The Kenyan time
In architecture we talk a lot about time and space. Two very ambiguous words. Eg. Time could be pace and movement as well as the relation between objects and space is just as much a room as a feeling - hard to define. But it's nothing in comparison to 'the Kenyan time and space'. After being here for a week you've just come to the conclusion that it's best not to ask about time and space, just go with the flow, don't hurry and don't worry.
Today we were visiting a university about an houre bumpy bus drive from Kisumu. So far I am the only who has been doomed to food poisining and it made a small revisit appearance by lunch time and I had to take a cab back to Kisumu. I was accomanied by our course coordinator C, who called for a cab. It was supposed to show up "soon" (very usefull word here, since it doesn't have any mening). My fellow students ate their lunches and had left for the afternoon activities before the car came. I placed myself horisontal in the back and C in the front beside the driver. After 10 minutes of driving we stopped. And the driver said he was going home and that some other dude were supposed to come and take us back to Kisumu. By this time even C who didn't had a million knifes processed in her stomach were fed up with waiting.
C : when is he coming then?
Driver : I don't know. Soon.
C : how soon is soon?
Driver : about five minutes if you feel good about it.
- What?
And then he left.
And we waited.
After a while someone opened the boot. And started to fiddle around with something under the car.
C : what are you doing?
Random man : spare wheel!
C : are you changing the wheels?
Random man : no put it it here, spare wheel.
- Ok.
A couple of minutes later our new driver made his appearance in the front and the spare wheel man jumped into the boot. And we once again headed for Kisumu.
Along the way we were stopped by the police. I was lying down in the back, the spear wheel man sat in the boot and none of us wearing seat belts (they were fixed to the seats in a way that made it impossible to use them, even though you wanted). The police man observed our odd party, took a lap around the car, asked if I was sick and then left. And we continued.
It is all about time and space.
Hakuna Matata.
/P
