A man and his wife

I have many stories and information to post up. I have written most of these in my book and whenever I get the internet I intend to put them on the blog (although this doesn't always happen). When I tell you these stories, you may feel saddened or upset. It is no lie that living in Kenya is tough and there is pain, misery and death all around us. The Kenyan people have become accustomed to this way of life. They just make do. A lady we live with told me she goes to around 30 funerals a year. I met a man whilst I was on my way to visit a school. He introduced himself and his wife. They asked me what I was doing and how much I like Kenya (all Kenyan's ask how you like their country). They looked happy and well off. The man was wearing a nice red and green business shirt, khaki coloured trousers and polished black leather shoes. His wife displayed a beautiful bright lime dress with distinctive circular patterns of African origin. He then explained to me that his son, a student of the school I was about visit had just died and that he has gone back to his family home to complete cremation rituals. The way cremation works in rural Kenya is family members and friends retrieve bunches of wooden sticks. The body is wrapped up in fabrics and placed amongst the sticks and burnt. The ashes are then buried. During the cremation, there is mourning but also the singing of traditional songs and a celebration of life. To us this probably sounds horrific, but to Kenyan’s this is their tradition. This is how they do it. But amongst all the anguish people here are happy. They are grateful that they have family and friends. They smile and crack jokes at each other all the time. I am sure they grieve, but they definitely don’t show it. The man and wife didn’t display sadness. He explained to me that they have 8 children and that their son is the second that they have lost. He explained that this is common in Kenya, this is normal. I told him that I am extremely sorry for his loss and asked if there is anything I can do. He said “Thank you, but no. All I ask is that you enjoy your time in Kenya, help the Kenyan people and don’t look at we don’t have, look at what we do have”.