Embassy went as I expected them too, but I learned from both experiences.  When in Kenya, do as the Kenyans do….that’s the lesson from the immigration office.  From the American Embassy, well, they aren’t anymore friendly to U.S. citizens than to non-citizens.  I was able to spend some time with some friends, to participate in a Kalenjin dance rehearsal, and to tour Jomo Kenyatta University.  I’ll go back to Nairobi once more, if all works out, to see a few people I wasn’t able to meet up with. 

School is going well.  I stay busy there and enjoy my colleagues and the pupils.  We received some packages from Wakefield Schools that included school items and toys.  Most of the children had never seen toys like hot-wheels cars before.  It was so fun to see their faces light up.  Also the children were thrilled when they received pencils.  They love having jump rope competitions in P.E. and are so excited to have library now.  We started a small library of about 30 books in the school’s only cupboard.  The kids are constantly scrambling to check out a book and are so careful with them.  I remember how we had to be required to cover our books in junior high school, or we would not do it.  I was surprised and laughed to myself as these kids returned the books the following day covered in newspapers wanting to borrow another.  They did a very neat job of covering their books.  Now the title page must be checked to see what the book is called/about J  

One day, someone from the ministry of health came to teach everyone about washing their hands.  All 500+ kids had to “practice” washing their hands and air drying them.  I could see the theory behind it and why it is important to encourage hand-washing…since could definitely help prevent the spread of disease, but I didn’t agree with how it was all done.  They brought a basin of water and threw a bar of soap in it.  Then they used a pitcher of cold water to dump over each person’s hands for rinsing as they took the soap out of the basin of dirty water to wipe on their hands.  Then air drying means a person can’t shake their hands because dirt might run from their arms back onto their hands, so they must be held in a praying position…AKA the water runs down your sleeves towards your elbows.  I don’t think anyone would actually do that.   

One classroom is being worked on.  The walls, windows and door are now there.  The floor is all that is left to be finished.  The kids who have been down in the cafeteria far from the others, in a poor learning environment are so excited for the classroom to be finished, so they can move up near the other pupils.  Next week, the children will take their final exams to determine whether they are promoted to the next class beginning in January.  On Friday, the school will close until the beginning of January.  This allows for many cultural ceremonies and celebrations to take place in December.

As the national exams for primary schools near and are already underway for secondary schools, I’ve attended a few prayer days.  These are events when parents take a lot of food to their children, prayers are said and their accomplishments are acknowledged and success is wished for those taking the exams.  It is most comparable to graduations in the U.S.

Last Sunday, I was invited at church to visit one of my pupils at his home.  He lost both of his parents at a young age and now lives in a mud hut with his grandmother.  After church we trudged a ways down a very muddy road to their home.  They welcomed me with tea and rice.  His grandmother is a very kind woman and he is very grateful for all that she has done for him.  Sometimes it is hard to realize that some of the pupils are as young as they are.  They have endured a lot and know that nothing can be taken for granted.  They had me plant a Eucalyptus tree for remembrance.  I’m always amazed at the generosity and thoughtfulness of those with very little. 

Each day is a gift.  Each day, I learn something new.  Each day passes and I know I’m closer to leaving this place that I love.  Yet, each day, I’m closer to going home.  Each day I thank God for the blessings he has given me and the opportunities he helps me create and take.  Each day time passes and things change.  Each day is full of life.

Tribute to H.F.B.

You loved nature. 

You admired the flowers and the animals. 

We were Saturday people—you and I. 

Since I started spending my Saturdays with you as a young child,

there hasn’t been a Saturday that’s gone by, during which we’ve been apart

and I haven’t wished to see and talk with you. 

It shouldn’t surprise you that I took each of these photos on a Saturday—

photographs of things you loved.

Like flowers, you brought me happiness. 

You also taught me what it means to forgive—

like the fragrance a flower leaves on a shoe that has crushed it.

You never came to Africa, but you gave my brother

a small sculpture of African animals when we were small. 

You were well-read, knew geography and knew all about animals and birds.

Like the elephant, you devoted years

to raising and caring for your children (and grandchildren).

Like the wildebeest, you were full of grace.

Like the unique stripes of each zebra, you were unique and special to me.

Like the cheetah, you knew when to work and when to take it easy.

Like the giraffe, your demeanor was one of tranquility, not one of haste.

Like the baboon, you had your own sense of humor.

You played a big role in shaping who I am today. 

You will forever live on in my memories

and in the natural surroundings that you loved so dearly. 

I understand this is just a part of the circle of life.   

Hakuna matata.