Kaughi and Chifui: From a Five Star Safari To The Bush

Last week we had a wonderful gift; Ken and Patty Wightman joined us for three days at the tail end of a 24 day five-star safari. We became good friends with Ken and Patty about a year ago, when our common interests and love for Oregon adventure had brought us together. Ken a CEO of Portland’s most prestigeous engineering firm, Patty a long-time educator and clinical psychologist, they lived in one of the most beautiful areas of Portland - Dunthorpe, which overlooks acres of natural reserve. They seemed an unlikely couple to want to join us in the bush, but once they heard about our work, they both agreed with conviction that they wanted to experience first hand what we did.And sure enough, they did. Their safari started in South Africa. They had covered all the most famous game parks that Africa had to offer, from the Kruger National Park to the Ngorangora Crater (a huge volcanic crater that has become home to a plethora of big game animals) to the Masai Mara/Seregheti. They’d ended with three days on the beautiful, historic Island of Zanzabar. How would they make the transition to our humble abode here, with no electricity, where our toilet in the ground would surely strain Patty’s artificial knees? Not to mention the “showering” with a bucket, the equatorial sun that can pound without relief, the bugs, bats, and rats?After a heart-stopping trip up the deadly highway from our village to the airport, we finally arrived to meet them. Tanned and rested, they arrived with smiles, eager to take on the adventure. Brent and I, exhausted and strained from 10 days of juggling interns, projects  and sleeplessness, must have been a sorry sight. But oh, the relief in seeing them and feeling the infusion of their “fresh blood”! What a pleasure it was!They took it all in stride, delighted the interns with their insights and humor, provided us all with their new eyes to what we were all working on. They joined us for a visit to one of our biggest schools, Egu Primary school, 6 miles off the highway, over 700 students. We were greeted with wild rejoicing by a sea of children, dancing and singing, bringing us some small saplings to plant in our honor. Such school visits always include “entertainments,” where we exchange some fun with the kids. Patty stole the show when she took a well- known Swahili children’s story and read it aloud, full of dramatic effect, in very butchered Swahili. The children died laughing. Then Ken surprised them all by joining Brent in a sack race – two “old mazungos” (white people) struggling to stay upright and bounce to the finish line. They loved it!We packed those three glorious days the Wightmans shared with us. They saw the girl’s dorm, they met students from our sponsorship program, they got to experience the libraries, they grew to love and respect our director, Joseph. They laughed with our interns and got to see them in action. They even tried carrying water on their heads.The highlight was the last day, when they had come to our home village of Bahakwenu to see where it all began, and to meet the unforgettable women that make the aloe vera soap. To wild African dancing, singing, and the beautiful chirping of the women, they were given Daruma names, making them an official part of the tribe they had briefly lived among. Daruma names are beautiful things, rich in sound and symbolism. Chidodo, president of the soap group, gave Ken his name: Kanghi. She wrapped him in the kanga that marked his rite of passage. Patty became Chiufi, wrapped up by Patience. Enfolded in the brazen pattern of tradition, they, at least for a moment in time, became part of the African landscape.Stepping into their waiting van, ready to whisk them back to their other world, they waved good bye. The children singing their farewell, the red African dirt on their feet, the people embedded in their hearts, they left us.May your three days in Kenya stay alive in you, Kaughi and Chifui. Back to your home of comfort and beauty, may you hear the drum of Taru and remember what the light of education has done to embolden this small piece of the Kenyan bush.