Yesterday a hail storm hit our part of Kenya. True. Yes, we’re near the equator but there must have been some cold air somewhere up in the sky because the ground was littered with the stuff. The wind blew. Thunder roared.
The sky turned black, hissing ice.
Tayte went out and got some photos. Big day in Keeh-tah-lay.
An hour later - Brian and I went for a walk on “the Hill” for exercise. Bright blue skies shone above us as if they had been innocent all along. Doves and Robins spooked each other as they flew from tree to tree. Other little, sweet birdies played in the rain puddles or drank from the flower-food hanging up as bright red flowers in vines about 20 feet off of the ground.
This sure ain’t Kansas. In Kansas - or the States, for that matter, the weather often lasts longer than an hour. But here at the equator --- the leopard might not be able to change his spots --- but it seems like everything else is fair game,
whenever it wants.
Especially your mind, as an expat. You come here with expectations & understandings - even though in pre-field training, you are most certainly told not to do that. But you do. Everyone does. These expectations & understandings are simply about life born out of your own world view. For example, I used to feel sorry for the clerks at the Supermarket who have to work 14 hour days/7 days a week and get off one day a month. My expectation and understanding was: this is cruel. This is slavery. There should be laws against this. But no one you talk to complains. In fact, when I went to the Supermarket last week, Geoffrey (one of the clerks) was standing outside helping them move things. He was dressed in street clothes. I asked him why he was dressed in street clothes. He got a HUGE smile and said, “This is my day off.”
“Your ONE day off a month?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied, still smiling.
“Then why are you here?” I asked. “Go party!”
“I like it here,” he answered. “What else would I do at home? Just sit. Be idle? This is my home.”
Idleness is like THE curse here. People hate to be idle. Tait’s schoolteacher came over on Saturday for a visit and she explained to me how she works from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m (tutoring boarding students) Monday through Friday. She makes around $75/month. I told her that was an awful lot of work for not much of a return and I asked her why she does it. “I love teaching,” she answered, without any hesitation. “I love the kids. I love being with them. Plus,” she continued, “when we have term break and I have to sit at home - I don’t like that. I am just idle. It is not good to be idle.
I would teach for $15/month if I needed to.”
