Kapenguria Museum re-opening

So, I am now back in Nairobi, and I guess I should write up about the last week. I'm not really in the mood at the moment though, which probably has something to do with being in Java at a table full of people and about to order food. So I may not write very detailed.

Monday I wrote up already. That was the day I arrived in Kapenguria and settled in to the house. Tuesday is a bit of a blur. I woke up, had a black coffee because I had no milk, and walked up the hill to the museum. I wasn't feeling well, and then by the time I got in I wasn't fancying breakfast, so I didn't eat until lunchtime. I went to the Delicious Cafe where I had been taken the day before to get my 15ksh githeri, but I felt so ill I could only manage a few mouthfuls. I also couldn't eat dinner in the evening, so I generally had a rather crap day. I can't remember exactly what I did. More trying to prepare. I got Rebecca, the museum lady who was helping me, to go through the names of the items in Pokot with Emmanuel. I was trying to get the photos ready, mounting them on card and stuff. Which took fricking forever. That night I was shattered and went to bed at 8.30. I has also that day realised that I couldn't find my memory stick and was stressing about having to re-write all the labels which I had done ages ago and really didn't want to have to do again.

Wednesday was slightly better. I managed to force some breakfast down, which was probably a great help, and for the day I had made myself a little time-table which I managed to keep to until lunchtime and was only behind on things because I was waiting for the guy to arrive with the keys to the room I was working in until gone 8.30. So things were moving along nicely, then Phoebe (curator of the museum) and Onjala (assistant director for the NMK museum's West Pokot district) insisted on taking me out for lunch. We went to the Calabash in Makutano, which is where I always end up eating when we're there. And I felt that I had to order proper food so I did, and I managed to eat the majority of it as well, which I was very proud of. Then back to the museum and I started to put the pictures up on the walls. And then Matt and crew arrived at about 2.30. They bought the boards with them that I spent ages working on, and they looked really good. They didn't actually do anything until about 4 because they went for food and stuff, then Matt organised people to help me and I gave Kerry and John jobs to do. Then at 5 Matt wanted to leave and so convinced me to leave too, although I was planning on staying until 6.

Thursday was the day to get everything done though, and so I had people helping do things in the morning and got all the displays up and ready. Then there were just a few minor things left to do, as well as the main text for the photos. But then the power went, so we couldn't print or laminate anything which was the next thing we needed to do. So after we had all been for lunch Matt organised a generator at the house we were staying at, which Matua had to go and buy fuel for, so we only got there doing the work at about 3.30. And then 40 minutes later the power came back. Ah well. We stayed there working all afernoon and evening, and then Matt brought Jossey back and they cooked spag bol (kinda) for us while we were working. It was a really nice night actually, I made Matt and Jossey pose in the silly aprons I found in the larder and took some funny photos. And then we worked until 11.30, well, I was the last to finish, but only just, and because I was wrapping things up afterwards.

So Friday came, and we got all the stuff we'd laminated out. John was the last to finish as he was trying to do the Cherangany gallery (just re-written labels which I had gone through and corrected the night before, and a bit of a tidy up of the cases) so while I made sure everything at the Pokot gallery was perfect Matt and Kerry went to help him. Everything got finished, Matt went and changed into his suit (I was already dressed as nicely as I could) and we prepared for the opening. All morning the tents had been going up and the chairs laid out. Matua had been driving all over the place fetching things and people. Brightly dressed Pokot dancers had been arriving, and then at about 11 the guests started to arrive. The ceremony was supposed to start at 11 but people had only just started to turn up, and all of Matt's guests, the people he had worked with in Tamkal where he did his research, were on a vehicle he had hired for them but it had left late, and without half the people who were meant to be on it, and so it didn't arrive until halfway through the entertainment at about 12.45 ish. So it started at about 12.15 with an NMK guy welcoming everyone, and then the dancing started. I was sat in the kind of VIP area, on the nice chairs with Matt. :) So their were a few groups, and they got progressively better. They were really good, proper Pokot dancing and stuff. I took loads of photos. Then one of the groups was on and there was a particularly striking girl in it who turned around, so I was taking photos and thinking how great it was that I was getting such clear shots of her and another woman, when i realised they were coming closer. And suddenly it dawned on me... they were coming for me! AAAAAAH! Lol. Matt was away at this point as Emmanuel had just arrived with the Tamkal lot, and I learned later that he was dressing him in the office we were using when he was dragged out. So yes, I was dragged up into the middle to dance with these dancers, looking like a pratt no doubt. And then this girl pulled out a bouquet of flowers from the kanga she had on her back, and then the other one put her necklace on me. Then eventually I was led back to my seat. *phew* Shortly afterwards Matt was seen arriving with Phoebe and was dragged into the middle to dance. He got a huge round of applause as he's so well known among the tamkal lot. They gave him a cape thing, which they had made for him, which kind of signals him as the chief of the clan or something. Anyway, good times. Then later the speeches came, and I was thanked by Phoebe which was nice. Then Matt came up and for his speech he had a pokot translator because most of them don't speak english. And he thanked a few people, especially those who had helped in his research, then he thanked people for helping with the museum and I thought I was just included in 'the students' but no, he gave me a special thanks which was really really nice.

