Mzungu (Andi T.)

Mzungu (Andi T.)

2011/11/10

At the beginning of my Kenya sojourn, when I was in the getting-to-know-each-other phase with the children, the following happened: we were sitting inside the "playing" room, just about to finish watching a cartoon. After their afternoon naps, the absent little ones began slowly trickling into the room. I could hear that Zakaria was calling me from the courtyard outside. Of course, he didn’t really know my name, so he simply “mzungu”-ed me. Somebody must have told him where I happened to be because he appeared at the door wearing a sleepy face. He always swept me off my feet with his smile. Zakari was just about to start saying “mzungu”, when Mutuku popped up from his seat, towering above the little Zakari, asserting all his authority, and with a terribly stern face, began explaining…

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Udefulness game: hanging up the laundry (Petra Kozalek)

Udefulness game: hanging up the laundry (Petra Kozalek)

2010/11/23

The laundry woman is washing, I’m rinsing, the children are running around or playing in the courtyard, but one of them is standing next to my thigh, examining with clever eyes how the adults (us) are cleaning the clothes. My companion is singing away next to me, sometimes awarding with a few good words the rejoicing little ones dashing in with their creative games... (yarn tied onto a stick, pebbles hidden in a matchbox, ball packed into a plastic bag), or educating them when one of them rushes in blabbing, complaining, crying. She merely says one or two wise words (like my old Gran in my childhood), and the child calms down, starting to play again. We sometimes laugh at them, and very frequently, I smile at our little buddy who has already fished out all the tricks of washing,…

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Outside the orphanage 1

Outside the orphanage (Enikő B.)

2010/07/03

When living in the orphanage, one is not really hit hard by the feeling of poverty, since, thanks to the Hungarian support, much better circumstances dominate here than among the neighboring families. It was during Mwakio’s father’s visit that the cruelty of life outside the orphanage first struck me. Sister Willy gave a sack of rice or potatoes to Mwakio’s father every single time he visited; he needed these even more than the orphanage for survival, for feeding the six hungry mouths at home.

Because of the lack of money, Mwakio’s siblings cannot study, and their chances upon starting out in life are very precarious. As soon as little Mwakio gets home, he too will be afflicted by the cruel squalor; so, in my heart, he will always remain Sister Willy’s little "orphan", one who…

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Life and death (Kati A.)

Life and death (Kati A.)

2009/08/10

How many years do people live in Kenya? – I asked the older children in relation to a village funeral; they obviously did not understand the question. You can die any time – they explained to me – whenever God decides so. They welcomed death just as naturally as the arrival of life. As a matter of fact, the average life expectancy in Kenya is merely 48 years, as opposed to 72 years in Hungary.

Polepole (Kati A.)

Polepole (Kati A.)

2009/07/10

That is: just slowly. Those who are in a rush don’t get far in Africa. But as soon as you get the vibes of the peculiar African pace, its rhythm of time, it is possible to find your joy in the comfortable interchange of holidays and ordinary days. You won’t miss anything, and perhaps you will even manage to hit on one treasure or other.