Matatu Ride:
We were planning on meeting the folks from GAR (Generation at Risk, a MCC-sponsored HIV/AIDS program) in Ngong around 4. After leaving the MCC Guest House at 2, we made it to Ngong (suburb of Nairobi) just around 4. We figured we had some time since GAR was late all day, so we did some quick grocery shopping at the open-air market. We texted two people to see when they might arrive in Ngong, but got no response. While sitting at the Ngong branch of Barclay’s bank, we saw a friend from Najile who was taking a matatu back home. We asked if there was space for us, just in case our other ride didn’t work out. She said there was and we went to the matatu stop (which included such luxurious amenities as a hillside to sit and wait on). By 6:15, we still hadn’t heard back from GAR and our matatu was ready, so we piled in.
This matatu, was a pickup truck, but did have an army-green canvas over a metal frame over the bed. The bed was about 1.5 meters wide, by 3 meters long. Along the two sides and the back of the cab were small wooden benches. Down the middle of the bed was a whole assortment of boxes and packages, taking up a solid half-meter of the width and piled a couple feet high. We fit 9 in the back, three along each side and three along the cab back. The biggest problem with the ride would be the dust. Since it hasn’t rained in awhile, huge clouds of dust follow every vehicle that travels to Najile, so sitting in the back of a pickup was asking for dust-trouble. Some people completely covered their face with a shuka, others wrapped cloth arab-style over their mouth, and others just hunched over and tried to breathe into their shirt.
Fortunately, the canvas prevented most of the dust from coming into the truck. The ride went by smoothly, many stories were told, everybody was happy to learn we knew Maasai, and by the end, we were all singing hymns together. Despite driving much faster than a normal vehicle, the trip took longer due to the frequent stops, especially as we approached Najile. When we got home, it was dark, our backs were sore, we were tired, and had a nice dust covering. However, we were in Kenya, a beautiful land that is to be our home for 3 years. As we watched the sun go down as we entered the Rift Valley, it didn’t all seem so bad.
We were planning on meeting the folks from GAR (Generation at Risk, a MCC-sponsored HIV/AIDS program) in Ngong around 4. After leaving the MCC Guest House at 2, we made it to Ngong (suburb of Nairobi) just around 4. We figured we had some time since GAR was late all day, so we did some quick grocery shopping at the open-air market. We texted two people to see when they might arrive in Ngong, but got no response. While sitting at the Ngong branch of Barclay’s bank, we saw a friend from Najile who was taking a matatu back home. We asked if there was space for us, just in case our other ride didn’t work out. She said there was and we went to the matatu stop (which included such luxurious amenities as a hillside to sit and wait on). By 6:15, we still hadn’t heard back from GAR and our matatu was ready, so we piled in.
This matatu, was a pickup truck, but did have an army-green canvas over a metal frame over the bed. The bed was about 1.5 meters wide, by 3 meters long. Along the two sides and the back of the cab were small wooden benches. Down the middle of the bed was a whole assortment of boxes and packages, taking up a solid half-meter of the width and piled a couple feet high. We fit 9 in the back, three along each side and three along the cab back. The biggest problem with the ride would be the dust. Since it hasn’t rained in awhile, huge clouds of dust follow every vehicle that travels to Najile, so sitting in the back of a pickup was asking for dust-trouble. Some people completely covered their face with a shuka, others wrapped cloth arab-style over their mouth, and others just hunched over and tried to breathe into their shirt.
Fortunately, the canvas prevented most of the dust from coming into the truck. The ride went by smoothly, many stories were told, everybody was happy to learn we knew Maasai, and by the end, we were all singing hymns together. Despite driving much faster than a normal vehicle, the trip took longer due to the frequent stops, especially as we approached Najile. When we got home, it was dark, our backs were sore, we were tired, and had a nice dust covering. However, we were in Kenya, a beautiful land that is to be our home for 3 years. As we watched the sun go down as we entered the Rift Valley, it didn’t all seem so bad.
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