Five o'clock in the morning, and I am clearly awake. Thoughts wander around about our project here and other the network projects back home in Europe. At 5:30 I hear church bells. I must have fallen asleep again because I dream music and singing, until I realize that there is music and singing going on in the world that is awake too.
So I get up and walk in the direction of where I heard music. And only about 100 meters from Maweni Farm I enter another world. Dormitories, class rooms and a church. I hear praying. As I walk closer I find an open door where it is possible to look into the room, full of young men in blue trousers and lighter blue shirts. I see the priests at the altar, and communion starts just as I find a place to rest. Blood of Christ. Body of Christ. The serenity of the ritual is touching, and tears want to come out. Music, reading and prayers continue, until at around 7, the morning mass is finished.
Outside the church I meet two priest who tells me this is a Priest Seminar with 220 students who are on the path of becoming catholic priests.
I ask if there is a path up the mountain and they point upwards. As the walk starts I recognize the desire in me to go to the top of the mountain. It's still early in the morning. I left my phone at the tent and I don't have water. But now it is too late. My legs have started the ascent so it is just for the rest of my body to join upwards. On the very steep path I pass banana trees and, what I later learn, coffee plants. When I am close to the ridge I suddenly enter a village. It seems this narrow path is the only way there.
-Jambo! Jambo!
-Habari? Msuri!
-Karibu sante! Asana santé!
Hello! How are you? Good! Welcome! Thank you. The words come out naturally, and suddenly I feel I am on a first step of beginning to learn Swahili.
I reach the top ridge breathing heavily. It is nice and cool, but I am sweating. Thirsty I begin to feel the desire for breakfast, down in the valley at Maweni Farm. I enter the village again and am greeted in English by a man.
-How are you man! Welcome!
-I am well thank you! I was at the top!
-Where do you stay?
-Maweni Farm. But now I need to go down for breakfast!
-Welcome to eat breakfast here!
-Sorry I must go now!
-Bye bye
Further down through the village I'm greeted by the children and as I exit there's a whole group following me down the hill! Some elder boys were machetes. For a moment I feel a little concerned, but it drifts away like the clouds at the ridge when I feel the friendliness surrounding me.
-Photo, photo!!
I get some great photos of the kids. After a while I hear
-Hey Mzungo!
I turn left and the others go right. I start to feel a little concerned.
-I hope they are not nervous for me down at Maweni Farm, now that I have been away for so long.
But in the breakfast room it is empty. Linda, Kristina and Rafael are still asleep.
I feel happy about my excursion. There's always another world waiting to be discovered. There are always new perspectives to be explored.
Before lunch Linda is interviewing the manager Subi about her usage of the HiLIght. Again, great reviews. Subi lives in an apartment house where there should be electricity, but the owner did not pay the electricity bill so electricity is shut off! But Subi would still appreciate the HiLight for the bright light alone. Now she could read even in the night.
We are served lunch before we leave. Pasta Bolognese, cooked by the best chef in this part of Africa. Visit www.maweni.com and dream about goin there!
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