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My shared pets

Not only do I live behind a barn, my neighbours have various pets that sometimes show up at my house. But they have to share my garden with the wild animals.

The milk-bike

It is part of the organizational culture at St. Martin that there is a tea break at 9h30 where the traditional Kanyan Chai is served, the milk for it is delivered by a motorcycle courier.

Hard nut

Recently there were Macadamia nuts for sale at the market. They are a bit expensive but local. Then the cracking started.

Wrong direction

Ever lain on the beach, fresh coconut milk in your hand, the sun is setting - but the cardinal directions did not add up?

The bull is delayed

For this year's fundraising activity (see newsletter no 6) we once again organised a raffle selling. The tickets were sold in the weeks before the fundraising day where we drew the winners. They were then invited to pick up their prizes a couple of days later.

Living solidarity

Dier friends

My partner organizations, St. Martin CSA and L’Arche Kenya, both base their work on solidarity in society. This solidarity is to be awakened and increased, also because the governmental social security system is not as well developed as in Europe. Often people, who could profit from the existing governmental structures don't know about them. Here, the solidarity in society, the aid among neighbours, can step in and fill the gap.

How do papayas grow?

We recently went on a road trip to the Rift Valley. The views are spectacular and there is plenty of culinary entertainment along the route: I learned what a papaya tree looks like.

Newsletter No 5, June 2021

Listening to Nyahururu

Dear friends,

For once I am reporting in a slightly different way: by means of a sound recording. Below you can find the acoustic story of a typical Sunday here in Nyahururu. The recordings were all taken directly in front of my house over several Sundays and then put together. On the following pages, you will find a short description of the events as well as time codes for some sounds, which often stand for short stories within the recording. I recommend using good headphones or earphones, as the recordings were made with a special microphone that preserves the spatiality of the sounds.

Garden customs

Everyone here in Nyahururu seems to be interested in gardening. Many grew up on a farm and have a vegetable garden. Some have a piece of land somewhere that they cultivate as an additional income. As a result, my garden is often inspected when colleagues are visiting. And in doing so, different customs become visible.

On Mondays I am a tourist

"Mister, where are you going? Nairobi? Maralal?" - "Hey John, you need a lift to Thomson Falls? Only 200 Shillings!" This and the like I hear when I walk through the town on Mondays.