Magical Kenya

RURACIO

Call it Gaita or any other name, this is one of the most magical Kenyan events any local tourist should check out. I got the priviledge of attending my pal's (campus and now workmate) event. Being a cross-cultural union, the interchanges were mostly in Swahili. And boy were they well choreographed, you'd think these guys have been doing this for ages (actually they have).

After lunch, the guests are welcomed by the lady's family spokesman (let's call him Spokesman L) who asks the visitors to state their intentions. The guy's family spokesman gives thanks for the hearty meal then proceeds to state that their young man has been scouring the land and has seen "good things" in that part of the country, so has brought his kin to see for themselves.

Every exchange is coupled by hearty laughter and sniggles. Spokesman L politely informs the visitors that there are many "good things" in this land and they should identify who their young man is and which "good thing" he has seen. So the young man is called forward (he is wearing a suit - have never seen him in a suit) and points to a corner where the lady is seated. Of course Spokesman L informs him that there are many people in that direction, so he goes and picks her out and brings her to the front. Great cheers from the dude's side!!!

Spokesman L acknowledges the two and proceeds to ask the Lady if she agrees to be identified as a "good thing" which she does. More cheers from the dude's side. Then Spokesman L allows both to sit. He then proceeds to acknowledge that the lady has been identified as a "good thing", and SHOCKINGLY states that if there was nothing else on the agenda, the guests are free to leave.

Ieery silence follows. Spokesman D (for dude) interjects politely. He states that since the crowd is large and there are "children" about, a select few would want to meet with a select few inside for talks. The "selected" went inside for talks and we the "children" were left outside to continue with what it is we were continuing...

We overheard and saw sequences of singing, clapping and outdoor deliberations over certain pieces of paper then much later, crates of sodas were ferried in (something akin to white smoke) by the dude's family. Finally we had votes of thanks from both sides as to a successful event.

Nothing like a Kenyan cultural festival to whet the appetite for a local tourist. Only challenging issue was the miriad questions posed to my girlfriend as to when will people be visiting her home!!!

LOVE: New Season

Hey peeps! Sorry for joining the underground movement, but it seems I've taken my life offline mainly due to work related reasons (read overload) and better still have erased the sad memories of last season to enter into a new exciting relationship with the most wonderful woman. Details will not be shared but I'm in cloud nine. For now, I'll just give you the lyrics to OUR song...


I'm calling his phone up
just to tell him how much
I really love him cause
he's everything I want

He listens to me,
cares for me
so I truly believe

God sent me an angel up from above
Who's gonna love me for life
Might as well be perfect only because
It's the only way I can describe, so

If this isn't love, tell me what it is
Cause I could be dreaming or just plain crazy
If this isn't love, tell me what it is
Cause I never felt like this baby

If this isn't love

L O V E, what is to me?
L O V E, oh, if this isn't love
L O V E, what is to me?
L O V E, oh, if this isn't love

I'm selfish cause I don't
wanna share him with no-
body not even those
people that came before me
But see, I never believed

God send me an angel...

So if you got real love
Lemme see you put your hands up
See you put your hands up
The kind of love that fits
quite like a glove
Lemme see you put your hands up
See you put your hands up
If this isn't love

Cause I know I ain't crazy
I know I ain't tripping
I know I ain't slipping
I know that it's love

You see me with my hands up
If you think I'm dreaming
I know I ain't dreaming
Cause this is the reason I love him because

If this isn't love...



Song: If This Isn't Love
Songwriters: Brian Seals; Terry Thomas; Theron Thomas;
Singer: Jennifer Hudson

PS:Any trained body emerges above a wonder.

Last episode: Ditched not Hitched

I struggled a bit with this, but here goes. For all of you who diligently followed the social series of my life from Smitten, Saying it like it is, Getting Noticed, Soap Files - Updated and the previous post, I'm afraid the last episode has gone according to what we least expected and feared most, NOT a happy ending.



Guess it's true what they say about two birds in a bush. When they fly away, it's as if you had nothing in the first place. No reasons were given, simply put: "A lot of thought has been put in this past week, and I think we should just be friends". Of course we'd prepared for this statement, having patiently waited 15 months, so we said what naturally comes to mind "Sawa". Unfortunately the attachment developed during this period isn't that easy to get rid off, so I'm at pains, the sharp splinters of my broken heart a daily source of emotional trauma.

Well, what next? We'll go undercover for a few months off the dating scene, till it's safe to bring out this patched up heart. Hopefully, the sun will still shine again :-(

The soap files - updated

An update since the last full episode:

The Returning
She's back. She said she would. Of course I didn't believe. Some eighteen months ago, our friendship had started blossoming. She went away to do her Masters and as she was leaving, I asked whether I can delete her number (goodbye forever). She was like, no I'll come back for you. The nice guy that I am kept in touch, the occasional phonecall (duly footed by the company postpaid line). Last week, my phone rings, I see her Kenyan number, and she's malizad masomo. She'll holla sometime next week we hook up. What to do?

The Foreign Invasion
We sat next to each other on the flight from Zurich to Dubai. I ignored her, she had small talk with the other lady along the centre isle. Later when the drinks arrived, we started talking. And we couldn't stop, till a couple of hours later when we both fell asleep. One of those "connection" experiences they talk about. We even went for a coffee date in Dubai airport. An Aussie of Italian descent, she was quite knowledgeable on Kenya having friends in Kericho! Lowest point was when it came to revealing our ages, the look on her face showed it when it was evident that I'm much younger than her. Still we keep in touch via mail.

