This morning, I attended two college classes at the “Kimani School of Leadership and Professional Studies”. Five years ago, my grandparents built this school with the help of a few other missionaries. Above is a picture of the classroom where I sat in on an English and Government/Culture class. The few students that were in attendance were intrigued by my presence. They had lots of questions for me about the U.S., just as I had many questions for them. Periodically throughout class, we stopped to compare how life in Kenya differs from my life in America. As I told them of our societal values, economy, and government, they listened intently and hung on to every word. The curiosity on their face was astounding. After class I got to talk with the students more and the curious inquiries continued—“What are the black people like in America?” “Do you own cattle?” “How are the seasons?”. Many of them even asked me if I was married, because for a 20-year old Kenyan woman this would be perfectly normal. In fact, many women have arranged marriages when they are very young in exchange for cattle.
Every Tuesday is market day for the Masai tribe. Aside from a business venture, it’s a huge social gathering for them, almost like a holiday. Below are a few pictures of my experience in the market.
I don't believe that these pictures can properly exemplify what it's like to walk through such immense poverty. The marketplace is really something that cannot be explained, but rather has to be experienced.
The blue cloth that I purchased is called a “Chuka”. Masai women layer these to create their traditional dress. As I walked around the marketplace I was bombarded by vendors. When they see a white person, or "Mzungu" as they call us, they know that there is an opportunity to sell because we are tourists.
While we were in town, we stopped to visit the local doctor, Amus. He and my dad have worked together in the past to bring Chiropractic care to the Masai people. Here is a picture of a his doctor's office. There were only two rooms, a couple medications scattered on a table, and a few benches.