Family Reunion

Monday - Thursday, March 4 -7, 2019


This was not a good week—at least not for the first half of it.  I started having serious stomach and intestinal problems Sunday evening. I would have blamed the Rivertrees buffet except I had had a premonition of something amiss before we ate there. So, by Monday morning, I was full out sick with a slight fever and diarrhea. Mary Lou and I had planned to have Ray take us to central market to shop for kitenge cloth. Instead, Mary Lou went on her own and I stayed in bed and slept through most of the day and through the night.

On Tuesday, I awoke without the fever but still dizzy and relying on proximity to the bathroom. Mary Lou and I had been scheduled to catch a ride with Margret Kenyi and go with her to visit Step-By-Step Learning Center, her remarkable school for mentally challenged children. (https://www.sslc-tz.com/)  Again, Mary Lou had to go alone, while I stayed down and restricted my diet to toast, tea, and bananas. Wednesday was much the same though I went outside to the garden terrace, and I added an egg and some rice to my diet. I also insisted on making eggplant stew for John and then had a horrid backslide into weakness and dizziness.Still, I managed to eat some delicious ramen noodles John made for me.

Then came Thursday, and I felt better but still had a sensitive stomach and kept a limited diet. The difficulty with not being fully well yet was that Alfred Mutua’s parents, aunt and uncle, and a cousin were coming to visit. They were taking a road trip from Kenya down to Arusha to see us. John knew Alfred’s parents well when he was in Kenya in 1998 and 2001, but I had never met them, so I really wanted to be as present as I could be.

However, our morning took a drastically horrid turn when I discovered rat droppings on the floor, and John discovered that a rat had been on a trap eating bait but had pulled loose from the “glue” that was supposed to bind it to the trap. Things were a mess and only got worse when I went into one of my suitcases and discovered the rat(s) had been in it and pooped all over my socks, and underwear, and chewed up the two soft cotton coulottes I wear under my skirts here.  We called for Emanuel, who called for others and a full-fledged rat hunt began. They took out our stove and other items in our apartment out into the courtyard to clean them. I emptied all the clothing in my big suitcase into a large plastic bag, which was immediately carried to the laundry. The suitcase was (also taken out to be throughly cleaned. Brave Emanuel cornered the rat in our tiny back TV room, and like a Masai warrior killing a lion, he whacked the rat to death with a broom handle.

I saw none of the action inside the apartment since I had escaped to the garden terrace as soon as I got the clothing off to the laundry.  John reported that there had been signs of rats living in the stove. Obviously our belief that we had vanquished the rat down the toilet last Friday wasn’t true or else there had been a pair of them. I began to wonder what state our place would be in when the Mutua family arrived, but soon after 11:30, everything had be purged, cleaned, and put back in place. We even had our, old broken-down armoire replaced by a much fancier one with shelves on one side and a full-length mirror on one of the doors.

The visitors had told us that they would arrive “in the morning sector.” However, noon came and passed, and they still had not arrived. John finally texted them to ask about their schedule, and they said they would be here shortly. Soon three large SUVs pulled into our courtyard, and people poured out and shook hands or hugged with greetings and introductions all around.  It was like having instant relatives! The two women, Alfred’s mother, Agnes, and Aunt Rachel were most interested in me. So while Alfred’s father and his Uncle Simon reminisced about past days with John, the women held my hands, remarked on my skin tone, and asked me my age. Here in Africa, very good friends of either gender often hold hands very casually, so I always feel very honored when an African takes my hand and holds it for any length of time. However, I had never had my skin tone examined before nor been so quickly asked my age. I told them my age, and then they asked me to guess theirs. That was a new one for me, too! Fortunately, I guessed quite low, so I think I passed the initial exam very well.

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L to R: Mama Alfred, me, Baba, Aunt Rachel, Uncle Simon, and John

Aunt Rachel, me, Mama Alfred

Three wazee: Baba, John, and Uncle Simon

After some group photos, we all loaded back in the big SUVs and headed to Uzunguni City Park Restaurant for lunch. (https://uzungunicitypark.business.site/) This is an extremely popular entry located on the former estate of a well-to-do former colonial official, and the gardens are lush and green. One can eat either inside or out from a menu that is very extensive and modestly priced. The food is all prepared in cooking stalls lined up along the outer estate wall, and one can choose chicken, fish, and mutton dishes, all cooked by specialty chefs. There is no wazungu food in this place.

Uzunguni City Park

Grilling lots of chicken

Grilled Nile Perch platter

Steamed Nile Perch with vegetables

Uncle Simon and Aunt Rachel enjoying the feast.

Since I did not plan on eating anything, I wasn’t in on selecting what was ordered. There were two different whole fish platters, steamed and grilled, and a big order of grilled chicken, with accompanying chips or ugali and two dishes of mboga (vegetables). As always there were big bottles of water, all of them uncooled except the one for John and me. The waiter even brought us ice cubes.
There were knives and forks fo everyone, but someone said hands were cleaner, and everyone made sure their hands were well washed at the washstand beside our table. Then everyone—even John—ate all the fish and other food with fingers only. I contented myself with a bottle of Sprite and the spirited conversation about family and the events of recent years. At one point, Alfred’s father, who was sitting just across the table from me, told me that he is never happier than at big feasts with his family. I heartily agreed.

One of the best smiles in Africa.

Soon after lunch, we needed to return to Kundayo and say our goodbyes, so our visitors could head to Moshi for the night, before driving back into Kenya on Friday. Everyone put off parting, so we took some more photos, and Alfred’s parents said they might visit us in Spokane. Alfred’s Uncle Simon and Aunt Rachel have three children abroad: a daughter, who is a doctor in Toronto, and two other children who work in finance in Kansas. So, they have often been in Canada and the US to visit their grandchildren. Their last child, Paul, still lives at home with them, but he works in IT, which may mean he’ll also eventually move abroad. However, Alfred’s parents have not been to the US though they frequently go to Australia to see their grandchildren there. African parents want to give their children good educations, but then they often loose them when they find positions abroad. That is particularly difficult when grandchildren come.

Eventually, final hugs and good-byes were given, and the family left Kundayo for Moshi. I had enjoyed them all so much that it was difficult to see them leave so soon. In fact when I finally laid down to rest, it seemed as if the whole family visit had been a dream. But I have photos to prove it was real and memories of specific people that I will always cherish. John had told me that Alfred’s father was a character, and I found that to be true. He had a great smile, and he obviously enjoyed good times and great conversation. He and John used to go to Kenyatta Market in Nairobi to eat nyama choma (roasted meat) together. He once got a whole group of artisans to let John take photos of them and their work by telling them that John was from an important business magazine. His wife on the other hand, is a straight shooter and probably takes care of many of their affairs. I liked both of them very much and hoped they liked me just as much.

Baba and Mama having a side conversation/

By evening, I was very tired, but I did not feel worse for all the action. I had more ramen and bananas with yogurt before going to bed, and slept well through the night.