The other thing is, I like interesting people. And meeting interesting people. In fact, if I meet an interesting person, I become actively involved in bringing them close to me, it can even get a little awkward 😸 Especially if it's a man, or a young man. They might think I am pursuing them. I have had to do damage control at times to tell the person.
'No no no, I don't like you like that, I like you, as a human being, nothing more. I can't even imagine, you me, me you, ew, no, no 😸😸.
I met two interesting people this week.
. I should mention that this was a good week for me, above average. It had both the good and the bad in equal measures.
The first one was a girl, who knows about plants, and animals and she can cook.
The other waswas some guy.
We met in a small pig (gakūrwe).
A small pig is a passenger service vehicle that doesn't qualify to be a matatu, but it's not a probox either, Iko hapo in-between.
We were headed for a funeral, and as people talked, ( coz in small villages people chatand catch up)
I asked the one that seemed to know a lot if they knew where there was a funeral in the area.
He called a few people and soon told us where to get off, how much the motorbike should cost us and if we decided to walk, how long it would take. The guy next to me said he was going the same way, but he would walk.
'can you walk?'
'not so fast, but yes.'
I told him I am recovering from an injury, he immediately took my bag and carried it for me.
As we walked, we talked about death..how suddenly it can come.
He told me he lost his sister one year ago.
'I am beginning to recover but that hit me really hard.'
I told him humans were not supposed to deal with death.
He asked if the frame of my leg was affected.
He said I should take minerals, vitamin D and B 12. I told him I was taking them.
On the way back, he told me we could go back together.
I learned he was an athlete. A respected athlete.
He got me a ride with his guys.
We rode, me, my new friend, who's friends thought was my husband, or boyfriend. He was neatly dressed I noticed, and well spoken.
His friends made jokes like my brothers.
They do deals, like every other younger Kenyan millenial.
The driver said
'Haha nīho tuokaga kunyua mahehu'
'Mahehu nī matūī?'
'A we ndūngīmenya.'
'Mwīre nī caai aiganīre.'
We laugh.
He then says,
'Na nītūkūrūgama handū tūnyue gacai,'
'We rīu tūrīgūtigaga mūciī nīwakūra.'
What I've found out is many dull people are actually very interesting if you manage to get past the dull.
Not always, but you know how the loud can hold a crowd but with no substance?
The seemingly boring people can tell a well rounded dark joke without batting an eyelid.
Their counterparts would need a translator to get it.
Some loud people can be worth your while, of you can get them to calm down.
After the meeting with that athlete, I couldn't stop thinking about artists and creatives in the 21st century, and how despite the clear knowledge about the role of art in modern society, we still get shoved to the corner. We stand by the sidelines.
He is a runner, who trains everyday, morning and evening, but has to work in his farm to maintain his daily needs. The few races he may join in China or France can only cover so much.. He cannot earn from his God given gift 100%.
Just like I could never afford anything oj a feature writer's pay.
So we have to do a side hustle.
And attend courses we don't really enjoy. Just so we can get a job.
Did I enjoy business classes? I did actually, apart from the Quantitive Methods, which had me dropping big tears on the exam paper when I saw the test had more than three questions on my worst topic- probability. I failed. I passed everything else. Excelled actually, in communication, in Personnel Management, in Marketing, and surprisingly, even in Financial Management.
But KNEC, being KNEC, does not just issue certificates at will.