ooh, and I'm barely any way through the day. It was just such a great time. Then the food finally arrived at about 2.30 (only an hour late) and Kerry and I served the VIP tent drinks while the speeches were wrapping up. Then they finished so people came for food, then it started to rain properly, proper chucking it down, so kerry and I sheltered by the heroes gallery while for a bit. Then they galleries were opened properly and people started to have a look around. So we went back to the Pokot Gallery and I got my camera. Matt asked me to take photos of him talking to the people about his display, so I took the camera and was taking photos of the room, and it got really packed out, and people were wanting their photos taking, and especially the children, and I guess because I gave them special attention and showed them the photos I was taking the took a liking to me and from that point until the very end of the day they followed me around wherever I went, whatever I was doing. At one point I was waiting for Matt to finish talking to get the key off of him, and I felt one of them stroking my hair. I generally just ignored them, although while I was walking around outside I did let them hold my hands, even though that then made them fight over who got to hold my hand and who had to be content clinging on to my arms.

Anyway, I hid out in the Office at the back of the pokot gallery for a while and while I was there Matt and I were talking and he thanked me again and gave me a big hug, which was nice. I think that several great things have come out of this project, one is all the work and the successful finishing of it and it all being up there and that I can say that I did it, and the other is getting to know Matt a little better and not feeling quite so at odds with him any more.

Anyway, so that was the event! That evening we had a bit of hassle getting out to eat as the car battery died (the alternator probably isn't working properly! Argh) so we couldn't drive in the dark with no lights. So we had to get hold of taxis and it was all a bit of a palaver. But we finally got out and had a few drinks and nyama choma (roast meat) which was tasty, and didn't leave until about midnight. There was only one car though, so I went back in the first group and was meaning to wait up for Matt and the others to come back, but Kerry John & Matua all retired so I found myself passing out in bed instead.

Yesterday morning we had a late start, and drove back to Nairobi for about 6. Emmanuel is staying with Matt for a few days, although he was meant to be coming up with Esther and Giddy (wife and son, the cute little baby I had my photo taken with) and staying with Matt and Laura, but Esther missed the vehicle to get to Kapenguria, and Laura is stuck in Switzerland with 20 11yr olds on a skiing trip. they were supposed to be back by now but because of the ash they probably won't be back for a bit. Which was a shocker. Matt came in to the dining room on Friday evening and said he'd just had a message from Laura saying that she couldn't get back because of the volcano! Which being out of touch rather we hadn't heard about. So we had three computers all trying different dongles trying to connect to the internet to find out what was going on. Crazy world.

Anyway, so hopefully Matt & Emmanuel are coming to the cinema with us tomorrow evening, which will be Emmanuel's first cinema experience. So quit looking forward to that. Hopefully we'll go and see clash of the titans.

Anyway, I think that's going to have to be the lot. I need to head off, so must stop writing. Although I will say one thing. I have a new attachee staying with me room 1. I got a bit annoyed with her this morning, as while I was trying to get some more sleep after a long day she proceeded to pack her bags, which was fine as she was going away today, but she did it wearing really loud clompy shoes walking back and forth, and then after taking a shower she blow dried her hair. In the room. Where I was trying to sleep. When there is a perfectly good plug socket in the bathroom she could have used with the door closed. Or even downstairs! I would never have been that inconsiderate! That really pissed me off. I might have to have a few words when she gets back.

Ok, off now. Love to you all.
xxx