Haibun
A Journey to
Arusha, Tanzania
DAY 1:
November 20th, 2009
Today is the first day of my
second trip to Arusha. The trip took too long due to the
on-going road construction of Northern Corridor Road
connecting Kenya and Tanzania; there are very many diversions,
bumps and lots of dust. We departed from Nairobi at 11:07am
and arrived at the Namanga Border at 14:05. I took about 30
minutes at the Immigration Offices.
dromedary camels
browsing on shrubs—
Namanga Border
huge red and brown
ant-hills being re-built by ants—
Savannah grassland
long horns still
stuck on the cow’s skeleton—
sprouting grass
We left Namanga for Arusha at
around 15:00 hours.
Maasai manyattas
the only houses on the landscape—
Longido hills
emaciated cattle
browsing in bare plains—
sprouting grass
Today is a very important day
in East Africa. The East African Community is marking the 10th
Anniversary since its revival in 1999, and all the Heads of
state of the member countries are gathered in Arusha for three
days since yesterday. I would love to be there in time to
partake of this. The second most important reason is that
today, the five heads of state are signing the East African
Free Market Treaty that is going to allow free movement of
people and goods across the bloc.
The second reason why I am
going to Arusha is to visit my friends: the Loilole Family! I
would love to be with them for a week. Doctor Loilole, who was
involved in a serious accident on 23rd September, in which he
sustained a fracture on his skull, is still recuperating at
home; the family also suffered another tragedy last month when
the Doctor’s only living brother died suddenly. So I am going
to offer my condolences to the family.
We arrived in Mianzini, Arusha
at 16:09 hours to the very warm welcome of Einoti, Doctor
Loilole’s second eldest daughter and child. We hugged, which
is a bit unusual here among the Arusha Maasai, who do have a
strong norm of behaviour and culture. The young greet the
elders using a special greeting: “Shikamoo,” as they courtesy
allowing the elders to touch their head. From the stares of
the people around, I think we were too bold in our deviation,
as Einoti, who is 25, allowed me to introduce her to this new
form of greeting. In any case I had been waiting for too long
to try and break this norm, actually since the last time I was
here in September 2007. The children are very formal to the
fault, but I noticed that among all the Doctor’s children,
Einoti is the most progressive and curious one…the last time I
was here, she was studying Business Administration; Namayani,
her elder sister, was on attachment at the AICC Hospital, her
father’s former working place, as a Nurse. Huruma, the
Doctor’s only son whom I have met so far, was then still a
first year college student, but now is on attachment as
Clinical Officer to Tanzania Christian Clinic on the outskirts
of Arusha. Namayani is now a full time Doctor with the Selian
Lutheran Hospital, Arusha while Einoti is now a full time
Sales Person in a private company in Njiiru, about seventy
kilometers from Arusha town.
white snow and cloud
merging it with the sky—
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Just a few hundred metres from
Mianzini, a historical occasion was in progress: five heads of
state: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, were
signing the EAC Free Market Treaty that would allow free
movement of people and goods across their borders. Einoti
remarked as we crossed the road, “The town is very crowded
today because of the important function taking place here. But
we are afraid of this treaty. You Kenyans will benefit more
than us!” She said it with her characteristic friendly and
humorous cackle that exposed her perfectly arranged white
teeth and the beautiful gap in her upper teeth. She was
carrying my other bag, while I carried the laptop.
“Yes, we Kenyans will benefit from export of our many
goods and services to Tanzanian markets, but so shall you,
right?”
“Yes, but you Kenyans are too aggressive and you know
too much!” She persisted.
“You Tanzanians also know too much and are now going to
learn too much from Kenyans!” We laughed.
“To start with, your education is superior to ours, so
you people are going do more work in Tanzania, while we are
going to do almost nothing in Kenya!”
