M'buti's oldest brother, Keserian Chege, writes about himself and his life in a small village in Kenya, Africa.
*~*Translated from the Maasai language*~*
Keserian Chege Moore is my name, and I am 28 years of age. I was born in Eldoret, near Nairobi, in the month of April (what day, I really cannot recollect; we Maasai really don't keep track of dates or time), and I am the oldest of three, two boys and a girl. I have a younger brother, Naiser, and a younger sister, M'buti, who is the very youngest of the children in our family.
We moved to Thika before the third child, a girl (M'buti), was born, and I have lived here since. Thika is famous for a book called "The Flame Trees of Thika", but there really isn't anything to see in Thika; but it has always been my home, and I happen to like my home very much. I raise cattle for a living; a lot of my fellow tribesmen (the Maasai) do. The Maasai are a pastoral people, mainly living by raising cattle for their life's work, and we believe the more you have in the way of children or cattle, the wealthier you are. We live off the land, and we live off our cattle; nothing is wasted, and we take pride in taking great care of our cattle and our people, especially the children. Children and cattle are both highly prized and cherished here in Maasai Country.
Unfortunately, due to a lion attack last summer, I am not physically able to do my job as well, so I mainly try to help out around the enkang (house) as best as I can. I was attacked by a lion last year, and I was severely injured. I nearly died, but I somehow survived; but I faced a very long and difficult recovery, and I am no longer able to do a lot of the walking I was once able to do. I now get around by sticks (crutches), and I walk a lot slower than I used to.
My brother lives in Nairobi, where he is a doctor (he works with children), but our sister, M'buti, has been living outside of Africa, in the United States of America, where she is married and has three small and beautiful children. We both miss M'buti horribly, as she has a lot of health problems herself, and had been very sick; and we both worry so much about her. We don't get to see her as often as we would like, and going to America is very expensive.
M'buti can't work because of her health, but she seems to be very happy being with her children. I may not see M'buti as much as I would really like, but we talk to her every week on the phone, and it is good just to hear her voice again, and her husband, Roberto, is very good at caring for her. He is a water person (what we Maasai call non-Maasai), but he is otherwise okay.
I see Naiser every week or so if he isn't too busy at hospital in Nairobi, and we often sit and talk about Mother and Father, whom we lost about 5 years back when they were killed by gang kids. The funeral was very upsetting, but what made it worse was that M'buti couldn't come because she was in hospital herself, recovering from burns, and she was just too sick to be able to come to the funeral, and she never even got to say goodbye to Mother and Father. She was so upset when we told her the news of Mother and Father being killed, and she then had problems with her breathing; and we were so scared she was going to die; but doctors and nurses managed to save her, and she eventually recovered.
I often don't understand why kids had to kill Mother and Father, but it happened, and it still aggrieves me today, and it still causes me to get wet behind my eyes whenever I think of it. I wish they could have seen their grandchildren and get to know them. My brother and myself have both met Jubaki before, when he came to Africa last year when I was hurt by the lion, and we have yet to meet the twins, Eshe and Kibarake. Maybe around Christmas time we will have money saved up and we can go to America to see M'buti and Roberto and the children.
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Reviewed by Robert Blackwell
6/19/2003
Hi, sweetie; it'll take me longer to catch up on your stories. I like reading them slowly so I don't miss a thing. **kotc**
I too have to agree withj Karla your characters are so real... I enjoyed meeting Keserian, M'buti's oldest brother... I don't know how you keep them all straight though, keep up the great work and keep blessing us with your stories..
God Bless
~Michelle~
Reviewed by Cathy Montgomery
6/18/2003
I agree with Karla--you really make the people you write about so real. You and your twin are very special ladies who touch so many hearts with both your writing and your compassion!!
Yankee Doodle Daddy is a historical Appalachian Family Saga. The story follows a mother's reckoning as she struggles to survive and keep her four daughters alive.
Exploring the impact of literary icon Flannery O'Connor's noted legacy on the cultural realities of modern-day America, the world, and a certain author.
Exploring the impact of literary icon Flannery O'Connor's noted legacy on the cultural realities of modern-day America, the world, and a certain author.
*~*Translated from the Maasai language*~*
