No blog for two days because of road trips.
Wednesday: Sister took me to Machakos to meet the bishop and other catholic officials who, for example, sit on the board of governors at the college. While waiting for an audience with the bishop I was greeted by an old, wizzened and very poor looking lady. This was a plesant break to sitting on an armchair in a corridoor, until she knealt and kissed the ring on my right hand. Siddently it occurred to me that I was wearing a purple shirt… the color worn by bishops. I hope she was not offended that I did not offer her a blessing.
But it seems it is an easy mistake to make: on Thursday I went with Sister to Jomo Kenyata University of Agriculture and Technology. Here I met various people in various roles connected with the diploma course that the college teaches and which is accredited by the university. Some of them know who I am — sister had forewarned them, others did not. One bored acting-head-of-department asked me if I was a bishop or a priest (well, I had arrived wiht a nun and I was still wearing purple. When I told him the summary of my CV he put his boredome aside and started to list jobs I could do at the university and other ways in which I could get involved.
A very educational couple of days. I also visited the offices of The Nation (national newspaper) where Sister was placing a quarter-page advert encouraging students to come to the college, the Swedish Embassy (where Sister has been asking for financial help), and the house of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary in Nairobi where I was greeted by a small irish lady in a house-coat and slippers who said “I’m Dot”. Sister Dot has, apparently, worked in rural Kenya for over 6 years and has had cerebral malaria three times!
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