04 Dec - 11 Dec 2011

Where do I start...a busy and eventful week, some boredom, some excitement, loads of problems and some new experiences... one of which I never want to repeat.

Its all turned into a bit of a mush now but I'll try and recount it as best I can.

Sunday evening 04 Dec

Ben the cook tells me that one of the older girls (Id say she's between 17 and 19) has gone missing from Wamba. This takes quite a while as he doesnt speak much English and my Swahili is very poor but Im eventually happy that this is what he is trying to tell me. I immediately wonder why he is telling me this and not one of the managers at Wamba, so I phone and am told it is OK, she is in Ngaremara and staying with family.

Monday 05 Dec

I was satisfied with the answer from last night and set off about normal business returning early from Isiolo. Once back I decided to go into the village to meet the girl and find out what the problem was. Guess what... she was not there and noone had seen her.

Determined not to lose anyone on my watch, and fearful that she may be sold as a wife (it happens), I set off in search of her travelling round the numerous manyattas, visiting many huts and talking to loads of people trying to find her. To be honest I quite enjoyed it as although it hadnt rained for a few days, there was still enough mud about to make the driving challenging and for the landcruiser to be totally covered in it by the time I got back (dont worry Ken...I cleaned it and tried to avoid the thorn bushes when driving off road).

By night fall we still could not find her and after two more trips to the village, I decided to set off for Isiolo to look for her as the Matatu (local minibus) from Wamba only stops there and at Archers Post.

Isiolo at night was definitely an interesting experience and I spent quite a while driving round the unlit streets trying to locate her... Still no joy, it was late and I wanted to report her missing to the Childrens Officer first thing in the morning so I decided to stay and booked into a local hotel.

Tuesday 06 Dec

I reported her missing and returned to Ngaremara. On the way back I got a phone call from one of the numerous intelligence sources I had recruited during the previous day (LOL). He rang to say he had found out where she was and was en route to meet her at Archers Post. We agreed to meet up after he had met her.

I picked her up from Archers and brought her back to Ngaremara after a long chat about why she had run away. I could tell you the whole story but it would take too long to type, but if you are a script writer for a soap opera, drop me a line and I could possibly give you some new ideas for a plot...

The plan for today had been to go to Wamba and start bringing the kids back. In the end it doesnt happen because the Land Rover Pick Up's gear box is still lying in pieces on the ground by night fall.

Wednesday 07 Dec

At first light (before six), Locham, two builders, my newly returned from being suspended member of staff and I set off for Wamba. We manage about 500 metres before I give up on the Land Rover station wagon and opt for the Pick Up instead. Ive said in previous posts the road to Wamba had been bad but today it is definitely the worst Ive seen it, with more sections washed away. Im glad we didnt go last night.

We arrive at about nine and leave after lunch for Ngaremara with all the boys and some of the girls and as much luggage, mattresses and supplies as we could manage. My recently returned member of staff made herself scarce hoping I would forget her and leave her behind. I let her play her game as Locham and I had already decided we would return to Wamba as soon as we had dropped the kids off at Ngaremara.

We reach Ngaremara at around five, unload everyone and everything, have a quick cup of coffee and start the return journey to Wamba. At the edge of Ngaremara village one of the feeding programme kids waves at me to stop. He tells me that the three children from Wamba are still in Ngaremara village and that they thought I was going back to Wamba tomorrow. I was totally confused by this statement as a) I didnt know any kids from Wamba had travelled with us and b) I had given explicit instructions to the managers at Wamba that we were to bring as many of the kids from Ngaremara back as possible on the first run... I didnt realise they thought I was operating a tour service. They also knew I was returning immediately after the first load was dropped off... After more than a few seconds of complete bewilderment I smiled at him and told him I hope they enjoy Ngaremara, they are going to be here for a while... It has since turned out they do like it.

We get to Wamba by about half eight. Thankfully we have travelled the road twice today and know where the dangerous areas are and make it there without incident, well almost... The new spotlights on the landcruiser (which I am glad to be driving now as it is a much smoother ride than the Landrover) give up en route.

At Wamba, she who has just returned from being suspended and shall from now on be referred to as Trainee A, had yet again done no work and had successfully recruited one of the older kids from the home to cook dinner.

Thu 08 Dec

Set off from Wamba at around eleven. Before we leave, one of the babies vomits on my car seat. Great!!! During the journey Dominic's (the Ngaremara site manager) wife is sick numerous times and we have to stop every now and then as a result. Im totally surprised that she is even in the car as I was sure she was in the back of the pick up yesterday going to Ngaremara, in fact I thought she was in charge of the kids in Ngaremara last night. I am totally bewildered at what is going on yet again. Maybe feeling a little left out of the vomit party in the back of the car, Rosemum, one of the older students at secondary school also decides to join in... It was a lovely journey. The ability to announce you are going to be sick in enough time so that the car can be stopped seems to be definitely lacking with my passengers... As we drive back I think about maybe setting up and running a course on the subject.

