what's in a name?

i have been given now 2 names while here in kenya. in lwala, which is home to many luo people, i have been dubbed 'akoth', which means 'one who arrived in the rain.' this is because it was raining when i arrived in lwala, and so now i introduce myself as erin akoth.

a second name was given while visiting the maasai mara for christmas. a new and fast friend, robin, has close ties with several families in communities throughout the mara, near the ngong hills. she graciously invited me to join her for a holiday visit to her kenyan family, and i am so so thankful for the opportunity. her maasai name, neiserian, means 'one who brings peace'. beautiful. robin and i have a mutual friend, brenda, who actually introduced us via e-mail. it so happens that robin and brenda met in kenya during an intensive course in kiswahili (swahili) and subsequent internship. and brenda was also invited to the mara to meet robin's family. so, when robin neiserian introduced me as brenda nahmunyahk's friend, i also became nahmunyahk, which means 'blessed one.' this could not be closer to the truth :)

we really had a wonderful time on the mara. the festivity! a goat from the herd was slaughtered for the occasion, which is a very big deal, since meat is prepared perhaps 7 times during a year. other occasions which warrant such meals include weddings, births, circumcisions, and birthdays. there were several generations present, from a 3 month old baby, to older adults who couldn't recall their age or year of birth, and as a geriatric specialist, i would NOT attribute this to dementia or alzheimer's, honestly.

we were welcomed into the fold so so warmly, and i promptly made myself useful peeling potatoes, cutting carrots and tomatoes, sorting rice, and making a traditional bread treat, chipates. i wasn't involved in goat prep, but this was okay :) cooking is a social event. in a place where there is no electricity, cooking is over a fire. outside or inside. with many people, predominantly women, preparing the meal. and chatting, laughing, chiding the children. i can't speak or understand kiswahili or maasai, so i try to interpret body language. sometimes i may be right, most times i am probably wrong. so i am weaving my own fairy tale for you here.

and then there is the landscape. of course, i had my eyes peeled to sight a twiga (giraffe), but alas, i don't have maasai eyes and have not yet learned how to scan the horizon and see the vibrance that is there. i took many many photos of acacia trees, and the ngong hills nearby, and the desert clouds. but alas, no twigas.

however, on the way out today in the back of an open-air matatu (shared ride on the back of a truck! totally awesome!) i was riding beside a maasai friend of robin's, samuel, who knows how to look at his surroundings and see what's there. he knew i was keeping all senses out for giraffes, and i even made up a song about twigas. so, when he casually said, 'there are some giraffes, there' i nearly tackled him in my eagerness to see what he saw. at first, i couldn't see what he was looking at. he laughed and said 'there are 4' and i replied - sassily - 'there are 4 freakin' giraffes and i can't see a single one?!' and kept looking. finally FINALLY i did see what he saw. several slender tawny necks rising from the tree cover, far in the distance, but the silhouette was unmistakable. twigas!

back in nairobi, where robin lives and works for a great organization, free the children. heading back to lwala tomorrow for more holiday and soccer festivities there! and, of course, the nature of my time here, scoping out the clinic there for capacity-building opportunities. i am having a richly rewarding time in kenya. spent the day with a community health worker volunteer on tuesday, making the 'rounds' to various households (many of which are traditional mud huts with thatched roofs, being spiffed up for the holidays with a fresh 'smearing' of mud) to converse with people about their ARV therapy and adherence, as well as answering their questions. this is where i am having the most fun, hitting the street (well, dirt path trodden by many hooves and feet) for health and wellness. so much interaction here, people are so friendly and everyone we pass has a warm greeting and handshake. i am glad to be part of the community, names and everything.