gachunia

Oh what a blessing

to arise and breath

the fresh air of the morning

a mind unperturbed 

ready to listen divine whisperings

rapturing forth in silence

 soaking up the fears of the day

as the monkeys enjoy the bliss

up the trees they long for mornings

birds clatter for it

welcoming it with praise

a sweet song 

i long for the blessings of the morning 

None should miss this blessing

in the allure of blankets

and a fake comfort

Gachunia 

Hey friends i just came back from a trip from the great lakes. The Congo forest are beutiful and rich green. The country have vast chunks of land that is unexplored. Despite the great fear of war that is evident in the area there are still many safe places that are waiting to be explored.

I toured the forest where we are supporting Pygmys who are so characteristically short. They love dancing and are quite hilarious. However they have a very low fertility are rate and risk extinction. The mortality rate is so high due to children diseases like pneumonia and the like. We have 105 families and it is rare to see a pygmy family with more that two or three children(not by design) in comparison with congolese who sire more than 8 on average. They have been kicked out of the forest with no govt to take care of  them as they are busy with the war.

I met a mzunguafrican boy in a remote poor village near Bukavu South Kivu. The villagers were shouting at the boy calling him MONUC. I rushed out of the house where our missionary stays and i thought we are in problems with the UN soldiers who are called MONUC here or something. Little did i know those were jestings aimed at this boy whose father lives maybe somewhere in texas or who knows. I realised those are the incriptions of peacekeeping soldiers littered all over the war zones for the memory " i was here" as the war of resources ranges the people suffer and the miners do their business and walk free.

will post pics for this trip later.

I believe that in small ways we are going to do something. I work for a small Christian NGO called Mission Base Intiative which is indigenous in Kenya but working all over this region doing missionary work and development.

Boy its a long time since i boarded that small airbus from Stavanger south of Norway that delivered me to Armsterdam to  be swallowed and hurled to the skies by that huge KLM machine that delivered me to Nairobi against my wishes. This should not be costrued to mean that i never missed home for all that time. I realised that i missed home once the familiar African sunrises graced the sky as we flew into the African space and i cried africa sweet home. Next to me was a hilarious Ugandan girl that made that flight memorable. Oh men she hates changing attitude it makes her want to jump out of the plane but praise God she held together.

What inspired me to write was a cup of coffee i took at Dormans today with a friend of mine. It was the real European coffee. Hard black and sugarless called the red eye. Oh this brought memories of the college coffee that was freeeee and ever available that  kept the card game flowing. It gave the students the energy to do almost a 24 hour day with the craziest things happening at night. I had a lovely friend of mine who always got crazy ideas between 12 and 1am that would see us either riding bikes at that time or swimming or just doing something weird that would make us laugh till morning and attend class at 9.05 with coffee to make sure we are not exactly asleep. 

Last week i hosted a guy called Tom. This guy made sure i have visited the whole of Rogaland including badeland that was closed down how sad!  This guy in Nairobi is celebrated as mr bean for his looks and i floss with him a little bit. This has brought the whole scandinavian experience rolling back again. I always have fun with Norwegians in Nairobi though trust me my Norwegian is really bad men jeg prove still.

Norwegians youth are a really fun lot. I cant help but laugh when i remember Hald class 2005- 2006. The world is too small i keep meeting you guys ask Per!