Let me share something again today about my life,I woke up this morning and
tried to comment on a friend's facebook update in Swahili and I remembered how I
learned Swahili the hard way.
It was in the early 90's when I decided to sneak out of my home village in Rimoi Kerio valley.I couldn't just seat and listed to the sounds of Jomba Sounds emanating from Kamariny Show ground.The beats where too audible in the valley that the stupid boy in me decided to sneak out.
I remember my late sister had just returned from the Kamariny Show ground and had narrated a lot of stories about the Agricultural show which is now extinct.It was during that evening she had returned that I decided to go personally and witness what my sister was telling us as we gathered around our normal borne fire evening story telling. What she said about the disco was very interesting, she would demonstrate how people danced their lives out describing the disco room which she said was dark and filled with red blue,yellow and green lights.
The anxiety was took much and I couldn't wait for our sole Jogoo to wake me up the following morning.Yes our Jogoo didn't disappoint and by 5am I was eating the Keiyo escarpment and by midday I was in Kessup centre doing my final escarp.
I was in Kamariny in time but at the entrance something went wrong the guy who took me from Kessup didn't have the 7 cornered coin(5 shilling coin)for entrance but he knew his way inn. We made our way to the main stadium via a small space hole at the corner,that day I was very excited,I Saw so amusing stuff one was a play I came to know was being staged by forestry officer or where they the Army where explosives where thrown into small hurts erected in the field,that skirt made want to be in the military.
After the event in the main Arena I was so excited to go to the Disco which was just a few metres from the cliff that is now the viewpoint.If you stood at that point,be assured you will feed your eyes well well.Standing at the edge of the cliff one will only be mesmerized by the beauty and wonders of God's creation.On the left stood the Hill ten hill which lead to the naming of our town Iten just on the foot of the hill lay the beautiful Nyawa-Anin semi highland land with maize plantation beautifully covering it(the Agricultural show was held on a season was about to be harvested).On your right is Kaiyoi Chepkokin villages with a little glimpse of Kessup falls and further you could see Tambach and Torok falls.Straight in front of you lies the arid and semi arid land of Kerio valley with Lake kapnarok at it's centre ,that far land is where I was born and half bread.Oooh it is a site beholding and brethren taking.
Now to the disco thing,after following a group men and women who looked in like they were in their prime youth age whom I learned later that they were Secondary school students slowly nounted a queue .At this time I was feeling the Disco beat like it was going to flush my little heart out of my tiny chest.The line was moving pretty fast and people entered the disco hall without any interference.when It came my turn to enter I saw this muscular guy at the entrance holding something like a school disk,he stood facing the a queue when I stretched my arm for what my predecessors did at the door the giant man shook his head and what I could hear was "Watoto hapa hawatakinani".I thought that was a way of welcoming people so I streched my arm again while holding a 5 shilling coin,the guy using his finger-sign made me turn back,he was pointing at the oposite direction I faced and that meant that I turn and go back.That was not what I anticipated,ooh poor boy!It was the end of the road. I was wondering why the gentleman would turn me away like that
.
"Kalya sikuona murenonni o?"(Why did the gentleman turn me away) I asked a young school boy who stood just at the door.
"Makimache lakok eng orit" (Children are not allowed into the Disco Hall) he replied in the language I understand,my mother-tongue.
That was too bad for me,I couldn't believe the stories my sister told me would just end like that and so I decided to go back home crying and before I knew it I was in Iten town marvelled by the buildings and the lights that looked like stars in the sky shinning from the streets and buildings.It was around 6pm that evening and I was standing just at the junction of Eldoret-Kapsowar and Kabarnet roads wondering which one will take me to Kessup where I would drop by foot to my village.
After like 20 minutes wondering a woman approached me and asked in kalenjin why I was crying,I told her I was from Kamariny and wanted to go home.She asked if I knew anyone in Iten town and I told her yes My Brother was in a place called Mindiliwo.
The lady who was on her late 20's promised to take me to her house and the following day she will try find my brother whom after I described where he worked as a cowboy the lady seem to have had a clue.
