Shout going out to Ammo!

I would like to dedicate this entry, and tell you some things about a person I have never met, but admire very much.

A person who grows before my eyes, but in written news and ideas, not in the flesh.

A person who is often inspirational to me, and who I hope I can help to inspire.

His name is Ammon Mururu and he is my email friend from Kenya.

It's very odd how Ammo and I got to writing reguarly; he was simply an overseas customer who bought the study material from the company I worked for, to complete his exams in the CIPS (Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply) diploma course.
He was so pleased with the level of service and assistance that I'd given him, and wrote to thank me.
Within a couple of to and fro mails, we were just telling each other little snippets about our respective lives, and it has grown from there.

He is quite young, 25 now I think, and he comes from a family of 4 children; Ammon is the eldest, then his sister, who studies law. She is tall and beautiful, so models part-time too. Then there is another sister, who is studying for her O Levels, and who Ammon says is " brown and swollen than us but abit shorter", but she does not give a shit what others think of her. The youngest is another boy, who is a good liar apparently!

He was raised amongst the Masaai in a mining town called Magadi, though he is not Masaai. His father has worked for the same company for 30 years.
He tells me all about the Masaai customs and traditions, some not so savoury in his opinion! Girls as young as 13 married to boys of 17, drinking cow blood, that kind of thing.

He tells me about the staple foods of his community, and some of the stews he describes, sound delicious! Lots of vegetables, beef and pulses.

He once said that he would love to come to England to do his masters degree, though he is scared of the cold! He also said that he thinks his favourite places here are Salford, Liverpool Sheffield and Cheshire! I told him he'd probably appreciate the beauty of Devon, or the Lake District more!

There was a fantastic mail between us once, where we were discussing traditions, and I told him of a few of the more obscure summertime shenanigans that go on in English villages, making mention of the Wheel of Cheese rolling race, that goes on somewhere on this nutty little island.

He wrote back with such enthusiasm for the idea, and his words were just so sweet, that I need to quote them here:

"Its long since i ever read such a lovely mail,thanks katey.Your culture really sounds interesting, especially on cheese day for sure i would like to roll that big cheese down a hill and run after it."

This still brings a grin to my face, and touches my heart.

The mental image of this young man from Kenya, hurtling down a hill after a wheel of cheese, is just funny beyond words for me!

Anyway, he tells me that he was a little bit of a bad boy when he was younger, fighting mainly, but looks back and feels he was on a bad path. Now he has dreams of owning his own ranch in the countryside of Kenya, with livestock and maybe a small airstrip, of having a wife and some children. I'm sure such an ambitious man will be able to take his time and choose the right girl.

He believes in God, but comes from such a thankful, humble, hopeful place with his faith, that he makes me feel just that little bit closer to my own.

He is troubled by the terrible situations that go on in Kenya, like girls still being held back and suppressed, uneducated and married off. Mass abortion as a result of mass prostitution, and AIDS of course. The lorry drivers come through, already infected, and so the problem grows.

He tells me of the huge problems of unemployment amongst highly educated people. He knows of people who have degrees but work as barber's because there is no work that fits their skills, though the Kenyan government have encouraged their people to get this education. He says it is frustrating, and I can only imagine.

There was a time when I did not hear from him for quite a while, and then I got an email that said the local Internet Cafe had been smashed up so he'd had no access to a computer...That was a little eye-opener.

We have shared many personal stories, about family and the past, our relationships with the people around us, and I have really enjoyed giving him the personal encouragement he has badly needed over the last few months.

He did not pass the final exam, and has had to study for another six months to re-sit it in the November just gone. The results don't come until March, and I am really excited for him.

On top of all that study, he decided he needed a life to fall back on, in the event that he just cannot complete the Diploma.

He has launched his own business some months ago, selling domestic products (brushes, cleaning stuff, tools, luxury goods etc.) and has been up at 4.30am every day, crams in some study until about 6.00, and then goes off to run his business, until 8.00 o'clock each night. More study when he gets home, and a few problems (as with any fledgling business) along the way.

He says he has learnt much and knows a bit more about what makes good business sense and what does not. He is making money.

He has had to sacrifice Christmas with his family to take advantage of the good seasonal sales, but like I told him, there will be Christmas times to come for him, where he can relax with them, knowing that his empire is running itself!

I shall let you know if he passed that exam.......

So, in the words of my oddly special friend Ammo, Asante Sana (thankyou) for allowing me to tell you a bit about him, and Kwaheri! (Bye!) until next you visit.