“Poa!”
He
says as he turns and looks away back to his show. It was Mickey Mouse, and I
thought this was the climax of the show – he couldn’t be moved. Ian knelt on a dining
seat set close to the wall unit where the TV was housed. He brings the remote
close to his eyes and then presses several buttons and lands on another cartoon
channel. He excitedly jumps off the seat, and he comes towards this stranger
who called him by name. I go ahead and ask him how I knew his name… He says
"Sijui!” and shyly covers his elated face. Beth comes along from another
room, greets me and asks Ian:
"Unaogopa mgeni?"
“Apana!!!”
“Alafu
kwa nini unatoroka?”
“Mimi
siogopangi wageni!!!” “Sijawai Ogopa wageni, ata ile time ingine nilikuwa
naongea nao tu! Mimi sina uoga!” *He moves along the couch and comes nearer*
“Si unaona!?”
So
I show him I am convinced that he doesn't fear strangers. He does not fear
strangers true, but there is a slight element of shyness in him. It quickly
faded with time as we got used to each other. At this point, I decide to tell
him my name and with his level of excitement, I knew just the right name to
give him.
“Hutaki
kujua naitwa nani?”
The
dad chips in and encourages him on & so I tell him.
“Naitwa
Ga-cha-oh”
The
boy falls into a fit of laughter, and I just sit there in that moment of
awkward silence. Of course, he gets it. Gachau is a calf, and he could imagine
this cow sitting there with him trying to engage him in a conversation. He figured
it out, and since they have several cows at a corner in the compound, he was
excited to learn that Gachau could also be the name of a person.
 |
| Indian Clothing By Joan Villarante |
Ian
is a few weeks home after his visit to India for his surgical procedure to
remove the tumor that was threatening his bright future. He is jovial and is
all over the place, and he is excited to tell me about his trip to India. The
wound has healed fast and taking a closer look you can see the two incisions
one that had been done in the first procedure, and the second one slightly
bigger. My Selfishness and I decided to start with the flight. I asked how it
was. I asked how far it was and if he slept on the flight. He was clear that
they did not since they left around 3 pm as he said. He told me stories of the
elephants and the Mahouts, the hospitality of the Indians, how families could
be in the hospital wards with their loved ones and the backless outfits by the
Indian ladies. This "nguo hazikuwa na nyuma kwa mgongo", had to be
the Backless Choli.
“Sasa
vile tulifika huko, tulipanda gari itupeleke kwa hospitali, Tuliona mtu
amebebwa na Elephant! Kubwa!!!”
“Wewe ulibebwa?”
“Wewe ulibebwa?”
“Hatungebebwa
kwa Sababu tulikuwa tumechelewa.”
“Vile
Tulifika Hospitali, watu wengi walikuwa huko! Wagonjwa walikuwa wamesurroundiwa
na watu wao wengi! Wengine walikuwa wameketi tu huko chini!” "Walikuwa wanashangaa tuko tu wawili, mimi na mum" “…Tulipata
marafiki wengine hapo wakatuonyesha Daktari…” “…usiku watu walikuwa wanatoa
sauti funny sana kama *makes a funny grunting noise*…” Then he laughs again.
At
some point, we engage in a thumb fight, he grabs a new nylon paper and blows
air into it, later bursting in my ear. He is a funny guy, he then jumps to the
TV set again, and as I watch him manipulating the remote, I am tempted to tell
him that being too close to the TV will spoil his eyes. Then I hold back myself
when it occurs to me. His left eye is yet to regain its full capabilities. He
comes back to his seat after selecting a certain channel that has exclusive
Indian movies and shows, and he gets to take me through some of the things he
saw, including the bare backless outfits that got him laughing every time he
mentioned it. We share fruits, and he has a special liking to oranges. His
appetite is back I am made to understand, and he has even gained weight to the
contentment of his parents & doctors. Before the surgery, he was underweight and small in
stature for his age, and it was a cause of worry. The surgery was successful
and the only thing remaining is to keep faithful to his medication of which are
hormonal remedies since the pituitary gland was interfered with by the growth.
He talks fluently, and as much as he has been home for the whole of this term,
he has been recovering well. He will be undergoing regular checkups and MRIs to
ensure that the growth does not recur.
It's
time for the sister Beth, who had also returned a day before, to tell us about
her work related visit to China, and from the way Ian followed the
stories and asked questions he was attentive and clearly a good learner. Ian's
stories from India were more exciting than Beth's. They were more vivid and
exciting. This is also because, as I realized, it is easier for a child to tell
the story as it is, as compared to an adult who will just show you pictures and
leave all the guessing to yourself. Which is why I related to Ian's story better by the
end of the afternoon. Then the time to leave came, and he was excited to help
the sister & the brother move their suitcases to the car. He clearly missed
her, and he developed ideas to go to Nairobi with her. Usually, at this point
many end up crying but the mother convinced him that he would not need to go
with her since they would be visiting Nairobi soon for the next MRI scan.
The
family wishes to thank everyone who supported them in facilitating the trip and
the medical procedure in India. They are grateful for the prayers,
encouragement and messages of goodwill as well. It was a success & they
commit you to prayer every time to thank God for the unity that made it
possible.
Hi. Same Old Drama, Different Day. This blog is about me and others, nature, life, blah blah and why everything I like is great even the hurting - still great. If you disagree with anything you find on this page, Well. . . You are probably right..
To God be the glory
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