St Patrick's Iten was where the lady lived,her house was a one bedroomed house with a kitchen at the corner and a shower just adjacent to the toilet a shower I only saw her use that night when things and her husband boiled,I guess she was cooling herself after a noisy 30 Miutes battle that deprived me my sleep.You know I almost called people to come and rescue the lady since she was in pain begging the man to spare her,fortunately after I tried to scream they assured me that they were just playing a game.
Morning came and that was the first time I saw fog,the highlands Is chilly unlike my hot desert and that day I felt so chilly and since the lady had left with her husband that early morning promising that after her husband boarded the first matatu to Eldoret she will take me to where my brother was.
The cold weather was unbearable and so I decided to warm myself,this was when I realized my Swahili was not Swahili.I nearly died from miscommunication.
This is how it happened,as the cold was terrorised me I decided to put up a fire.I knew how to start a fire and what needed was a jiko and some twigs,fortunately outside the house there was a heap of "Msogoro" corncobs.I was freezing and so I hurriedly took the corncobs to the house and with the jiko and a matchbox I was already seated beside a smoky hot jiko.
After about 10 minutes hell broke loose,the room was filled with smoke and I could hardly breathe what I remember was a bunch of Kids laughing outside the house.Poor me the self locking door required me to go to a class in order for me to open it. Panic greeped in,safocation was imminent aso i souteted to the kids outside to open the door
"saidia saidia" (help help help) I cried.
"Nini Mbaya" one kid asked
"Nakufa,hiyeet kabara" I replied in Swahili and my mother tongue which means in English Iam dying from smoke.
The laughter intensified,at this time I tried my Swahili and Remember telling them "funga mlango funga mlango!" I thought this was telling them to open the door but the kids went ahead and locked the door from outside.I was running out of oxygen and the smoke had already made sure that there was no drop left in my eyes..I tried again my Swahili and the second time I uttered this words
"Funga mlango woi,Fungaaaaauu....uuuuuuua'' thank goodness the ''ua'' in my that word saved my life.
It was in the early 90's when I decided to sneak out of my home village in Rimoi Kerio valley.I couldn't just seat and listed to the sounds of Jomba Sounds emanating from Kamariny Show ground.The beats where too audible in the valley that the stupid boy in me decided to sneak out.
I remember my late sister had just returned from the Kamariny Show ground and had narrated a lot of stories about the Agricultural show which is now extinct.It was during that evening she had returned that I decided to go personally and witness what my sister was telling us as we gathered around our normal borne fire evening story telling. What she said about the disco was very interesting, she would demonstrate how people danced their lives out describing the disco room which she said was dark and filled with red blue,yellow and green lights.
The anxiety was took much and I couldn't wait for our sole Jogoo to wake me up the following morning.Yes our Jogoo didn't disappoint and by 5am I was eating the Keiyo escarpment and by midday I was in Kessup centre doing my final escarp.
I was in Kamariny in time but at the entrance something went wrong the guy who took me from Kessup didn't have the 7 cornered coin(5 shilling coin)for entrance but he knew his way inn. We made our way to the main stadium via a small space hole at the corner,that day I was very excited,I Saw so amusing stuff one was a play I came to know was being staged by forestry officer or where they the Army where explosives where thrown into small hurts erected in the field,that skirt made want to be in the military.
After the event in the main Arena I was so excited to go to the Disco which was just a few metres from the cliff that is now the viewpoint.If you stood at that point,be assured you will feed your eyes well well.Standing at the edge of the cliff one will only be mesmerized by the beauty and wonders of God's creation.On the left stood the Hill ten hill which lead to the naming of our town Iten just on the foot of the hill lay the beautiful Nyawa-Anin semi highland land with maize plantation beautifully covering it(the Agricultural show was held on a season was about to be harvested).On your right is Kaiyoi Chepkokin villages with a little glimpse of Kessup falls and further you could see Tambach and Torok falls.Straight in front of you lies the arid and semi arid land of Kerio valley with Lake kapnarok at it's centre ,that far land is where I was born and half bread.Oooh it is a site beholding and brethren taking.