“Ah, now! Look here Einoti, you Tanzanians are going to
benefit a lot from the same. You can now take advantage of
this opportunity to enjoy studying in Kenya! Moreover, Arusha
has been selected as the Headquarters for the EAC and the
German Government has offered to fund the construction of
these HQs here. What will you be doing with all the visitors
and tourists who will be pouring money here?”
white guests strain
to understand the porters—
crowded town
It was a humid evening since it
had rained in Arusha. Our friendly chat was very pleasant and
educative. Einoti always surprises me with her business
insight and passion. She sees things that her counterparts
cannot see. It also amazes me that in spite of her limited
English—people in Tanzania speak Kiswahili as the National and
Official Language—she is astute in expressing her views and
opinions.
grevelia trees
sprouting orange—
suburban houses
I realized too late that I was
in a suit and tie, an attire Tanzanians rarely wear. This made
me stand out as conspicuously foreign! I didn’t know that was
the reason why all those stares followed us up the narrow road
leading to the Doctor’s private residence, until I was told.
The other reason why those people turned their heads was our
conversation in English, fluent English.
capped in thick
white snow all day—
Mt. Meru
ARUSHA TRIP:
DAY 2: NOV. 21ST
It is a cool morning since it
rained last evening.
The Doctor’s home is shrouded in trees and there is a stream
passing just outside the home compound; it bubbles all night
and day. It passes exactly behind the separate house I am
sleeping in; the bubbling all night and day instills a sense
of serenity over my mind and soul.
You know I slept alone in my house and bedroom, since the
Doctor’s eldest son, Huruma, is still away at work; he comes
only during weekends and is expected today. The house was sort
of lonely, but it afforded me some quiet time to write some
materials I could not write in any other environ. So I am
looking forward to seeing Huruma today. It seems to me all the
Doctor’s eldest children are doctors. Namayani is a Doctor at
Selian Hospital here in Ausha and is doing an online Degree
Course in Palliative Care from London (her Practicing Centre
is Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi) ; Huruma is a
clinical office on attachment in Tanzania Christian Hospital,
70 km outside Arusha. Adam is still in High School; he is in
Form 5. Nanyori, who completed A Level, is still waiting to
continue with University. Einoti is working after doing Sales,
Marketing and Business Administration.
bubbling stream
my night long companion—
the other a lost termite
Over breakfast, I heard the
Doctor’s views on the East African Free market Treaty.
His concern is about crime. He said many bad people are going
to find their way into TZ and crime is going to increase. He
mentioned that the latest crimes such as car jacking were
never there in TZ; they have come with the influx of
foreigners particularly from Kenya, Rwanda and Nigeria.
He was apprehensive that impunity from Kenya and Rwanda will
now find its way into TZ and innocent and unsuspecting
Tanzanians will be taken advantage of by these criminals. He
said he was very concerned about characters like those who
carried out the Rwandan Genocide and the Kenyan Massacres; the
Doctor, who was bravely speaking about politics for the first
time, said that apart from impunity, corruption and crime
gaining entry into TZ, false and fake religions are also going
to find their way into the country.
DAY 3:
November, 22nd 2009
15:25 Hours: One of the
Doctor’s Cows calved down. The Doctor and I were resting in
the flower garden behind the house when we heard the cow
mooing unusually. We rushed to the shed only to find the cow
had calved down. It is the maize weeding and bean-planting
season here and the doctor and all his workers work on the
farm all morning, but rest in the evening. The maize which
were planted earlier, are now knee high:
her first calf—
the cow calving down on
her own is good omen
17:00hrs to 18:00hrs: The
Doctor took me on a tour of his five acre farm, which he
fondly called his Garden. It is a wonderful Farm; a fresh
water stream runs through one end of the farm and a river
marks the boundary on the further end. The many trees and the
bubbling water in the farm made me think of the Garden of
Eden. The Doctor enthusiastically explained to me how he had
acquired each small parcel of this beautiful land. He is a
very unique man, this Doctor. He hates corruption with all his
heart and is totally against greed and no matter how hard I
have tried to appreciate him, he cannot accept anything from
me. He says he doesn’t like taking advantage of anybody; what
he can get, he will not borrow or ask of anybody. I do not
understand him here. He explained to me that one of those
parcels of land was under dispute and he refused to buy it
even though it was right next to his house. Maize that is knee
high is growing in the garden and there are young bananas. He
told me that during the recent drought, they had used the
bananas as fodder to save the cows from starvation. There are
small concrete bridges built at various points across the
stream to enable people to cross over to the farms yonder.
