Lilu goes Taita : Family day

Today we visited families by pairs, 2 pairs went down in the Taita where the temperature is a bit higher and environment more dry, and 3 pairs went to upper hills where the environment is colder and more moist. Everyone had different experience because the host families were so different. But in the end everyone had an unforgettable day.

We were supposed to go in farmer families and see their everyday job, but not all the pairs had that privilege. Some of the pairs just relaxed at the farms.

Next pairs will present their experience:

Lauri and Venla

We visited farmer family nearby Shomoto hill. We spent our day with five boys and one girl from 3 different families. They were relatives. The boys were about 17 years old. We gave them some souvenirs, like clothes, oil, sugar and salt.
We visited a hill called Shomoto and we saw different caves of different functions. The view was amazing at the top. We ate lunch with them and it was very delicious. We ate potatoes, cooking bananas and salad made of tomato and onion and we drank coffee. We didn't do any household duties so we just hanged out with them. The boys were home because the teachers had a strike. The boys showed us some traditional health plants like wooden stick what they used as toothbrush, and blackjack plant what they use to clot bleeding wound. We also took GPS marks from the borders of their land, and we used them to make a map.

In three families they are 8 children. Their grandparents don't live with them. They farmed maize, beans, pigweed (used as a vegetable) and cassava. There were also few animals like cow, goats, sheep, chickens and dogs. They were self-sufficient but they sold some of their their harvest. They don't use irrication system. There were many houses and they rent one of them to other people. The houses were build in the 1990s. They have their own tap in their household. 10 years ago they had to get their water from 5km away. They had electricity and WC in the house.

After all our day was unforgettable and we enjoyed being with them.

Sami and Sofia

We were in a different kind of family than others. Instead of being in a farming family we were in a little shop where lived woman and her daughter. The woman's name was Alice and she was 40 years old. She had lived in Taita all of her life. They had lived there for three years on a leace. Her 1st born's name was Mercyline and she was 18 years old. Alice had two other children. They were both girls: Juliet 9 years and Caroline 15 years old. But they lived in Alice's sister's place. They bought their water and charcoal from third party.

The place was really small and we were in a backroom for almost all the time. We went to local river which was really small and it looked like a small stream. After that we went back to the shop and they started cooking for us. The kitchen was also small but there was a gas stove. They prepared the food in front of us and we had the opportunity to help them a little bit. The food was delicious meat and rice. We relaxed a bit after the lunch and then we hiked to a mountain nearby. From there we got beautiful and relaxing view. We also saw our friends from up there who were in a family near the mountain. We spent many hours on the mountain and we basked in the sunlight. We saw how our friends got picked up and we started running back to the shop to get to pick up also.

The day was somewhat unforgettable and a little bit uncomfortable.

Eogr and Veera: A day in Joseph’s farm

Our visit started with a warm welcome. We met owner of the farm a man called Joseph Mwaghome. He has ten family members and he lives under the same roof with his wife and parents. Both of he and his wife are farmers and they don’t have any side jobs. On the same yard there lives his brother who is a Matatu driver and wife and their two kids. His sister lives elsewhere with husband and she works at a medical clinic.

At the beginning Joseph showed us his animals. He has three cows, eight chickens, two sheep, four rabbits and three puppies. During our visit he actually sold one of the puppies. Every day he milks his cows twice a day, early in the morning and at 13 o’clock. The leftover milk they sell to a factory. Sheep and rabbits they eat or sell to a local market. Chickens’ eggs they eat.

We continued with a look to his plants. At his farm he crows and sells to a local market bananas, macadamia nuts, corn, zuguma wiki, tomatoes and avocados. To own use they also crow passion fruits, chilies, gravies, napia grass to cows, potatoes, mangoes, beans, sugar cane and guava. He doesn’t use irrigation so they have to use the water that rains on rain seasons. From April to July there are short rains and from November to December there are long rains so they have two growing seasons.

His family has one main building which includes a living room, a kitchen, a sleeping room, a wash room and two storages. They have separated lavatory. The buildings were built at 2008.

Drinking water they get from a well which is located 200 meters away and from a water container (500 l) which is full of rain water. 10 years ago they got water from a river. Fire woods they got 10 years ago from a forest next by and they still get them same way.

Joseph goes to church every Sunday and that day is his only day off during weeks. His only holiday is on Christmas and it lasts three days.

Joseph showed us how he milks his cows and we ate some rise. We watched a DVD which included traditional Kenyan music and dance. We had nice time with the whole family!

We also measured some way points from the borders of the farm so here we have the map.