Can you say king?

Well that’s the kind of treatment I got from everyone on my final visit to Kara. Everyone I visited, was very gracious and saddened at my recent departure. I have never been one for gaudy goodbye’s, so it was somewhat difficult to engage everyone in the endless ