I've finally gotten back to my early morning walk every day, and am glad about that. I walk to the main road, which is about 2 kms. away, and then back again so I'm usually gone about 1/2 hour. I get out of the house about 6.15 a.m. as the dark just starts to turn into light. It's a paved road that I walk on so I don't have to spend all the time watching that I don't step into holes or ruts. One difference that I note from the road that I used to walk on near Maryknoll is that this one has cow pies on it .... and so I do watch for those!
On the way out I don't see too many people but by the time I turn around to come back there are more on the road. I rarely meet a car but usually do meet several bicycles and then a lot of people walking. Some are obviously going to work and there are several youngsters in their school uniforms going to school. The students normally greet me in English and are probably happy to have someone with whom to practise on in the mornings. I'm sure the older ones aren't sure if I know Swahili and so many aren't the first to greet me. According to custom here, that's not usually the way it's done, eg. the younger person is supposed to be the first to greet the older one. And so if I'm not greeted I break the ice and start the greeting. I've noticed that I'm meeting some of the same folks every day and so they're doing the respectful thing and saying hello first.
The road is lined with trees and flowers and there's an irrigation ditch running alongside it. I don't know the source of that water but near this area are coffee plantations so maybe this water is part of their system. I see some folks filling their pails with this water so for sure some of the houses alongside the road don't have piped-in water.
I smell cows as I walk by so I'm sure that behind the trees and hedges some of the people have little sheds with a cow or two for their milk. I know a woman who has one cow (and now a calf as well) and who sells four litres of milk every day (she also keeps some for herself and gives away one litre to a woman with a small baby who she can't nurse). At TShs. 500/= per litre, that's 2000/= per day or 60,000/= per month, a nice little income. She has taken in a young girl, an orphan, who has finished primary school and probably isn't capable of going to secondary school, and this girl takes care of the cow for room and board and clothing and some spending money. After a couple of years she will be sent to a course to learn sewing, she'll be given a sewing machine, and hopefully will be able to make it on her own. Anyway, this is an example of how folks manage to live.
I also smell pigs at one section of the road so there must be a shed with some pigs, too. My NYC and other city friends don't believe me when I tell them that I can smell the difference in the manure of cows and pigs and chickens and horses, but it's true. There's a real distinction, just ask any farmer.
I'm working on a project for Emusoi Centre to keep me occupied and out of mischief. It's doing a draft of a Child Protection Policy Statement, using the United Nations Convention for the Rights of a Child as a basis. It's an interesting project to do and I'm learning a lot. Children have a good amount of rights according to the Convention but there are many places in this world where these are disregarded, and poverty certainly plays a role in that.
I hope you see some flowers today.
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