The staff were very excited. The school governors had agreed that they should go on a staff team building trip to Mombasa. It had been in the pipeline for a while but now we were actually going. Bonface and I had spent hours making arrangements for trains, matatus, accommodation, food budgets etc for the 19 of us who were going. It was a tight budget and we had to make sure that every last shilling counted. The trip was going to be for four days, as Mombasa is at the other side of Kenya.
In order to save money, I suggested we take breakfast and snacks for the train journey. Bonface was reluctant. He knew that it would cost a lot to feed everyone on board but he was worried. There was a rule that no food should be brought with you on the train. I paused for a moment. Then I spoke, “Bonface, there are a lot of rules in Kenya that no-one follows which is why drivers do whatever they want on the road . There are a lot of rules about school that no-one follows which is why corporal punishment is still the norm. There are a lot of anti-corruption rules in Kenya which are totally ignored. Do you really think a cup of tea on the train is going to be a problem?”
Staff were both excited and nervous. Only Bonface has ever been on a train before. I had assured the rest that the train was much safer than an overcrowded and overloaded matatu, with illegal tyres and no insurance – the usual form of local transport. But my reassurance was met with disbelief. Several of the staff were really concerned about sleeping in a room by themselves – they would be too frightened to close their eyes! Luckily our accommodation was a mixture of double and single rooms.
Then there was the discussion about swimming. Mtwapa is on the coast so we were definitely planning a beach trip. Only a few staff have ever been in water and even fewer can swim. It’s not a natural skill to develop in the Rift Valley where there is no source of water other than rain twice a year.
I was having a chat with the female teachers. Noisim and Eunice were particularly scared of water. I explained the concept of paddling in the sea. I would go with them and hold their hands. “I would like to, “ Noisim said “but I’m scared of those people.” What people? “The ones that hide under the sea and pull you below the water.” Really? I told her that there were no such people – where had she heard this? Teacher Catherine looked at her shoes. “Well…that’s what my husband told me.” Oh boy!
Our destination was Mtwapa- a town about the same size as Rongai – approximately 16k from Mombasa. I did a quick google search for see what activities or trips might be available for little or no cost. What I found out was very interesting. Mtwapa is nicknamed Sin City and The Las Vegas of Kenya. I’m not sure the staff at Osiligi are ready for this but it should be a very interesting trip!
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