My holiday took an interesting turn when I visited my
grandparents, they are amazing lovely, married for more than 40 years and I
love them. By the way I was brought up in a farm. Trust me I came to Kenya’s
Capital city in 2009, yeah! I have Never been to the city. Only in those few
school trips we had in high school and primary school.
I was brought up in the infamous slopes of the Aberdares and
I would say I am son of soil like Wahome Mutahi did but naaaah, I am a beautiful
daughter of my mother, and my grandfather’s pet granddaughter.At this time of
the year, winter has hits us hard.
You want to know what people wear, or what I wear when I get
there?...right now , other than the essential clothing, I have a jumper, a coat
on top ,a headscarf, pair of gumboots socks and trousers…a very long skirt and
gloves. In this part of the world gumboots are the most precious pair of shoes
you can have, they are all weather and yeah..durable than any other type of
shoes. The other popular type of shoe you can wear..is any canvas shoe by Bata
or some sport shoes…so forgive me when you find me wearing sports shoes and a
jeans skirt….it’s not a fashion crime, it’s what I know as right .
You boast or take pleasure …or whatever you do …in taking ice-cream
or cakes for dessert, I always had a grilled green maize for my dessert, and it
was the best. So roasted maize was my thing after dinner, but it is not what Nairobians
eat as roasted maize….you have no idea of what you eat…..I ate sweet, juicy and
soft green maize as opposed to what I find on the streets…unchewable, burnt and
they are just flat….no taste at all. My Ideal breakfast was some sour milk (what
you call Greek yoghurt) Ugali and a boiled egg or it could be some sweet
potatoes, some arrow roots or Irish potatoes. Guys what do you eat for your
breakfast? Weetabix? Milk?...that is very over processed milk…that’s why I seldom
take milk.
By the way, before I
met the real sugar cane, I used to eat some maize stalks. Choosing the juiciest
was an art, and the color of the stalk could tell it all. I could enjoy as i
crushed out the juice of the maize stalks….and later we could eat the boiled
maize from the stalks as starters.
Life at the farm is awesome, being a shepherd in the
morning, collecting eggs at lunch time and listening to mythological stories
after dinner from my grandmother. The air is fresh and pure and mornings are
filled with birds singing after cock crows wakes you up.
The smell of fresh dung
is still stored in my medulla and deafening croaking during the rainy season, I
can see the beautiful flowering season and the hot harvest season too.
The memories
at the farm are irreplaceable. I smile
and a wait till I build my own farm house.
You have just met the farm girl….thank you for the read
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