Pied Piper - Kenyan style

As time goes I start to feel like I'm really blending in to this culture, but every once in a while I have an experience that reminds me just "foreign" I am here. A few days ago I went for a run along the main road that passes by our house - its a beautiful area of rolling tea fields with very light traffic, which makes it easier not to think about the 7,500 feet of elevation and how it seems to suck the oxygen right out of my lungs! For better or for worse, I unknowingly timed my run for the time of day when all of the primary schools are finishing for the day, and as I ran back toward the house I started to see clusters of little Kenyan kids in matching green uniforms walking toward town. As soon as they saw me, their normal school day turned into the highlight of the week, as they all started screaming and running alongside me. In just a few moments, I found myself running in a pack of at least 20 elementary-school aged kids, all laughing and asking me questions in Swahili. I think they found it endlessly amusing that a white person was running down the street aimlessly, especially when most of them very rarely see a white "mzungo."

I was taken totally by surprise and had no idea what to do, so I just kept running and talking to them in my very limited swahili. Before too long the crowd thinned out as the girls and the smaller boys got tired and started walking again, but a strong core of about 8 boys ran with me for a mile or so before they turned off for their homes. They told me that they run several miles to school each day, and I believed it - they were barely breathing hard as I gasped for breath! It surprised how much my pride wouldn't let me stop to walk in the presence of the kids, but when the last of the kids turned off I let myself slow down and walk the last bit to the house. A minute of so later, though, I looked back to see one of the littlest boys, holding his books while his backpack swung behind him, panting and running as hard as he could to catch up to me on his short little legs. He ran up to me and grabbed my hand, breathing hard but with a huge smile on his face!

It's so wonderful how all of the kids are fascinated with my presence here. Even though the constant cries of "mzungo!" and "how are you??" can get a little annoying at times, seeing their faces light up when you respond to them or shake their hand is such a joyful experience. Everyone who comes to Africa seems to fall in love with the children, and its not hard to see why!