Today was
Monday. Maruge woke me up because he had to go to school. He said that he
always left early, because it took him a long time to walk to school with his
bad leg. Before he left, we had some toast for breakfast. I left with him and
walked about half way to school with him. While we were walking along the road,
we came to a trail. The trail went up a small rise and out of site. "Walk
up there, for a pretty view," he advised me. He gave me a bottle of water
and told me to meet him back at this spot after school. "There are plenty
of people around, just ask someone if you get lost," he said. He waved as
he disappeared up the road. I started walking up the hill. It took me a
long time to get to the top. It didn't look steep, but it sure felt like it. It
was extremely hot walking up the hill in the hot sun. When I got to the top,
a spectacular view greeted me. I could see for miles out on the open
plains, where no people lived. I walked down the other side of the hill, which
was much smaller than the part that I had climbed up, which made me think that
the village was in a dip in the land. I saw a lone shade tree in the middle of
the plain, and it appeared to be only a few hundred yards away. I started
walking out to it, and it turned out to be more like a mile. It is funny how
distances are deceptive in open ground like that. But anyway, I got to the tree
eventually and sat down in the shade. I sat leaning up against the tree and I
watched the grazing animals go about their daily lives. It was amazing how
the time flew by, sitting under the tree and watching the animals. But before I
knew it, it was time to go back to meet Maruge on his way home from school. The
walk back seemed a lot shorted than the walk out. I met Maruge, and
he told me about his day at school. He said that he liked being with the
children, how it made him happy to see them play. We took our time walking back
to his house, watching the townspeople bustle about, going about their daily
lives. When we got back to his house, it was getting dark. Like the night
before, he made githeri and goat for dinner. "We will
have this dish for the whole school week, as it is the only thing that I can
cook quickly," he informed me. That was okay with me, because the taste and
texture was growing on me. I fell asleep quickly, exhausted from my hike. The
next morning we woke up early, and had the same breakfast of toast before
heading out. As I was to learn, toast and githeri were the
staples of Maruge's diet. We ate one or the other for almost every meal. I went
with Maruge all the way to the school, and then continued on up the road to the
town. There I found a market. It was huge, taking up a whole block. There were
rows of stalls, all with meat, produce or handmade crafts. Some of the handmade
art was the most beautiful that I have ever seen. I got some beef
stew for lunch, and then hunted around the town. Eventually I found
what I was looking for. I found an "American" store, where I got a loaf
of bread and some peanut butter and honey so that I could make myself lunches
to take with me for the rest of the week. Like the day before, time flew by and
it was time to go and meet Maruge after school. We went back to his house, ate
our dinner and went to bed.
My spot out on the open plain
One produce stall at the market in Eldoret
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