Faces

Tomorrow I get on a plane and begin my 24-hour journey back to Minnesota. In tribute, here are some of the faces of the people I have had to say my goodbyes to, the people I call family and friends in Kenya.

Host Family

Left to Right: Chepkite, Michael, Joshua, Chenangat, Yatich,

Angelina, and Chesang. Thank you for your extended
hospitality: for the roof over my head, for delicious home-
cooked meals, for your time, and most especially,
your patience.

Sister and Brothers

Nelly. Such a gracious young woman.

Peter, with his youngest daughter who came to visit with Peter's wife after we

returned from Alale. I had only just learned in Alale that he is in fact married and
has 5 children!

Lomaler. He loves listening to this radio. Lomaler doesn't know English, but

while in Alale, I started to teach him English, and he began teaching me Pokot.

This came in handy when both Peter and Michael would leave me in the care of
Lomaler. And the day I got really sick from eating goat, he tried making me feel
better by reciting the English words I taught him.

Nephew?

Longoria. A dear friend. Like Lomaler, he doesn't know

English, but somehow we managed to communicate anyway.

He kept calling me komama, his aunt, and more specifically,

his mother's brother's wife. This is because Longoria's father

is Pokot, and his mother is Karamojen which means that in
Pokot terms, his mother is considered a foreigner. Michael
further explained that he wasn't identifying me as the foreigner
(at this point in the trip, people were saying I am now a Pokot),
but that Luke is the foreigner, along with Longoria's mother.

Friends

Lucy. The woman who makes traditional jewelry.

Amos. A nurse at a medical clinic in Alale. This man is brilliant;

it's as if he's reciting poetry when he speaks.

Keliman. Owns camels and goats in Alale. His English-sounding name is

Alfonso. That name, in combination with how he conducts himself (especially

at his homestead) is so amusingly extravagant. You would think he's the

Prince of Persia or something.

Dan. I don't know why exactly, but Dan feels the most American out of everyone

else in the friend/family group. Or maybe he just reminds me of one of my friends

back in the U.S., although I don't know who that would be.