Back Paul, Timothy
Our retreat was over and it was a long journey back to Osiligi. Bonface had sourced bananas and mandazi to keep us going. We have eaten so many by this time, that no-one will be eating either of them by choice for a long time.
It was a quieter journey to begin with. Apparently, the boys had sneaked out to a nightlclub until 5am the previous night. They were feeling somewhat the worse for wear while trying desperately to hide it! During the journey there is a huge amount of wildlife to be seen – elephants, giraffes, zebras, and ostriches – but most of the staff were too tired to notice
A little girl, aged about 2, began running up and down the aisle. Suddenly, she clocked me, stopped, looked and climbed onto my knee much to everyone’s amusement. She rubbed my skin, smelled my neck and ran her fingers through my hair. Staff and other passengers watched with interest. Sylvia commented, she is doing what all our Osiligi children dream of. They know when you have visited the classroom because of the beautiful smell you leave!” You can’t beat a wee spray of a nice perfume!
There are a group of lively men in our carriage, who are drinking beer. Like everywhere, they get louder, less funny and a bit more aggressive as the journey progresses. It reminds me of oil men coming off the rigs back home. What is extraordinary is the behaviour of the rest of the carriage. The more outrageous their behaviour and the more offensive they become, the more everyone laughs and encourages them. It feels a real cultural difference. The British approach would be to stare silently, ignore or challenge. Not so in Kenya, the audience is virtually egging them on.
Two armed policeman and two soldiers are called by the train guard. The drunks argue and make fun of them. Everyone else (including all our staff) hoot with laughter. The situation is tense as the police try to decide whether to challenge and possibly face the wrath of the audience or to walk away. They choose the latter.
Later, I chat with Bonface about how surprised I was by everyone’s behaviour. “But Margaret, “ he explains. “It was not their fault. They were intoxicated so they cannot be held to account for their behaviour.” Really? That wouldn’t stand up ins Scottish court of law!
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