Kwale Market Day

Kwale Market Day happens every Wednesday. Vendors set up their booths and sell fabrics, fruits, vegetables, dried fish, clothes, jewelry, dishes, shoes, books...lots of stuff. Today we met Terry at her house in Kwale town. Kwale town is actually Kwale. People refer to this area the Kwale District, and that encompasses the area at large where we are for this month (kind of like a State). Kwale town is it's own thing, though, and it is very cool. In fact, I hope to stay in Kwale town or in one of the more rural areas next time we come here. We stay in Diani (about 45 minutes by motorbike from Kwale town) because we have needed reliable internet for Collin's job. Diani is fantastic, too, but it is more like a city with how busy it is and the international feel. 

So Market Day is pretty awesome. Going with Terry was even more awesome. We didn't get the special American prices that we usually get in Diani. I bought a conga (a piece of fabric that you wrap around like a skirt), Terry bought some clothes for the infants, and Collin bought 4 big, wooden spoons for cooking. 

As we were walking and talking, Terry was discussing ChiDigo literacy with us. She was explaining that the government's role has not been as great as people had hoped. The government teacher that was assigned to teach literacy evades his duties, and when Terry complained to the government office she wasn't given any support. She has no recourse through the government, so she feels that it needs to be yet another grassroots project. We asked if there was anyone reliable who had been trained in literacy work that we could employ if we could find a way to do that. She told us that one of the Pamoja nursery school teachers, Madam Asha, was trained by BTL (Bible Translation and Literacy---the organization responsible for transcribing the Chidigo language) to teach literacy. Awesome! This is great news for our Global Outreach Team. We have been really frustrated by the lack of literacy efforts here after the transcription project was completed. This could be a really great lead for how to get literacy classes going again. Madam Asha is a dedicated and trained teacher. We asked Terry if she thought Madam Asha would be interested in teaching a literacy class (if we could offer a stipend), and she told us that she would. 

Then Collin spotted someone that we met in 2002 during our very first visit to Kwale: Shadrack Mwalonya. He is the cousin of Joseph Mwalonya, a friend of ours who is currently studying Theology in Nairobi. They are Digo, and they are Christians. The coincidence of these two characteristics are uncommon in this area. Most Digos practice Islam and traditional religious beliefs. Therefore, when we met Shadrack and Joseph, it was very special for all of us to share the same faith. 

So, there was Shadrack, having a cup of --?-- (not-coffee, not tea, but a delicious hot drink), and we joined him for a while and talked. He treated Collin and me to a cup of --?--(not-coffee, not tea, but a delicious hot drink), and we both enjoyed it very much. We thought it was going to be coffee, because that's what it looked like. The local name for it escapes me, but it tasted like spice and ginger. It definitely wasn't Chai Masala or any kind of tea that I've had here yet either. Terry stuck with her drink of choice, Chai Masala. So, it was fun. These are the types of moments that really sink in...sitting under a thatched roof pagoda in the midst of a market being served a beverage that remains a mystery to me, talking with friends that we met here through the years. I love moments when my surroundings are so different than my home in the US, yet everything feels so familiar, so poignant, so right. 

After our coffee shop rendezvous with Shadrack, Collin, Terry, and I went back to her place for lunch. Her husband Paul met us there, and we shared a wonderful meal of mataha, salad, and fried potatoes. This is the best place to be a vegan, by the way. So many foods are vegan, and they aren't even substitutes! I love not-dogs, boca-burgers, and chicken-less chicken, but sometimes I forget that there are so many non-substitues foods to eat in this world! I am loving the Chapatis (fried bread), beans and rice, freshest fruit ever, veggies, pilau (spiced fried rice), chips masala (french fry type potatoes slathered in this amazing sauce), and lots of other stuff. Plus the teas, coffee, and mystery beverages are also all delightful! 

Then the three of us went to the Pamoja Center to meet with several village elders. They are the local governing body that reports to the chief. We asked them to meet with us to enlighten us about Digo values, Digo history, Digo culture in general. It was a great time. They spoke for a couple of hours, and Terry translated. Terry took notes, and we filmed it. The three of us are going to review the footage and notes more thoroughly, but the basics that I gleaned were very informative. 

Now we are back at the cottage, and Collin is cooking dinner for us. He is making lentils and rice. He learned this recipe and how to cook it from Sayidi and Idi, two guys who work at Pamoja and prepare the food for the children every day (among many other things that they do to keep the center running).