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Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Kenya Days 8 - 10
Day 8
I arrived in the office by 9 and was thankful that Peter had a number of things for me to get on with that would last for a couple of weeks. I was just desperate to get stuck into something which would benefit the office. I was preparing the end of 4th quarter report which would be sent through to Nairobi and then to London. This was an opportunity to learn about every aspect of the office so I kept my head down. In the evening I accompanied Peter to a local radio station were he discussed the law surrounding civil marriage and also how it clashed with customary language. It was presented in the local language ‘Luo’ so I was unsure what exactly was being said. Before bed I got skype up and running and spoke to Mum, Joy, Dave Thompson and the HSBC help line as they had blocked my card… typical.
Day 9
Today I arrived at the office as usual and continued to work on the end of quarter report. I am starting to get into routine and am familiar with my surroundings. Today the office went for lunch together which was unusual yet a good bonding time. It was also nice to get outside the office for a while. We took an extended lunch break. After work I filmed a few things on my camera and spent much of the evening working on my first video diary which I plan to post online within the next week. I am quite isolated in the evenings but don’t mind because I have the internet. I called both Granda Nevin and Workman over Skype to check up on how they were. The connection was poor but all seems well.
Day 10
I woke up knowing tonight I would probably be moved to a smaller room in the apartment for the return of the Australian group. I spent a majority of the day analysing the Matrimonial Causes Act which we are using to present a radio programme in a couple of weeks time. It makes up 61 pages in ‘Word’ and 19000 words. Needless to say I was still reading through the early sections by the end of the day. It’s good to get stuck into some legislation as it feels like I’m getting involved in real legal work. By the end of the week I should be an expert in matrimonial law. There is very little food in my cupboard so a trip to the supermarket was needed – I’m unsure what to buy. Also I’m sure by June I will be sick of rice.
Kenya Day 7
After a good nights sleep I got out of bed around 8 and prepared to go to church for the first time. I met Peter and attended his place of worship, which is called ‘Chris Co’. I think there are a number of these churches throughout Kenya. First impressions were generally quite good although it’s difficult to judge initially.
The service lasted three and a half hours, which was long enough when battling the midday heat. The first hour was praise led by the full band and sound system supported by the 8 on-stage singers who had a mic each. Ballywatt would have been embarrassed to see the equipment. Most of the songs were in Swahili so I was unable to sing along, although the odd UK contemporary made it onto the play list.
The praise was somewhat dragged out but in many ways this seemed to be justified by the energy created from the congregation. At a point everyone was performing air guitar and giving high fives. Generally most started to dance and clapping was a prerequisite. It made me laugh but strangely I quite enjoyed it for someone who was never big into praise at the best of times. The church is of course embedded in the charismatic bracket and that sits fine with me as I don’t seek some backward, dead, establishment.
Apart from the praise, everything was spoken in English then translated (this explains to a certain extent the length of the service). During the sermon the constant translation is difficult to get used to and the talk wasn’t in my opinion overly brilliant. Then again I didn’t experience much prosperity gospel, which I had been so keenly warned about and to be honest had anticipated.
After the service I went back to Peter’s for lunch and watched a film. I bought the meat for the meal and it was filling. I returned home and worked on my computer a little, then hit the sack.
The service lasted three and a half hours, which was long enough when battling the midday heat. The first hour was praise led by the full band and sound system supported by the 8 on-stage singers who had a mic each. Ballywatt would have been embarrassed to see the equipment. Most of the songs were in Swahili so I was unable to sing along, although the odd UK contemporary made it onto the play list.
The praise was somewhat dragged out but in many ways this seemed to be justified by the energy created from the congregation. At a point everyone was performing air guitar and giving high fives. Generally most started to dance and clapping was a prerequisite. It made me laugh but strangely I quite enjoyed it for someone who was never big into praise at the best of times. The church is of course embedded in the charismatic bracket and that sits fine with me as I don’t seek some backward, dead, establishment.
Apart from the praise, everything was spoken in English then translated (this explains to a certain extent the length of the service). During the sermon the constant translation is difficult to get used to and the talk wasn’t in my opinion overly brilliant. Then again I didn’t experience much prosperity gospel, which I had been so keenly warned about and to be honest had anticipated.
After the service I went back to Peter’s for lunch and watched a film. I bought the meat for the meal and it was filling. I returned home and worked on my computer a little, then hit the sack.
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