Yes, everyday in Africa is adventure, and some are more than others!
First, a misappropriation of Scripture! Rom 13:12b “So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” The ants and cockroaches are busy in the dark of night in my kitchen. There are nooks and crannies that are impossible to clean. So, I’m thinking about just keeping the light on in my kitchen 24/7—using the armor of light! What do you think!
So, on Tuesday, 28 Dec., Knut, Helen, and I were going to have an editorial meeting. However, Helen missed her flight on Monday from Entebbe, Uganda, due to a 1.5 hour stopping of traffic for a presidential motorcade. She rescheduled her flight for the next day, but then we didn’t want to have an editorial meeting without her. So, Knut and I went with my three other colleagues of our research team that I had arranged for them to visit a Maasai women’s project that was part of an NGO (non-governmental organization) run by my former student, Selina. She said she was doing work in Monduli, where the MaaSae Girls Lutheran Secondary School is located. Great! I even arranged for a chai break. My other student, Liz, was our driver for the day. (She is my research assistant, drives, and used her husbands 4×4 Toyota Prado for the day.)
I realized that things were going to be very different than I thought when I realized that “Monduli” meant the Monduli area—not Monduli town! We were going to meet the Maasai mama’s in Nanja, that is halfway to a national park! Ok, I’m going with the flow, and not going to stress! I WhatsApp the school visitor coordinator, the beloved teacher Ciwila, and told her we were going to be later than I planned! It only got more complicated!
When we passed through Nanja and off the highway, we hit mud and more mud! The stream didn’t have a bridge, just a crossing area. With the Prado filled with 8 people, the embankment of soft mud on the other side was insurmountable. Several attempts left me wondering what happens when we get stuck in the mud!
The embankment of mud!
The Maasai warriors, who are shepherding their livestock, seem to pop up out of nowhere! It is now a communal problem. They suggest getting the people out. I tell Liz to put the Prado in low 4, which she didn’t know about, as it was her husband’s car. Unfortunately, it is an automatic, which meant some tire spinning. (I remember Marvin saying, put the 4×4 in low 4 and first gear, and let it crawl through the mud.) Unbelievably, Liz made it up the other side. So, we take off our shoes and walk across. The Maasai warriors hold our arms and loan us their walking sticks to get up the slippery embankment. Then, we walk to a mud puddle, and Selina washes our feet. This is hospitality.
Getting washed feet back into shoes with gracious help.
We get back in the Prado, but other muddy places mean that we are often off-roading it through trees. Eventually, the road is washed out. No possibility of going further unless we had “Maasai Landrover” or donkeys. So, we turn back.
Selina has been told that there is a road through Mti Moja that goes to a school, and the mamas will walk there. We find the school, but the news is that the mamas are too far away. So, Selina suggests that we go to the MaaSae Girls School first and then come back. Okay!?! It is at least 45 minutes to the girls school. I had been giving Ciwila WhatsApp updates of our ever-changing plans.
We arrive 3 hours late. This is Africa! They still have food for us, and we have a powerful conversation with the Head of School, Tuli, and the two alumni, Selina and Liz, who are our guides through the mud. This is an amazing school that has transformed many lives. We have a brief tour of some key places: the chapel, library, computer lab (where I used to teach), and then we met the pre-form class. Joyce is an amazing English teacher, who has always impressed me each time I visit! Then, I ask, “Who is Sara from Soit Sambu?” I hadn’t met her before, but she is the one now that I am sponsoring through the Eric Hanson Memorial Scholarship. (See post of 2023.09.22 In Memory of Eric.) What a joy to meet her!
So, time is ticking, and we still need to get back to the Maasai mamas. We have 1.5 hours before the sun goes down, but Liz is willing to drive back in the dark. So, we are off to return to Mti Moja.
I arrange to pick up the samosas and fruit I ordered from Rebecca’s bakery, so that I can honor my ordering of food (even vegetarian samosas for Zoro).
After the 45-minutes or so, we’re back at the school. Next to the school, the mamas are under a tree waiting for us. They walked all day! And they trudged through the mud with thermoses of chai and cups for us all. They were so excited to see us.
We were so honored that they made such a major effort to see us. We learned that some of the mamas with babies turned back, as the rest would have to walk back in the dark and in the mud.
Those 30 minutes with the mamas as the sun was going down was magical. The woman sang as they gave us each some Maasai beads. We heard stories, translated by Selina, of the transformation that these women were experiencing. Check out www.piwoyot.com to see the multiple ways they are improving the lives of vulnerable people in Maasailand. Truly, there was an amazing bond that happened on the side of a road. Tina said she wanted to stay and sleep in a boma (Maasai family settlement). While Tina has been to South Africa, most of her visit has been in cities for conferences. Getting to the rural areas where guests are a blessing (Wageni ni baraka.), is a deeply moving experience.
Knut shows a picture of his 4-year-old grandson in Maasai warrior robe and a urungu (club), which the mamas love!
We had a bit of an editorial meeting in the Prado on the way home. The others in the research group actually had important contributions, so despite not having Helen with us, we made some good plans. We made it home safely around 7:00 pm. Liz was amazing getting us through that mud and driving safely all day!
This is only day one together. My budget for kilometers and driver hours is over budget, but our hearts are overflowing. Fortunately, we have some extra funds, so I’m not too worried, but I joked with the other money manager that a Maasailand day is like building a house; it takes twice as long and costs twice as much! Totally worth it!
Mungu akubariki! (God bless you! in Kiswahili)
Mikitamayana Engai! (God bless you! in Maa)