The X-factor
Version 2.0 called the week after the Swiss affair. Wanted to see me pronto! I'm like, niko kazini (after 6 pm). She still shows up, so had to shut down and go for drinks. After small talk, punctuated with long periods of silence, I'm asked why I don't keep in touch. I try answer logically, eeeh we ni ex, kuna vile sisi si mabeshte. Conversation degenerates into tense exchange. I still had to endure long period of silence as I drove her home. Surprisingly, she invites me in! I humbly decline and scatter. I write on her FB wall on her birthday, no communication since.

The Undergrad
We hang out jana. She turns 21 this weekend (her jamaa is also 21). I like her, and will stay friends with her, even though she'll definately pose a threat for the rest of the compe. After all, she knows how to make me laugh, is real + down to earth about everything, and we always have a great time when we hang out. Sadly, she affected the way I related with her elder sis, who was my classmate in primo, and was the reason I got to know her.

The Smitter
We are just friends, 10 months after here. Better friends but sijui niseme...

ruracio: IPO comes home

With the eldest daughter a certified spinster and having a last born son clearly unable to figure out this love thing, my parents decided to cash in on the only remaining asset, my second born sis, a true measure of the benefits of diversified investment options. Of course, the eldest sibling and myself (being born and bred in the city) voiced our reservations regarding the disposal (considering that we had to raise additional capital to fund the process) but clearly no spoilt urban brats would stand in the way of the biggest payday for the folks.

As the happy couple are away in Obama land, the onus was on the dude's parents to visit our residence and clear the air on what happened to our daughter. So this past Saturday, we hosted an entourage of "Libyan investors" bearing gifts from afar (actually a supermarket along Jogoo Road). In preparation, my mom had lined up a first XV complete with the same number of subs, and the scrum (negotiatiators) had meet long in advance outlining their list of shareholder demands.

Saturday's affair went as follows: All were treated to a sumptous feast, an invited preacher delivered a long sermon, the families were introduced by name, the negotiation teams went into the living room to thrash out the details, sodas were then produced, and final prayers sent the guests home at night.

Now due to the afore mentioned reasons, I was not allowed anywhere near the consensus talks. But intimate sources reveal that the visitors had expressed gratitude on the warm reception, and after outlining their motives which did not raise opposition, proceeded to leave a 'female goat' behind as a sign of their commitment. A initial listing price was then agreed regarding the number of shares (goats), and the visitors also took a list drawn up of other 'licence requirements' necessary for completion of the deal, to be paid during the next meeting.

So is going public a viable option? Of course the advantages are numerous. The two families stand to gain in terms of social status and networks (I definately think our family will gain more than our fair share) and there's also the circulation of capital in the local economy (we gave our hard earned money, which fed the guests, who had carried gifts, which were shared out among my mom's friends who had worked hard to prepare for the day, and in the local where my dad and his friends would reflect on the new venture). Sadly though, I'm yet to see how I'll be compensated for the emotional trauma of losing a sister :-(

Saying it like it is

After taking into account the advice of mafans, I told her how I felt jana evening.

Now we wait...

Point to reflect:
As I fikad digs that evening, I noticed the moon has a big grin...

Smitten

It's been quite a LONG while since I felt like this in my left side of my chest. And since this feeling isn't going away, I've had to disclose the condition to my close circle with a view of getting their thoughts on what I should do about it.

We met last year at the Village Market bowling alley, taking part in a CSR event. For both of us, it was our first time to attempt the sport. But since I've watched too much tv from childhood, it was easier for me to catch the ropes and then show her from very close proximity on how it's done.

This year, we worked on the same CSR project and that meant a lot of time together particularly in the last 3 months when the project needed the most attention. Of course this brought opportunity to know each other better since conversation drifts from the project to work, life and personal opinions.

And then the feeling started...

Sikuli, silali etc etc

Consultations are currently on going with the advisory circle in my life as to how you tell someone that you are attracted to them and you want them to become more than just a colleague in a CSR project. My pals say I should just say it (whatever comes out) ASAP and get it over and done with. I ask how (never good at this thing) and then what? But can't win the lottery unless I buy a ticket ama?

The soap of my life

The Clande

We kissed. It was totally out of the blue and uncalled for. We'd met only 2 times before, and that was like a total period of 10 minutes! Now, here's the problem, just coz we got momentary body chemistry (of the highly reactive kind) doesn't mean that there are grounds for going forward. Plus, as I explained afterwards, I'm not looking to get into a relationship with her (or any other girl for that matter) in the near term. This is because I've issues to deal with, plus she's ok but not my type exactly.

Sadly, she's on my case with incessant phonecalls, and I'm hard pressed to snub her (which is difficult for a neighbour). Don't get me wrong, she's really a sawa chic (for someone who's just cleared high school) and I feel rotten for that one moment of stuff, now trying to reconstruct a potential friendship is proving difficult. It's one of those situations, when explained will come up with the all to famous statement " Men are just *****!"

The Mystery

I started recieving text messages from a weird (not Kenyan or any easily recognizable international) phone number. Initial investigations proved that it was a Rwandan mobile number. This was some chic (had to be a girl) who says that she knows me and we've met at Java like twice, she knows me from my campus days. I try figure out this vibe but no clue as to who this person is. I even talked to a few pals, but none was able to identify the name given. My best pal gave me an idea as to who it was but it didn't add up.

Then to kill this whole story, I get credit and make the big international call, and guess what? It was the chic my best pal thought of. She's doing some audit in Rwanda and thought up a plan to apparently play with my emotions. Sasa, hii ni shida gani???

The X-Files

I've had the 'priveledge' of coming across ex versions 1.0 and 2.0 in the last 2 months. Both seem to have come across good tidings with regard to corporate life. The former left a legal position in a top bank for NGO high life, while the latter is disecting sorgum DNA as part of some international bio chemistry research. This is a far cry from campus days, when they were interested (for a very short time) in some broke jamaa struggling with engineering studies, but with great potential.

I wonder whether there's enough evidence for reopening the files...