My Trip to the Village

It was on Wednesday, August 14. My mom woke me up early that morning, at six o'clock. I took breakfast with my brother and sister. Only four of us were going on this trip.

After breakfast, we brushed our teeth, washed our faces, and applied oil to our faces. Our faces were so shiny, they glittered like stars! Then, we got dressed.

I had black hairpiece, just like my sister. I wore brown trousers and a white T-shirt. My little brother wore a blue sweater and blue pants, and my sister wore blue shorts and a black T-shirt that said "LOVE" on it. Mom wore a black shirt and black trousers, and Dad wore black trousers, a black shirt, and a black cap. We all looked like a matching family!

Dad helped us carry our bags as we walked hundreds of meters to the bus station. Even though we were tired from walking, we were excited. We finally got in a van, and it took a long time to get to Nairobi.

Along the way, we saw airplanes flying overhead, monkeys swinging in the trees, and tall buildings reaching up to the sky. I had never seen buildings so strange and beautiful.

When we finally arrived in town, we needed to buy new shoes for my brother, but we could not find any. After spending too much time looking for one and never finding a suitable one, my little brother and I needed to take a quick trip to the restroom. Dad took him to the men's side, and I went with my sister and Mom to the ladies’ washroom.

After we finished, dad went with my brother and sister to keep looking for the shoes. Meanwhile, Mom and I headed to the country bus station to meet her sister. We were already too tired, but as we were walking, Mom suddenly spotted her sister, my aunt Vicky, with her two kids, my cousins! I greeted my aunt and my big cousin, but he did not remember me. Mom asked him if he knew who I was, and he said no. It was funny because I did not recognize him either! He had changed a lot since we last met.

Mom told us all to hold hands, and we kept walking together, getting to know each other. We stopped by a shop to wait for Dad and my siblings. When they arrived, Dad wished me a happy trip and gave me some money. I said, "Thank you, Dad!" and he smiled before leaving.

We waited for my two other cousins to arrive with my other aunt. When they got there, we all got into a van that took us to the village to see my mom’s grandmother. When we met her, I greeted her with a big smile, as bright as the sun!

I saw goats and cows in the village. I met more cousins, and we started playing together. My big cousin brought us lollipops, and we thanked her. After a while, Mom told me it was time to go meet Dad’s parents. I said, "Okay," and we set off again.

We walked through a dark forest, which was a little scary. I was so afraid that I held my mom’s shirt all along. But the nice sounds of birds singing, frogs croaking, and strong wind whistling through tree branches calmed me down a little. Suddenly, we heard voices shouting in Swahili, "Kina Fina ndio wale!"

My cousins were running toward us, so we ran to meet them. When we got to the house, they welcomed me with big, happy smiles that made me feel right at home. They started telling me their names. We all sat around the kitchen fire, telling nice stories. We later ate ugali and cabbage by the fire. After we ate, I helped clean the dishes.

The following day started with a beautiful morning. We spent four days in the village. The fourth day was extra special for me because it was my birthday! Everybody wished me a happy birthday. But it was also sad that I was leaving behind my lovely cousins, and I had got used to having so much fun in their company in those few days. But I knew that dad was waiting back in the city with a big birthday cake for me.

Written by

Fina

Age 9