Trainee A had sucessfully avoided all duties and tasks all day. Back at Ngaremara she even managed to recruit another student to do her work. She had done the same this morning but I had told the girl to stop and go back to the home as she was not a member of staff and therefore shouldnt be doing the staff's work. Obviously the message hadnt sunk in.

In the afternoon I went to Isiolo returning in the evening. Trainee A gave me my dinner then left. I was starving as I hadnt eaten all day. I quickly gulped down 6 or 7 large spoonfuls of the pasta, tomato and onions before realising something was very very wrong. I thought maybe it was just me so I brought the remainder out to the night watchman and one of the Administrative Police (APs). They tasted it and said they couldnt eat it.

Throughout the remainder of the night I was rather ill (a major understatement).

Fri 09 Dec

I awoke early feeling really sick, weak and with a bad headache. Id been up several times during the night and hadnt been able to get to sleep until after two. I now had strong pains in my chest and when checking my pulse it varied between being really weak and beating at over 120 beats per minute, to feeling fairly normal but every 6 or 7 beats it would miss a beat or two. All measurements were taken when I was lying down at rest. I was more than a little concerned... as you would be.. and decided the best course of action would be aspirin. I took three and waited until it was a reasonable time back home to contact Andrew, my brother who is an Accident and Emergency Consultant.

At half six (UK time) I contacted him and told him what had happened. Rather amusingly he sent this text "a heart trace, blood tests, intravenous fluids, anti sickness...Ah I see your predicament! Middle of nowhere..Aspirin why not.If heart continues to be irregular later go for a heart trace somewhere??? Drink plenty of fluids"

Before this Trainee A arrived at the house and seemed genuinely surprised to see me up and about. Determined not to let her know I had been effected by whatever she had put in my dinner, I sat with my laptop on my knee pretending to be working.

Locham the driver/mechanic, who of course had to be on his day off today, has mentioned several times putting poisoned bread in the car when we are traveling north in case we are held up by bandits (hardly a solution) and I heard someone else mention it another time so Im guessing, and I repeat Im guessing poisoning might not be uncommon here.

I continued the 'Im working on the laptop' facade until about half two, when I felt I was able to walk around, despite frequent requests to go to Isiolo as a food delivery was needed for the Killimani Home.

I managed to survive what seemed like a very long afternoon in Isiolo.

A quiet evening, still not feeling well but greatly improved from this morning.

Sat 09 Dec 11

Another bad nights sleep and still not feeling 100%. Did a stock take in the morning and back to Isiolo in the afternoon for repairs on the station wagon's brakes.

I went with Martin who is a student teacher who helps the Wamba kids at night with their studies. I talked with him about Monica the trainee from Wamba who had been taken away by her father from the site the day before (sorry forgot to mention that). He thought the father was planning to marry her off against her will for money and cattle. To cut a long story short she is on her way to the site at Ngaremara now and I'll have the full story in a few days.

Trainee A has again done little all day and when I arrive back she tells me dinner is sitting in the house. I go and look and its cold beans from lunch time and cold pasta. The pasta has green things in it which looks like herbs, which I find very unusual as they dont use them on the site.

Im pretty fed up (a slight understatement again) with her behaviour by now so I go and find her and hand her, her book of duties and ask her does she need to reread it. I tell her she has five minutes to decide.

I had expected her to come back over to the house but instead I find her 20 minutes later making a nice dinner for herself and her friends using what definitely looks like my food.

Trainee A is asked if she has anything to say... She says no, so I escort her from the site with all her belongings.

Later in the evening I have a few more dramas when I find the gate to the site is open, the night watchman hasnt turned up and the APs are sleeping. I go and speak to the manager, he tries to lie to me, fails and ends up with the night watchman job for the night.

Sun 11 Dec 2011

Get up early and take a walk round the site, still not feeling great. I discover there is no security again!!! I Wake up the manager (dear help him, he'd just got into bed) and confirm with him that he is in fact the manager. He says he is so I tell him he is managing the gate until he manages to get someone else to do the job.

Im meant to go to Nanyuki tomorrow to meet Ken and Pam the founders of the charity but decided its probably for the best if I go now before I lose my temper and do something I might regret later. I get the impression some (definitely not all) of the staff are trying to get a last minute break in before Ken and Pam arrive. Its been an interesting few weeks observing how a few of them behave when Ken is here and when he is not. I think this time some are going to be in for a shock and a few changes lie ahead.

Still not feeling the best and have just spent the afternoon in bed writing this.