Part 8: It's Saturday, and our first day to relax and just have fun. Jeff and Lisa had planned a whole day of going to Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya, shopping and lunch by Lake Victoria. It was also the day of the funeral service for a former member of parliament who was from the Kima area. The past couple of days, we noticed the preparations for the service. Not only was the road leading to the church newly paved, but truckloads of dirt and rocks were shoveled into ruts and leveled only using manpower and shovels. Miraculously, it didn't rain or the whole area would have been a red, muddy mess. We could also hear choirs practicing for hours, singing over and over "It is Well With My Soul" and "I'll Fly Away." The church was surrounded by large white tents and rows and rows of plastic white chairs. We half-wished we could stay and see the proceedings, but our hosts assured us it would be better to be away. We squeezed into one of the school's vans and were soon on our way. After what seemed like only a few minutes, we hit the unpaved part of the road and found out what driving in most of Kenya is like. Imagine deep caverns appearing in the road, and weaving in and out of "lanes" in order to avoid the ruts. Now imagine all the cars doing the same thing, and you get the picture! We felt sorry for those sitting in the very back who were regularly bounced out of their seats only to hit their heads on the van's roof. Our first stop was a photo opportunity, taken at a marker for the Equator. Then, after what seemed like a very long ride, we arrived at our next destination, an open air market of handcrafts. Lisa gave us some tips on shopping and bargaining ("Never pay the first price that's offered, always offer to pay half") and with some trepidation, we were off. We felt a bit like shark bait-- each vendor had an overwhelming array of things to show us and some got angry if we didn't buy from them or bought too much at another stand. Bargaining was not as easy as it sounded, and soon we wondered if we'd ever finish running the guantlet of shops. In the midst of it, we did meet some very nice people. Some of the shops were run by organizations benefitting orphans and widows. It was hard to choose, but soon we had a boatload of gifts to take back home. Our next stop was at a large shopping complex with a big grocery store. It was a nice change of pace to look at things without being heckled into buying. All too soon, it was time to get back in the van and head towards Lake Victoria. We learned that Lake Victoria is the second largest lake in the world, second only to Lake Superior. After freshening up, we enjoyed a delicious, leisurely lunch by the lake, complete with hippo sightings. All too soon, it was time to head back to KIST. Somehow, the bumpy roads didn't seem so jarring (although they were), and it felt good to be back "home." We rested, had a light supper, then headed back to the school to run the weekly "Bingo" game with the students, using homemade cards and corn kernels as markers and complete with prizes of pens and toiletries. I've played bingo at my children's schools, but I don't think I've seen a more focused and excited group of participants. "Now you are speaking!", kind of like our "now you're talking" was the common response to a good call. It was the most fun we'd had, and we wished we could stay longer with our friends. Tomorrow we would leave the familiarity of KIST and travel to our next stop, Rafiki Children's Center. We were both excited and a little bit scared. Read Next Post
