The learning voyage

CHAPTER SEVEN

(The learning voyage)

Amid the  foracious trip on which Oloompala had bestowed his infinite future,were many events,some routinely,and some happening once in a span of time,while still,others had their seasons and reasons.A saying goes, “small brains have no curtains” Oloompala was no exception.He was catching up with new beginnings each day.He interacted very easily both with fellow students and teachers.Although most students understood his native Maasai language,it was not allowed within the school compound.His best times were during games time in the evening,when he would sit along a group of boys he had befriended,and they would watch other boys play football,as they laughed their hearts out amid stories from past experiences,and the shift from a herdsboy to a student.Samarik was one of the boys who was fond of staying with oloompala.He was such a charming soul,with a lot of stories,having come from a different school,and he was the type of boy who knew a lot of people and places.Oloompala was very cunning,and would tease his friends so wittingly that they liked his sense of humor.The boys came from different places,and different communities,but the majority were maasai.This gave them an upper hand in maters safety,and pride to receive education in good numbers,at their own community.As time went by,the boys kept enjoying each bit of their learning,until it became evident that to be successful,they had o compete against each other,and strive to achieve the best grades,not only in each subject,but also in the final grade.There was a very friendly team of teachers including Mr. Kamau,who taught mathematics,Mrs. Munene who taught English,and Mr. Sulecha who got most classes through literature.There was Mr. Brighton,who apart from heading the school and guiding daily routines,took time to teach sciences and he was very passionate about how chemicals can be of use to create amazing medications,and to create usable items like soap and detergents.Oloompala took to a fast learning approach,not letting any detail slip by.He would read a book from cover to cover with the help of his friends,and within a few weeks,he was able to connect prose and even make statements in English.Each Monday and Friday,after the first lesson in the morning,the teachers and students would gather before the administration block for a morning prayer and announcements made in the assembly.Teachers would pass their weekly concerns,and student leaders too would pass what items they thought affected them.It was always a great time for both students and teachers.Milton was always the one that led the school in singing the national anthem.He would steal glances at oloompala,who  struggled to utter the words,looking at the rest of the crowd.It was no mean feat for Oloompala,but he sailed through,with a huge interest,and passion to shine through the system.Mr. Brighton was so passionate about transformation,and he encouraged all the boys through the days of the week.Teachers had a very easy time working under his guidance,as he gave each person time and freedom to do their work,but he embraced perfection at each step of the way.The mood of the teachers changed from that of working under command,to a working relationship where all team players strived to achieve the best individually and as a team.Oloompala and Samarik kept their relationship closely knit,and nurtured a great bond that led to each of them to introducing the other to their parents during visiting days,which happened once in a month.Samarik’s parents were not very wealthy,but unlike Oloompala,they had a smaller number of children,and few households.It took a while before Oloompala would send word to his village for his mother to start visiting him.Months slipped by,until Mr. Brighton visited Napolos at the village,and told her that each second Friday of the month,parents were required to visit their children,and learn of their progress,needs,as they brought them goodies to remind them that the parents also support their journey of education.The visit was prompted by the fact that Oloompala had improved considerably in his education,and was always punctual in school activities,but his parents had never come to the school. Going to school was a task that would inconvenience the homestead’s daily routine,and Napolos would need to find a very smart and viable reason to give her husband.She loved her children as much as she loved her animals,and she was torn between breaking her husbands rules,and ashaming her son.For days,thoughts battled with ideas in her head,as she sought the best opportunity to bell the cat.She pondered over the approach she would give it,and as fate would have it,a huge story popped up in her mind.She remembered a boy in their village who had been put through school when she was a small girl,and the boy got lucky to find support to go to a country far away from the village.When he came back,he bought his parents a huge herd of cattle,as they had sold all their cows to put him through school,while his siblings had to sacrifice and stay at home.That man married the most pretty village girl,and was given the name  Ölamerikai”which basically means an Ämerican”in Maasai.

