Tea With Thomas

Last year I taught English to Thomas, one of the gardeners around Tenwek. He is a delightful 24 year old who has graduated from high school in Kenya, and is now attending computer school about 3 hours away.  He has just come back to Tenwek area for a month long school break, so we have reconnected again.

Thomas invited Read and I to his family home for tea (chai).  It was an offer we couldn't refuse--- even if the skies were threatening rain.  We gathered umbrellas, jackets, and a kilo of sugar to give and headed off to meet him. Thirty minutes into the walk the skies opened up in a  torrential Kenyan downpour; we huddled in an open air school building along with other travelers until it passed.  Another 30 minutes walk and we arrived at his home.

Thomas is second from right..... mama on left

 Gathered to greet us were his mother , nieces, nephews, brothers, etc, etc,
Together we took hot cups of milky , sweet chai which had been cooked over a wood fire in the mud hut kitchen.  The milk--- fresh from old Bessie in the adjacent pasture!  Every family has a couple of cows to provide milk for the family, they grow enough corn for their family to grind into the daily rations of ugali (like mashed potatoes , but made of corn),       veggies, and perhaps a banana or mango tree.

The inside of their mud/block home must have been taken straight from Pintrest---- it was beautifully  wallpapered with the daily newspaper.  From the ceiling were adornments of ribbons, cards, Christmas tinsel and anything else to add a bit of bling!

The family was so honored that we would visit, and likewise we were honored to be able to take part in their daily life and habits.


 Of course , they couldn't send us home empty handed, so off we went with 5 pounds of bright red sweet potatoes...... trundling back to the hospital for another hour long walk in the spitting rain.

The sweet potatoes made great french fries!

 Our heads were wet and cold,
but our hearts were full.