Now to the disco thing,after following a group men and women who looked in like they were in their prime youth age whom I learned later that they were Secondary school students slowly nounted a queue .At this time I was feeling the Disco beat like it was going to flush my little heart out of my tiny chest.The line was moving pretty fast and people entered the disco hall without any interference.when It came my turn to enter I saw this muscular guy at the entrance holding something like a school disk,he stood facing the a queue when I stretched my arm for what my predecessors did at the door the giant man shook his head and what I could hear was "Watoto hapa hawatakinani".I thought that was a way of welcoming people so I streched my arm again while holding a 5 shilling coin,the guy using his finger-sign made me turn back,he was pointing at the oposite direction I faced and that meant that I turn and go back.That was not what I anticipated,ooh poor boy!It was the end of the road. I was wondering why the gentleman would turn me away like that
.
"Kalya sikuona murenonni o?"(Why did the gentleman turn me away) I asked a young school boy who stood just at the door.
"Makimache lakok eng orit" (Children are not allowed into the Disco Hall) he replied in the language I understand,my mother-tongue.
That was too bad for me,I couldn't believe the stories my sister told me would just end like that and so I decided to go back home crying and before I knew it I was in Iten town marvelled by the buildings and the lights that looked like stars in the sky shinning from the streets and buildings.It was around 6pm that evening and I was standing just at the junction of Eldoret-Kapsowar and Kabarnet roads wondering which one will take me to Kessup where I would drop by foot to my village.
After like 20 minutes wondering a woman approached me and asked in kalenjin why I was crying,I told her I was from Kamariny and wanted to go home.She asked if I knew anyone in Iten town and I told her yes My Brother was in a place called Mindiliwo.
The lady who was on her late 20's promised to take me to her house and the following day she will try find my brother whom after I described where he worked as a cowboy the lady seem to have had a clue.
St Patrick's Iten was where the lady lived,her house was a one bedroomed house with a kitchen at the corner and a shower just adjacent to the toilet a shower I only saw her use that night when things and her husband boiled,I guess she was cooling herself after a noisy 30 Miutes battle that deprived me my sleep.You know I almost called people to come and rescue the lady since she was in pain begging the man to spare her,fortunately after I tried to scream they assured me that they were just playing a game.
Morning came and that was the first time I saw fog,the highlands Is chilly unlike my hot desert and that day I felt so chilly and since the lady had left with her husband that early morning promising that after her husband boarded the first matatu to Eldoret she will take me to where my brother was.
The cold weather was unbearable and so I decided to warm myself,this was when I realized my Swahili was not Swahili.I nearly died from miscommunication.
This is how it happened,as the cold was terrorised me I decided to put up a fire.I knew how to start a fire and what needed was a jiko and some twigs,fortunately outside the house there was a heap of "Msogoro" corncobs.I was freezing and so I hurriedly took the corncobs to the house and with the jiko and a matchbox I was already seated beside a smoky hot jiko.
After about 10 minutes hell broke loose,the room was filled with smoke and I could hardly breathe what I remember was a bunch of Kids laughing outside the house.Poor me the self locking door required me to go to a class in order for me to open it. Panic greeped in,safocation was imminent aso i souteted to the kids outside to open the door
"saidia saidia" (help help help) I cried.
"Nini Mbaya" one kid asked
"Nakufa,hiyeet kabara" I replied in Swahili and my mother tongue which means in English Iam dying from smoke.
The laughter intensified,at this time I tried my Swahili and Remember telling them "funga mlango funga mlango!" I thought this was telling them to open the door but the kids went ahead and locked the door from outside.I was running out of oxygen and the smoke had already made sure that there was no drop left in my eyes..I tried again my Swahili and the second time I uttered this words
"Funga mlango woi,Fungaaaaauu....uuuuuuua'' thank goodness the ''ua'' in my that word saved my life.
