{"id":318,"date":"2016-10-21T20:28:27","date_gmt":"2016-10-21T18:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.studentoftheworld.de\/?p=318"},"modified":"2017-01-27T18:48:58","modified_gmt":"2017-01-27T16:48:58","slug":"heros-day-in-slum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.studentoftheworld.de\/index.php\/heros-day-in-slum\/","title":{"rendered":"Heros’ Day in Slum"},"content":{"rendered":"

The air carried a stinging smell of rotting vegetable and animal droppings. I made my way through the dusty roads following Millicent and Lucy, my two new African friends. Sometimes we needed to jump over small canals, half filled with a dark liquid garbage mixture that I did not want my foot to slip into. Dozens of children were running after us, calling in a little choir: \u201cMzungu! How are you?\u201d (Mzungu = white person).<\/p>\n

\"Walk
Walk in Mitume<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visiting Mitume Slum<\/strong><\/p>\n

Millicent and Lucy had picked me up yesterday from my paradise-like home in the fully equipped garden bungalow of the Africa Theological Seminary to go to the home of Philip\u2019s mother. Anastasia lives in the slum Mitume in Kitale, where also Philip and some co-workers live. Here, Philip started Otepic, a project with many branches reaching from gardening and an orphans\u2019 care to permaculture education, houses for safe child birth and many others. I am currently volunteering here and will introduce the project later in more detail.<\/p>\n

Celebrating at Anastasia\u2019s House <\/strong><\/p>\n

Family and friends gathered to celebrate the Kenyan National Holiday, also known as Heros’ day. \u00a0October 20th honors \u00a0all those who contributed towards the struggle for Kenya’s independence or positively contributed in the post-independence Kenya.<\/p>\n

Parts of Anastasia\u2019s house recently collapsed in a heavy rain and were in the process of being rebuilt. She still had about four rooms left.<\/p>\n

\"Anastasia's
The left door leads to the kitchen, the right one to the living room. There are two more bed rooms for the many people who sleep there at night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One was a kind of living room with couches, a coffee table, and a TV. In the adjacent kitchen, there was a charcoal stove and a bed.<\/p>\n

Preparing the Feast<\/strong><\/p>\n

When we got there around 1 pm, the women started cooking while the men gathered in the living room to drink, chat and watch TV. So, Millicent, Lucy, Anna, Anastasia and me started washing and chopping the green leaves for the common vegetable that is part of nearly every meal in Kenya.<\/p>\n

\"Preparing
Lucy, Anastasia and Milliscent preparing food for Hero’s Day<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since it was a holiday there was goat meat, cooked with bones that were chopped to little pieces. And of course, we prepared Ugali, a porridge-like meal of maize-flour (cornmeal) cooked with water and vegetable oil.<\/p>\n

\"Chopping
Chopping goat meat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Chopping
Chopping goat meat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ugali
Ugali cooking on charcoal stove<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Washing
Washing goat meat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Leaves
Diverse leaves prepared as vegetable for nearly every meal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While cooking we taught each other songs in English, Kiswahili, and German. Occasionally, we took some time to take pictures in the cooking breaks. This was great fun for the girls. I think they didn\u2019t often have their pictures taken before. I will make sure to get some of them printed before I leave.<\/p>\n

\"Tea
Millicent and Lucy outside the kitchen for a tea break.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sisterly
Milliscent, Silke, Lucy in the kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fun
Fun pics during cooking session: Anastasia, Milliscent, Silke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some ducklings kept us company in the kitchen as they were looking for food in exchange for droppings. Mother duck stayed outside together with two chickens and a pig.<\/p>\n

\"Ducklings
Ducklings kept us company in the kitchen, exchanging food for droppings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Animals
Animals outside the house<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Pig
Pig waiting for its turn. Maybe next holiday…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Children Eat in a Separate Room<\/strong><\/p>\n

It took us around three hours to prepare the feast. Since everybody eats with the God-given cutlery, AKA fingers, there is a little washing ceremony before every meal. One person goes around with a jug of water and a bowl so everybody can clean their hands.<\/p>\n

\"Washing
Washing God-given cutlery before every meal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then men and women joined in the living room to eat. Children never eat together with the adults but separated in the kitchen. Anastasia took care of them there.<\/p>\n

\"Holiday
Men and women eat together in the living room. Children remain in the kitchen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ugali,
Ugali, vegetable, and goat meat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chinese Soaps at Dinner Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the meals,\u00a0usually the TV remains switched on. A Chinese soap with English subtitles was aired. It was a pathetically solemn mixture of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.<\/p>\n

\"Television\"
Television is always on. Now airing a Chinese soap.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lucy
Lucy cleans the dishes after the feast<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cleaned
Cleaned dishes drying<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the feat, Philip showed me the garden in the slum, the first project of Otepic. Again dozens of children followed us around, calling: \u201cMzungu! Mzungu!\u201d Philip told them: \u201cThere is no Mzungu here. Her name is Silke.\u201d So the children looked surprised and tried to pronounce my name.<\/p>\n

I will write about Otepic\u00a0and Mitume slum in more detail later.<\/p>\n

Until then, please watch the slide show:<\/p>\n

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