Traveling Cat

Circumcision time is here in my village and on a daily basis you can hear the parades going by and see the recently cut young men out wandering around. If I was a 13 year old boy, I’m not sure I’d want someone to publicly take a knife to my manhood, but they seem mostly content and proud with their rite of passage, and will still happily to pose for pictures if I was by with my camera out.

parade one
Each boy gets a parade before their circumcision, often with a cow leading the procession. The cow is often a gift from an older sibling for the event. My brother never bought me a cow for any rite of passage… not that girls here or in the States really have that many rites of passage anyway.

The parades generally have lots of men jogging through town, often carrying sticks, knives, whistles, and other noise makers to draw attention to the young boy and his passage into manhood.

parade two
Many parades also have men waving lessos… pieces of cloth made into a flag, also commonly used as aprons for women and used to carry babies on your back.

parade three
Check out this parade leader’s cool animal skin cap.

parade four
The day I took these pictures, I saw four different parades go past where I was in just one hour.

after the circumcision
Boys wear the ever versatile lesso as a wrap after the ceremony, because really, who wants to wear tight trousers when you’ve just been cut?

After you’re cut, you get the freedom to wander around wherever you see fit.

Many people will give the boys little gifts like gourds for noise makers, clubs, sling shots, hats, and other fun toys.

Some folks give money and this boy was off in the market buying himself some fresh fruit.

When all of the teenage boys in town get circumcised around the same time, it’s not uncommon to see crowds of young men just hanging around together.

I love the body paint… I think it’s super fun.

If only I had more time and could actually write for 10 minutes (or five hours!). Lamu Island is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been… though it actually feels and evokes many places I’ve been… the old buildings and narrow streets of Old Delhi, the Muslim and Arab cultures of Egypt, the waterfront of Venice… There are donkeys everywhere (no cars allowed). 99% of local women wear black head to toe, wraps around their faces, and many cover the face only showing the eyes. The dhow sailboats gracefully floating by day and night and the boat captains relentlessly try to get you to hang out with the promise of free coffee tonight, let’s dance at the disco, I’ll take you fishing, and more. The palm trees and white sand beaches make it a paradise on earth. And the best part? People are perhaps the nicest I’ve ever met. Honest. We can stay out till 2am and walk back alone in the dark and everyone says hello and no one mugs anyone. Small island… you see everyone ten times a day… so no crime, no scary alleys, no fear, only new friends and more new friends. It’s been an amazing birthday (When was my last birthday when I had people fighting to take me out… i want to take you on a donkey ride. i want to take you out for a moonlight sailboat ride. i will organize a party with drumming and dancing at coconut beach. i will take you to my family farm. i will take you to see the stars). It was pretty crazy and oh so fun. And what traditional things did we do for Christmas? Make friends with local Muslim women, attend a fighting ceremony for the groom’s wedding party, and attend the all women’s dancing party. Astounding on every possible level. I’ll write more and post photos someday, but for now I need to get to the white sand beach and relax under a palm tree.

Thanks for all of the bday wishes you’ve been sending by email. No time to respond yet, but I read them and am thankful for being remembered from a distance. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday. Best wishes for a fabulous 2007!

Much love from Lamu,
Cat

1. Dance around drunk with a wreath on my head
2. Get invited/go to any holiday parties
3. Watch “It’s a Wonderful Life”
4. Wear long sleeves or a coat
5. Decorate for the holidays
6. Drink eggnog or cider
7. Go to the mall
8. Eat fruitcake

When the year first started and my walls were blank, I decided I’d hang up some of the note cards and post cards that arrived for me in the post. I wasn’t expecting much mail and thought it’d put a little color on the wall. Well, you kids truly astounded me and the post continued to come all the way through the end of the year. I kept adding more and more cards and eventually my entire wall was full of supportive, silly, sad, and super sweet messages. What a wonderful way to wake up each morning and look out onto my bedroom wall covered floor to ceiling in these cards. It was fabulous and I say asanta sana again for all of your support this year!

• Had my favorite digital camera broken when thief tried to steal it (pieces broke off and flew up into the air in slow motion, but since I always wrap the camera strap securely around my wrist, the camera remained firmly attached to me despite the thief grabbing it and running. End result: it’s broken but currently still works, though I’m scared about it’s long term viability).
• Took a hot shower, complete with spa glove, shampoo, shower gel, and facial milk cleanser (whatever the heck that is)
• Saw an amazing Christmas carol choir concert in nearby slum by local church choir
• Went to US Embassy and got blank pages added to my very full passport (it’s been a good decade for travel!)
• Saw an animatronic Santa at Nakumatt, an inflatable Santa at Tusker Mattress, and a live hip Santa wearing dark sunglasses at KenChic (“We’re kuku about chicken!”)
• Sang all five versus of “Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel”
• Lost one earring (half a pair that I’ve had since I was a baby, I’m now lopsided)
• Received random email from a Peace Corps vol in Eld
• Bought sugar at multiple stores (corrupt/artificial shortage puts a 1kg limit on quantity, just in time for the holidays)
• Goodbye lunch with Angela at ChomaZone
• Tried to see Tony Nyadundo in concert, but failed (ends up his brother’s band was in town, but that’s just not the same so we skipped it)
• Ate a veggie burger and seasoned fries at Burger Dome
• Went to an ATM machine (third time this year)
• Bought AIG travelers insurance
• Made rice crispy treats, Velveeta macaroni and cheese, and artichoke dip. (Shared all three with excited ex-pat Sisters and introduced to our curious, somewhat hesitant Kenyan friends)
• Read “Hey Nostradamus!” by Douglas Copeland
• Did laundry and packing

