Mombasa Morning

I woke up with Mombasa today, and said my prayers in thanks in Kiswahili.  

I took the night bus from Nairobi to the Coast, something that would have been unfathomable to me only a year ago.  Turns out it wasn't so scary.  We reached the outskirts of the city at 5:30 am, just as the sun and city alike started to awake from their nightly slumber.

It was such a unique experience to see the Mombasa morning.  First, I watched as the earliest school children scampered along the side of the road in their uniforms, headed toward classes in the city center.    Gradually, as the sun found its place higher in the sky, the hustle and bustle that I associate with the city came into full bloom.  Matatus started their morning commutes, their honking alerting me that the day was now in full swing. You don't just honk at a car that's doing something wrong here, it's more of a greeting: Can I squeeze in here? beep beep // Of course! beep beep // Thanks, beep // Hey! You're my cousin's friend, aren't you? beeeeep // Sure am, beep beep // Have a good day, beep beep.

When we pulled into the bus station I hopped on a piki piki to go the final hour to Msambweni.  Even though the sites of the South Coast are familiar to me now, I am still rendered as breathless by the beauty as I was the first time I made my way to my internship over a year ago.  Palm trees reaching skyward as far as the eye can see, the occasional peak at the ocean waves hitting the shore, and smiling faces eager to greet the mzungu visitor-- the South Coast highway welcomes you like none other.

Upon reaching Msambweni I was thrilled to find that the local kindergarten teacher was sick, so Suleiman, Huzeid, Abdulley, and Lukman were all at home eagerly waiting for my arrival.  Such a treat!  Sule's 3rd birthday is this weekend (I can't believe that I've now known this little man for over half of his life! I met him when he was just a tiny little 1 year old, learning how to walk and terrified of my whiteness.) so I had a soccer ball for him. SUCH a big hit.  We played with it all morning, stopping frequently for mango and chapatti breaks.  

It was the best sort of day.