Happy New Year, people! It is still right and on time to wish you a happy new year, right? Anyway, I do hope that y'all enjoyed your holiday/safaris and that you are back to your respective jobs in one piece. As for those who didn't travel, thank you for keeping watch of our city homes/houses/rooms and I hope your neighbors brought you some good something from their trips so that you don't feel left out on the ndumas (arrow-roots), nduramuthis (plums), mitungos (boiled corns) and all that is found upcountry and is expensive in the city...well, if they didn't,,,, don't worry maybe next time they will... Myself I didn't bring something for every of my neighbors but I did bring some corns and plums(that I actually bought in town) for our young caretaker, you know just to remain in his good books this year and have my water pumped anytime of the day and night, .(wink)
Well, as hinted above and as it is the norm in December I also did do some travelling and this didn't come without drama. We got stuck on Thika Road traffic for hours and didn't arrive at my village until midnight -- a journey that normally takes three and a half hours on a normal day, that day on [24th] it took us 9 straight hours!!! I mean, how far is Kangema from Nairobi?. We arrived just in time for my grandmas favorite; 'Murekio'( happens on Christmas eve where villagers go knocking on doors, sing Christmas Carols and then getting some kind of offering to be taken to the respective church on Christmas day) yes or something like that. Since time immemorial on Christmas eve we would always finish up with the eating, kitchen work and all of us gather at the sitting area singing and telling stories, waiting on murekio and the clock to strike 00:00, shout out 'gakenge nigaciarwo' in jubilation and continue with the gakenge songs until we got knocked off on our seats the last one calling everyone to go to their beds.
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Its Murekio time. My village is very cold at night
you need more than a Maasai blanket. |
This time I couldn't help but notice that the fun about murekio is long gone out of my fellow villagers minds...Where did murekio go? when I asked around I was told it was because of the obvious reasons; insecurity and thuggery. The young villagers would hide in the dark 'turenjis' (foot paths) and take all the offerings collected that night while others pretend they were there for the singing but hid themselves in the back stealing chickens and the rabbits. Very sad! that's what I used to look forward to! It was actually the climax of Christmas to me! What made me know that Christmas was finally here after the numerous chapo aromas from most kitchens in the village and the huge families like ours doing the mbuzi choma because buying meat from the butcher would never be enough for all of us. The going round to each and every doorstep in village singing Christmas Kikuyu songs, collecting offerings from the house owners and particularly this neighbor who used to give chapo was so much fun so sad that insecurity has escaped with that one...
So Christmas is gone and still in the village with my now all grown up nephew. We decided for the old time's sake, to go down the hill to cut some pine trees for firewood purposes (y'all cutting down a tree in my village is a huge process which includes the chief checking you have planted 2 trees after cutting down 1) and we thought it would be fun carrying the stumps uphill since it was out of our willingness unlike the old days when it was put in your day 'to do list'. With my countless martial arts, yoga and zumba classes, I knew it was going to be an easy task but let me tell you, it was not what I expected, the stumps were so heavy on my back , I felt like I didn't have my neck anymore and I literally sunk in the ground with every step I made, and in every step I made I thought through the idea of carrying the stumps again and I knew I was not going to happen because my back was aching like crazy. I must say I was ashamed on my getting tired that easily and if there is a resolution I did make was to take my classes seriously this year. So no more missing on my sessions Monday=martial arts class, Wednesday Zumba and martial arts classes , Thursday=yoga and Saturday martial art. Am literally killing myself this year and hopefully the results next Christmas holiday.
Even with all that mishap, I still think upcountry is the true definition of beauty,fresh air and real relaxation (at least mine is) waking up to the mowing of the cows roaster crows and the birds singing is always very refreshing! The smell of the dung whenever I accompany granny to milk the cows, feeding the chicken, collecting eggs, sipping my cup of true tea (black tea) that I back in the days helped to pick from my grandparents shamba and the fresh bites on the ndumas (arrowroot) that my grandma is so popular for among my relatives. Back in the days that used to be followed by taking the basket and going to pick tea in our tea plantation for 8-9 hours almost none stop. But these days someone else helps us do that and thank heavens for the abundant rainfall and the knowledge of storing water, my grandma can now get water right there at home. Otherwise the fetching of water from our stream down the hill was not something to look forward to.
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| NyaKenya Wairimu |
