Kenya

Hii Ni Nini?

So my new phone has a camera, but you know how camera phone are. It’s no replacement for my digital camera that recently broke, but I can take pictures of bugs and stuff around the house. Now let’s play “Hii ni nini” (what is this)!

Oooh!I found these in the market the other day. They’re everywhere and they’re cheap which means they’re in season right now I guess. I don’t remember seeing these in the market at this time last year, so maybe this is something special for Kenya, or at least Tala. I know the picture isn’t very good, but can you guess what they are? They’re not cherries, they’re… plums! Mini plums! I paid thirty Kenyan shillings (about fifty cents) for a big bag of them.

Now we have to switch game because this is not a thing, but a person, so we say “Huyu ni nani?” (who is that). This little girl is my friend’s daughter. I think she’s two or three, or maybe two on the verge of three; She’s Alicia. She’s a funny little girl who I can tell is smart but she is always getting into trouble or hurting herself some weird way, like jumping off the table onto the couch, or hanging onto the door while it’s closing (free ride!).

One time, as I was riding my bike from the market, she was walking on the side of the road with another very little boy. Upon seeing me she became so excited and ran into the street to follow my bike. The street that leads into Tala is actually a highway, so cars fly by very fast here. I didn’t see any adults around who I recognized to know her, so I jumped off my bike and started yelling in Kikamba (local language in Tala), “Keletu! Ukaa!” (Little girl! Come!). She was now standing in the middle of the road, but as soon as I started yelling she became defiant and ran the opposite way, still in the road. Luckily an onlooker grabbed her and then we found a neighbor nearby to take her home. Phew!

I received the third shot today for my malaria, so all the parasites should be dead soon. I feel like a million bucks now! Adios for now!

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