This morning we left very early for Kijiado. I took a motorbike to Athi River town and met Mwololo. Then it was a matatu to Kitengela. From there, another matatu and about two hours and we were to the town of Kijiado a town you would pass if you were headed for Tanzania or a safari. The roads weren’t as bad as others but tons of construction and dust. Once at Kijiado we met James, a Masai who once lived at the Athi River manyatta but moved his family back to Kijiado, the home of his father. He owns some land he wants to allow us to use for children. Jame’s cattle are now at Tala, a town we were close to yesterday. James, like most Masai men, has three wives and many children. So we met James in town and found a car that would take us to his manyatta. The roads were terrible and the land seemed to get drier and drier as we got to the remote areas. It was about 20 KM from the main town. The land, although dry and dusty, was beautiful. I walked with James up the steep hill of his property, a vantage point where you could see the beautiful landscape. On one hill they built a church of metal sheets and benches. The place was silent but for the winds. From there, far off in the distance, you could see Mt Kilimanjaro, snow covered and majestic. We were nearing the Tanzanian border. At the top of the biggest hill, James apparently said he would lease me the hilltop to build a house. For a second I thought about that! But what we really want to consider is building another ECD Center (Early Childhood Development) Like most of these far out places, if the kids go to school at all, they begin Nursery School at ten years, since it is too far to walk when they are little. To have a preschool of sorts nearby would give these kids a head start or at least a more equal start. But there is much to talk about. It was a good day, although I was frustrated by the language and felt that I left James awkwardly, not know what to say but knowing he wanted some response from me as to whether the land could be of use to us. I don’t know. We drank tea with his brother and sons and headed back. The ride home was long and hard. I am happy to have the dust off me now and a little nap!
