You know the feeling you get when you see something appealing in a person, and you want it? You know it when you see it. Maybe not at first, but gradually it penetrates, awakening desire for you to be someone similar. It may be a certain characteristic that stands out - something you admire. And you start seeing it as you come into regular contact, sharing in the person's good company. The very aura this person gives off is reflected in the way they go about every day activity - a combination of settledness, contentment and overcoming. The notion of someone who has searched hard, and found what he is looking for. The way of a man who has been tested and tried; who has long-suffered to know the fruit of the struggle. And when you see and take heed of all of the above, you want it. You want what this person has because what this person has is peerless.
What a privilege to have shared life with Andre', who for some 16 years has invested himself in walking alongside the Maasai people. Authors often describe characters who when they laugh, it comes from the belly - a full laugh, bubbling over with freedom. Such is Andre's laugh, and such is his aura. Over time, he has established relationship with the Maasai. The outcome has resulted in development and conservancy of the environment and community. Trudging in these tracks that have formed over the years has blessed us. Mostly because it has allowed for good fellowship. We learned from the Maasai their way of life simply by drinking lots of chai; eating chapatti, fresh bread and good meat. Besides dining well, we also had opportunity to track wildlife, bask in the beauty of the surrounding nature and also offer ourselves up to the needs of Andre', Corneli, and the Maasai at the Olkoroi Camp.
Like any memorable camp, we spent the first few evenings around the fire sharing stories, talents and if you're lucky, something sweet too. It was good to share this experience with friends and relatives from South Africa, who came to check up on us halfway through our journey. The new company called for more moving stories; surprising hidden talents; and Christmas come early - a bountiful of sweet and other South African luxuries/comforts. The setting sure was wonderful, as was the fire and the life it did bring.
Moreover, Kenya has been welcoming. After setting foot on the Kenyan side of the Moyale border, parting ways with Ethiopia, the atmosphere changed almost immediately. From dark roast coffee to drinking a creamy chai, such is the contrast between the neighboring countries. Or so it has been with our experience. We were accommodated by the police under a corrugated shelter that first evening. They prepared for us classic Kenyan cuisine, stocking us up for the road ahead. Further travels to Nairobi and then Narok and so on, were memorable. Bumpy, as only Africa would have it, and tight - there's nothing that they can't make fit. What a pleasure, what a people.
Our time in Kenya isn't yet complete. Willem and I catch up with the team in a few days, en route to Uganda. Currently, we're bound to a backpackers in Nairobi, capitalizing on good wifi and possible future prospects, as we meet up with an elusive photographer. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, we've tested it. Thus, I must confess our longings of late towards the team, the family we have come to know. Today is our 4 month anniversary since departing from South Africa.
(And of course, The Alchemist. It's quite a book. Simple, yet stirring. So much so, I'm wary to give a review. But I do recommend reading it, all 94 pages. If anything, it demands further exploration, and I reckon that is the best place to be. To conclude, I have my next lead. After a good review and quenching quotes, I might take it as an omen directing me toward my next read. "It's the questions we can't answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer, all he gains is a little fact. But give him a question and he'll look for his own answers." ~ Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man's Fear)