Not Far

There are many vague descriptors for distance here in Kenya: Very Near, Near, Not Far, Far, Very Far. 

Last weekend I was invited to visit the home of my gardner, whose wife has just had a baby.  In Kenya, it is a bigger honor for you to visit someone than for them to visit you.  So, I happily accepted.  I prepared some gifts to take along: a loaf of banana bread, a baby outfit, some baby socks and baby toiletries.  I also threw in some hair bands for the new big sister.

My gardner, Langat, was supposed to come to my house at 9am so he could escort my housemate, Heather, and I to his house.  I asked him how far away his house was, to which he replied, "Not far."
He was a little late, arriving at 1030, and off we set, walking through the Kenyan countryside.

And we walked.

And walked - Up hills, down hills, over bridges, through cow poo, greeting people all along the way.

After 45 minutes, I started to wonder if I shoould have brought my passport.

After an hour, I considered just camping out and eating the bread, maybe walking back later.

After an hour and 20 minutes, I thought maybe I would just live wherever we were.

After 90 minutes, Langat signaled us that we had arrived.  His house was lovely - nestled between fiels of maize and banana trees, with lots of flowers.  His wife, mother and sister in law were there to greet us.  

Daughter Faith enjoyed her lunch!

In honor of our visit, we had a lunch of chapati (Kenyan flatbread), boiled chicken, rice and milk.  I felt very humbled because meat and chapati are typically reserved for very special occasions.  It was evident that Langat and his family had worked very hard to make this day special for us!  The nicest thing was just sitting and talking with Langat and his family and learning more about their lives. Langat has worked for me for 10 months, but I had no idea that he led the choir at his church or played many musical instruments or that his wife sang in the choir. 

Heather and the new baby

Because I buy my milk from Langat - I got to meet the cow that supplies it! 
Talk about knowing where your food comes from!

Langat, his wife (Janet) and their two daughters

After touring Langat's garden and having a cup of tea, we started our trek back to Tenwek.  On the way back, the walk did seem to go a bit faster - maybe the chai helped!  Despite the rough beginning, it was a great day.

Raging river as it goes over the dam by Tenwek