SHOSHO

We travel to shagz on Easter holidays as if Christ was crucified there. He may as well have been because the number of Judases in my hometown heeh!!

You’ll be in Nairobi and the neighbor calls and goes like; “senge’nge yako kuna mtu aliiba, sasa sai shamba iko wazi.” So tell me, who in the world carries your whole fence? Or who poisons your best dogs if not those who know your compound best.

Anyway, I see Easter as my most important holiday as a Christian. Where God made his only son even lower than the angels so that we may be saved. The holiday gives me time to reflect the hours and minutes of my days where no one is watching. What have I been doing to nourish my spiritual life?

I went to shoshos’ to know what she has been doing over easter.

She probably doesn’t know what Easter is but maybe she does.

She’s kind nowadays and old. She isn’t the kind of old people who read their bibles because they are lonely and they also need to put their hearts in approbation with God searching for a perfect resting place. NO.

She’s the kind who knows who Jesus is. She can tell you where He was born or why we celebrate Christmas. She will tell you how you need to tap God’s blessings and she will tell you why it is important to do good deeds.

When I say she is kind nowadays, I literally mean it. She used to make busaa. Do you know how busaa is made? I recall how she used to make mkarangoos on Saturdays. Luhyas call it makhalange, kales call it kelanik or maiwek. Then the busaa would be ready on Monday.

We loved mkarangos and upon borrowing her she would shrilly go like “somoo leni achi game ngu’ng”……..translation for; why do you borrow me, do you think I’m your mother? She would then give us teaspoon-fulls each and we would scamper away. This is what she would say to us, so imagine what she did to neighbours, strangers and outsiders.

this is mkarangoo. just incase richkid adhani izi ni mambo zangu

I am glad she is a changed person now. She goes ahead with her nitty gritty of life. She stopped making busaa. There’s this hut at the periphery of her compound. For years I thought it was her sanctuary. Maybe a place to pour out libations to the ancestors. Don’t blame me. Kids weren’t allowed in there. Come to think of it I’ve never seen an adult in there except her. Only for me to find out that’s where she kept her busaa drums. Right now I wonder what she does to the place, she disappears inside and comes out with a broom. I bet she was cleaning the hut and forgot it in there.

I took the photo at night.

We then get inside her main house. Dad tells her of things that has been happening on whatsapp. She doesn’t have a smartphone, even a phone for that matter. Dad tells her of burial plans for the late nanii. They talk about the deceased and at one point dad says how rich the guy was, how he had a lot of assets in abroad and shosh gets angry.

“tajiri nebo saa ngapi erok kaamei kityo,”I could feel her pain. How hollow and disappointed she was. Her words are translation for “what richness and who did he even enjoy it with!!” shosho never even got a cent from him and his people back in the village were still poor.

The topic being disturbing and heated, dad asks her how she has been. How is her heath. What about the crops. Is she happy about the rains. Has she been eating properly?

Then shosho goes ahead and talks highly of my mum and her chapatis. Who doesn’t love my mum chapatis. Ask around. I’m glad mum and shosh get along now. Before, there was a communication barrier. Mum would constantly say ‘mokose’ in an attempt to indicate that she didn’t really understand Kalenjin. This earned her a nickname from shosh and she would call her mokose.

Shosho says her dog was poisoned so now she has only the cat to give milk to. The lambs are okay and her shamba is being coordinated well. She loves how the bean seedlings are sprouting fast.

Shosho turns to me and warns me not to be fooled by other tribes. That men from other tribes are crazy. She calls them “chepiywet”. Her parting shot was “wewe hapana chesea mimi”……don’t bring another tribe to me.

She unwraps her leso and gives me a 200 note. We leave the compound and plan the trip back to Nairobi the next day.

..................................................................................

hello lovely readers

it's been a minute

i have been quite okay

to those who really know me know how much i love shosho

here's a snippet of our lives

i'll leave you with a question

how is the aftermath of Easter taking you?

After remembering the death and resurrection of Christ what next?

sending lots of love; share,like, sign up, comment, your feedback is highly appreciated.

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"who were we running from "on Netflix is top tier>>> 7 episodes that will leave you glued to the screen!!