One cold evening,Kalwan arrived from his drinking spree,and sat near the fire in the middle of the hut.His eyes were stunningly red,and he gasped for breath,having staggered all the way from Ole Lepore’s drinking den.He spat a sparkle of spito into the edge of the fire,which occasionally lit his face into a warm brilliant smile,that broke a sequence of thoughts,and small murmurs.His fiercely intelligent eyes seemed to be gazing at something momentuous.There was a hint of inexpressible weariness on his physique,and Napolos knew it was time to take up the opportunity.She held her hands together rubbing her fingers,as she looked at her husband.It was getting stiflingly hot inside,as the evening started to set in.Cows were yet to be brought home,so there was little going on outside.As her jewellery gleamed in the semi darkness,Napolos looked at Kalwan meaningfully,as she cleared her throat,waiting for an opportunity to express her need to accomplish what she had promised Mr. Brighton.Kalwan had perfected flirtatious routines and talks,especially once he had gulped his favourite drink.It was like a politicians hollow.This particular evening,he was happy.Napolos got a gourd with milk,and a cup which she placed next to his legs.She then moved out to check if there were signs of cows coming home.Calves were now mowing in successive turns,with their voices vanishing into the ether.She saw a cloud of dust in the west,and she shot back into the house to collect her milking gourds.Kalwan had taken two fills of the cup of milk,and had gotten strength to wait for dinner.His long hands were swinging lazily over his knees when Napolos shot into the hut.He rubbed his lips against his palm,and asked if cows were almost home.Napolos answered affirmatively.They both went out,and sure as rain follows shine,the cows started streaming into the homestead.After the usual routine of milking and selecting calves,all the children retired to different houses.Kalwan sat in Napolos’house,and her small son Leina would occasionally pass in front of him as he asked endless questions,to satisfy his curiosity.A black cat that belonged to Moseka sat on the door frame,a clear source of fear for Leina.He would not dare cross that path,from an experience where a cat scratched his hand,as they fought for a piece of meat,months back.Napolos made dinner for the family,took Leina for a bath,and then sat to eat with her husband.As they both picked spoonfuls of the delicacy,Kalwan looked at everything around with suspicion.His day’s weariness was getting the better part of his head.Napolos started narrating how she likes the deeds that Olamerikai did for his parents and family back in their village.They both looked back at when Kalwan married her,at a young age,and they reminded each other of their journey through the vast Loita plains,as newly weds.One thing led to the next,until the time was ripe,and without hesitating,Napolos dropped her intention,In a voice that had a solicitous tone,with a hint of mockery. Kalwan shook his head in exasperation.He looked deeply into the small dust of smoke that dwindled within the darkness,occasionally streamlined by the flames from the fire,and disappearing as they hit the wall.For male children,few fathers were prepared to lose labour of a young son,long enough to see him through school.Kalwans weak rounded chin eventually rested on his hand,strongly held in between his thumb and middle finger.He felt a thickening on his throat,as he agreed with Napolos.His witty speech aftermaking decisions was always welcome,as he had such a great way to make huge decisions without hurting his people.He told Napolos that she would be attending her sons visits,but  she needed to be back on time.He also promised her to support the small children in her absence.Napolos felt that free-floating anxiety!It was as if a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders.She went to bed in that huge buzz of excitement.

Days passed by,and the village kept on busy with activities.Napolos had acquired another task of counting days,and almost always reminding herself that it was nearing.It would be a long tedious trip,but she told herself she would do it for her son.Finally,it was the D-Day.Napolos set out early,and cut through the Loita plains,looking at the spectacularly beautiful loita hills that rise from the Nguruman escarpment,on the west side of the great rift valley.Ridge after ridge,she looked as they rolled away towards the Maasai Mara.She walked through a familiar patchwork of grassland and forest cover,which she had known since her childhood.She enjoyed the morning cold in which she covered a good bit of her journey,until the East African sun started to shoot into her brain.It took a lot of her energy through sweat and it started making her walk much more slowly.

Her cloaks waved from side to side as the wind blew across the plains.She would occasionally stop under a tree to rest,and then continue with her journey.It took hours on end,and finally she would see the huge Sikinani hill,below which the school sat like a root.A wave of mixed anxiety and happiness grasped her heart,and she did not realize when she increased her speed.