• Reminisced about the year
• Visited an orphanage in Kakamega with many sweet babies and toddlers eager to be chosen by a family
  
• Reread our friend’s entries into our guestbook – in the last six months alone, we had visitors from Australia, Brasil, Kenya, Netherlands, Nigeria, and USA (including Texas, Iowa, Boston, Baltimore, and Seattle)
• Ran out of propane (there’s a shortage) and learned to cook over a borrowed one burner kerosene jikoni
  
• Goodbye dinner with David and family
• Goodbye dinner with Karlee, our new Australian friend from Melbourne who’s volunteering out here in rural Western
  
• Goodbye dinners with the Sisters
• Goodbye lunch with Nancy at the Total
  
• Emptied maggots out of the compost bin
• Goodbye dinner with my favorite priests
  
• Made pudding, drank herbal tea, and ate creamy cheddar asparagus soup
• Found more dead rats
• Made chocolate chip banana bread muffins and more rhubarb cobbler
• Shared muffins with Gentry on the bus (a SoCal girl who’s living in the interior at a health clinic and was interested in helping get together a group of ex-pats for networking)
• Took down wall of love, cleaned house, and burned trash
  
• Read “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger
• Did laundry and packing

I find myself not getting as grossed out by the rats anymore. Even on the day we were packing to leave, we were still finding more live, dead, and semi-dead rats around the house compound. This one wasn’t moving much, but when a giant bird swooped down from the sky to claim it for dinner, it managed to scurry away. It reappeared later with a bit of blood, and then disappeared for good thanks once again to Mother Nature.

Even though we’re a small, rural village that sells veggies along side the road in the roots of big trees…

… we’re getting our first tarmac, paved road. Just last week they laid some tar and then added gravel. I’m not sure how far the road will go, but it starts at the intersection by our house and continues out past the market towards the schools. Everyone seems to think it’ll wash away with the first rains, but still, it’s exciting and strange to see.

How crazy to be here during this one pivotal year in rural Kenya, rural Africa. 2006 is the year we’re getting an indoor market, a paved road, and even some electricity. Yep, the supermarket got electricity this year for the first time in history, as did the Honey Drops Hotel, our house, the two secondary schools, and a few other places too. 80% of Kenyans still don’t have electricity, and I don’t know any locals with running water (our house included), but times are definitely changing.

We’ve finished work, packed up our house, said our final goodbyes, and left our village on Friday. It was a sad and nostalgic day, but a good one. What comes next? I turn 30 this Friday, and while I’m neither here nor there about getting older, I am pretty content to kick off my 30th birthday with six months of backpacking around Africa. Let the travels begin!

Our avocado tree is producing fruit again, just in time for us to pack up our worldly belongings and go homeless. The avocados of varying sizes, but they’re getting bigger! Among the many things I’ll miss about Kenyan life in the village: having avocado, mango, and banana trees in my yard.

Cindy brought seaweed from the States and Sarah brought wasabi. Last week we cut up our own cucumber, avocado, carrots, and (the always sophisticated) canned tuna. It wasn’t actually too bad, all things considered.

We’ve had absolutely gorgeous weather for the past few weeks after the end of our freak countrywide flooding. We move out in less than three days and I already know I’m really going to miss my beautiful yard with flowering trees and singing birds, my comfy house, and the stunning rural Kenya countryside. I haven’t started my goodbyes with nature yet. I’m avoiding it until the very end.

Last week was our last week of work and the beginning of our people goodbyes. The planned goodbye party was canceled when my body broke down with malaria, but my body’s now better and the goodbyes continue. Friday was our goodbye to the market vendors and local produce, followed by our first lovely goodbye dinner. Saturday was another lovely goodbye dinner, this one with an overnight at a stunning retreat centre with hot showers, well manicured lawns, and lots of friends. I’m feeling rather loved and appreciated right now, and it’s quite a pleasurable feeling. One more goodbye dinner on Wednesday, last minute packing on Thursday, and then we move out on Friday morning and become unemployed nomads.

Life is good.