bubbling stream—
fern, moss and algae
under tree shades
his garden—
kei apples the natural
barbed wire fence
our shoe prints
on the moss over-grown bridge—
crossing the stream
evening sun rays
beam through tree branches—
the cuckoo crying
DAY 4: 23rd
November 2009
14:55-17:00hrs: We went to
Arusha town centre with Elizabeth to browse and read e-mails.
The evening was cool and as soon as we arrived in the town, it
started drizzling. Elizabeth left me at the cyber as she went
back to her residential place on the outskirts of the town,
promising we shall meet in Nairobi. Elizabeth is my business
associate in Tanzania and had come for our meeting in Doctor
Loilole’s fantastic conference room.
getting my
destination name wrong—
the taxi and I get lost
drizzly evening—
flowerless Nandi Flames
dripping with dew
Arusha town—
Mt. Meru guards
over us
Arusha town—
sign language becomes
suddenly useful
I am suddenly rich—
Changing Kenya Shillings
Into Tshs.
DAY 5: 24th
November 2009
We had breakfast in the Garden
behind the Doctor’s house; the garden, full of trees like
Nandi flames, casuarina, cypress, and croton, was teaming with
merry chirping birds flying around. The grass was still wet
and the flowers, hibiscus, bougainvillea, rose, and cana
lilies, were fresh and dewy and their scent pervaded the
entire garden.
umbrella tree shade—
green moss on bricks
our carpet
green moss growing
between cobble stones—
wet grass
a bee from trumpet
flower lands on the sugar dish—
scent of tea leaves
08:00-10:00hrs: Computer Class
with Dr. Loilole.
10:00-19:00hrs: Reading, writing and preparing lessons for
evening classes.
20:00-21:00 Hrs: Supper
21:00-23:00 Hrs: Classes: Einoti and Nanyori: Grammar and
Marketing.
During the seven day stay, I was able to give three Computer
Classes, six Grammar Lessons, five Sales and Marketing
Lessons, one Academic Talk and one Business Meeting. I left
for Nairobi yesterday morning at 11:30 am and arrived safely
in Nairobi at 19:30 hrs. It was one of the best and most
productive trips so far. Tanzania is a great country whose
people are warmhearted, hospitable and very polite. I hope to
be back there another time. I am very much indebted to Dr.
Loilole, his wife Elizabeth and his wonderful children, for
the success of my trip, research and holiday in Arusha. God
bless them very much. I also owe Elizabeth, my business
contact, a lot of thanks for taking me through Arusha town for
a tour and education.
About
Patrick Wafula, Nairobi, Kenya
I am 38 years old,
a high school literature and language teacher. I have studied
Education and School Management from Kenyatta University.
I am married to Loise and we have four children: Faith,
Esther, Elizabeth and Vittorio. We live in Nairobi. I love
teaching children and youth and I enjoy writing stories and
poems for them. I also enjoy writing stories for adults. My
favourite poetry genre is haiku and haibun. My favourite hobby
is reading supernatural and adventurous stories, watching
adventurous and detective movies and listening to country
music. I also love traveling and learning more about the world
and foreign cultures.
Thank you for reading my stories. Leave your comments here in
the comments section or get in touch with me through:
pwwanyama@yahoo.com or Tel: +254 721 99 14 13.
This is Patrick
Wafula's first appearance in Sketchbook.
