Saturday, November 5, 2011

KENYA THROUGH MY BEDROOM WINDOW:

(I wrote this on Saturday, but my internet hasn't been working for a few days, so I couldn't post it.) 

There are so many sounds I’ve heard through my bedroom window that help to describe what life is like here – different sounds at different times of the day…

Morning:

Samuel’s roosters crowing, tropical birds of all kinds singing melodiously, planes flying overhead, a child crying, padlocks being unlocked, heavy metal gates clanging shut, people talking loudly as they walk down the dirt road beyond my wall, my ascari (David) shuffling just outside my bedroom working in the yard, filling his bucket with water, raking fresh cut vines, talking to Pauline (when she was here) at 6:00 AM through her bedroom window next to mine, his radio blasting at 5:50 AM from his guard house, noisy trucks bouncing down the dirt road, people arguing, the pounding of a hammer, rain pouring down, a Muslim chanting prayers at 4:45 AM, and on Sunday all different churches preaching and singing.

Midday:

Crows cawing, planes flying overhead (so low that I can see their landing gear, they leave a shadow through my window as they pass by, and conversations have to stop completely until they pass, or you won’t hear what is being said), children laughing and playing at the FPFK church’s school, FPFK’s minister preaching from two blocks away (their microphone is ALWAYS on full blast) or singing from the choir, someone calling out for an ascari to unlock a gate, busy traffic clear out on the main road.

Evening:

4:00 brings more planes for about two hours, children talking busily on their way home from school around 6:00, Friday night starts up with the church’s microphone again until around 2:00 AM, Samuel’s singing church hymns from his room or calling out to me, “Hello”, through my window to talk to me without startling me.

Night:

A scrawny cat meowing to get into my house, cicadas chirping, monkeys calling, more music and preaching from the microphone, a bushbaby (a mammal smaller than a monkey and very cute) in my yard screeching, toads croaking in my yard during the twelve days of rain awhile back, something sort of growling (not sure what!).