At the school,the students had done cleaning of their classes,and the school compound had been cleaned and repainted,so it looked brand new.The students took their ten oclock tea,and were permitted to relax outside their classes,as they awaited their parents.Each of the boys had a blazer on top of their cardigans,and they all looked uniformly smart.Samarik,Milton and Oloompala had a great chat under a tree next to the school canteen.They were lying down,looking straight into the school gate.Oloompala had no hope of anyone coming to see him,but was happy that the other boys would be visited,and they would share goodies.Time had slipped by,and it was almost a little past noon.Napolos had traversed the plains,and was at the school gate.A brightly coloured top cloak covered her slightly charred scarlets,which were carefully interwoven and held by a huge belt made out of cow skin,and her head was firmly held to her neck by a collection of smartly woven beaded necklaces.In front of the gate,stood a man who had a smart black suit,full with a cap that looked like a police cap,and had clear yellow stripes embedded below strands that fell from each shoulder,and carefully interwoven below his arm pits.A whistle dangled just on top of his chest,holding to a string that came off his right pocket.Napolos looked at him,with cooperative attitude.She was not sure how she would express herself,and she almost contemplated using signs.The man held the brightly coloured gate,and flushed open a small passage.He greeted her in a soft voice,and welcomed her in Maasai language.Her heart skipped a beat,and she felt a huge purge of relaxation flowing from her head to her legs.She bent and walked in,and stood next to a small house that looked like a watch tower.Her conscience told her she needed directions,lest she gets lost in the vast compound.The man,whom she later came to learn was a watchman,closed the gate carefully,and led her into the small room.He asked her to give her details and those of her child,which she did with utmost surety.

The watchman closed the book and led Napolos towards the administration block.She had started becoming free,and started asking questions.She wanted to know what the huge buildings were,who planted the trees and grass in the compound,whether the students were in class,among so many other questions.It was the watchmans priviledge to explain everything softly,and led her slowly.As they neared the administration block,Oloompala recognized his mother from a distance.He shot up,and held Samarik’s hand,as he pulled Miltons blazer,and told them let us run!The three came running,and called out the watchman,whom they all called Üncle” a name Mr. Brighton had initiated as a respectful way to address security people.The watchman looked back,and stopped as the boys cheerfully came and hugged Napolos.She could not hold her happiness,and she broke down into tears as she tightly held Oloompala’s head.She wiped her eyes with the edge of her cloak after a while,and looked him in the eye as she asked how he was doing.The watchman excused himself and left them to have a good time,somewhere under a shade.Oloompala introduced his friends,and expressed his happiness,as he explained how bad it had felt the previous times when he was not visited.Napolos congratulated them for helping each other,and encouraged them to keep working together.She gave the boys a gourd full of fresh milk,and another one with fermented milk.They each drank in turns,as Oloompala asked questions about everyone at home,a sure sign he was missing everything.They all agreed to see her off so she could make it back on time.Oloompala tried to squeeze his experience in that short while,and thanked Napolos for coming.With a clear mask of happiness on her face,Napolos thanked the watchman on her way out.The boys got back to their shade,awaiting the next parent that would show up.As usual,the other boys’ parents would show up with a variety of goodies that they would even keep for weeks.Their circumstances were vastly different,but this did not deter their friendship.

Days turned into weeks,months and even years.Each of the boys would go through the term successfully,and at the end of each term they would go back to their homes.Oloompala created a very close bond with Mr. Brighton,and as the school closed,he would move and stay at Mr. Brightons home and tendered his flower garden as a way of subsidizing his school fees,which he well knew his father would not pay.This gave Mr. Brighton an opportunity to learn more traits about Oloompala.He was not only bright,but was also the kind of person who had a passion to learn a wide array of things.He had a very inquisitive mind,and sought to know how to do things independently.As he approached High school,Oloompala had become so helpful to Mr. Brighton,as he would drive his car to fetch school supplies during holiday,run small errands for him,and had become like his personal assistant.Napolos kept visiting Oloompala even as he stayed with Mr. Brighton.

The close ties that Oloompala had created with Mr. Brighton,did not go well with the other boys in the school.The determination and commitment that Oloompala now displayed was excessive.Apart from being made the class prefect,he was given all the keys to each class,and a room where he would keep assignments collected from other students.This elevation from a common student to a responsible representative gave Oloompala the gusto,to endear himself more to the teachers and Mr. Brighton.When he got to his second year in Secondary school,Oloompala had earned himself a full scholarship from the Catholic mission,and was now comfortable and assured that he would complete school.During the same year,Mr. Kamau who was in charge of Discipline in the school,appointed oloompala to be the school head boy.This was a task that would never even appear in Oloompala’s wildest dream.He kept on thanking God,and performing his roles with zeal and faithfulness.