Globalization and Faith

It has felt quite lonely without the family around. I wish it could have been feasible for them to spend time with me here in Arocha. There has been quite a change in the neighbourhood since I left, with more tourists further up the beach in Watamu and Malindi, and as I write from the thatched–roofed, open-sided terrace overlooking the sea, there are two kite surfers and a snorkelling support boat out on the sea between the shore and the reef. Apparently three humped-backed whales were spotted just beyond the reef yesterday, so I am keeping my eyes open. There are also far fewer guests at Mwamba, and the centre managers Henry and Belinda have just left this morning for a well-earned two-week holiday up country. I have ostensibly been given temporary responsibility for the centre – but there are many other staff around. I am quickly learning that trying to run a business along basic western lines is not easy here – it has taken nearly 48 hours to download emails via the very expensive wire-less phone dial up connection, and as for setting up the centre network with the equipment the family brought over with them, all of the desktop computers have viruses, and the a /v software tends not to get updated because there is no reliable and reasonable internet link – for the time being. A trench has been dug the half mile or so to the road and broadband may be here …. soon!

The heavy rain showers we encountered on our beach holiday continued through the week until yesterday which was warm and sunny – as is today. There have been a couple of interesting guests to chat to over issues relevant to the study, but, odd as it may sound, I have almost absorbed too much information from various sources and haven’t really had quiet moments to process it, let alone take on much new. Even the Kenyan newspapers I occasionally glimpse are full of issues that could be taken on board. Earlier in the week, there was a CMS worker from Bangladesh who had done a couple of the CRES modules with the same tutor I have, and who kindly gave me some of his reflections to read. This chap – James - was in his element here, as he was a proper bird-watcher, with binoculars, notebook and reference guide, and I went with him and the excellent Albert into the Aruboko Sukoke forest to find the very rare Scops Owl.

We saw many other species, including the fabulous Paradise flycatcher with its very long tail, and others all at a distance, but nonetheless an interesting half day walk in the forest with someone who knew it so well. This morning, I had an interesting and brief early morning ( everything often kicks off at 6 a.m. around here, so no leisurely lie-ins) conversation with a Canadian involved in facilitating indigenous development not necessarily by throwing donor money at projects, but by getting local folk to work through the issues they are facing – in particular relating to farming and conflict. He was keen to see farmers move away from growing maize which consumes so much precious water and instead produce cassava or cow peas – which can apparently be just as nutritional, at much less environmental cost.

There isn’t really anywhere here conducive to individual study – it is certainly not a retreat centre – though it has the potential to become a wonderful one if funds were available and appropriately allocated, and the ambience of the facilities, equatorial daylight hours and nocturnal insect visitations can each provide reasons for not achieving much – or is it me?! Apart from Ocean Sports where I shall cycle to in order to watch tri-nations rugby later this afternoon, there are not many alternative facilities, so if you need a break from chatting to people – which is almost a pre-requisite at a place like this, there is only the basic bedroom. Having said that, last Thursday was so quiet, that Henry and Belinda set up the digital projector so that I could show our safari slides to them, two other members of staff and two female guests: Leslie from USA studying monkey behaviour in the Gede ruins, and Milja from Finland doing an art project filming and recording local school children imitating local bird sounds! They both needed to relax from their respective esoteric studies and enjoyed some of the glorious sights we saw a fortnight ago – and the big screen is a brilliant way of seeing holiday snaps of the big and impressive beasts we saw in such abundance. We really were truly blessed.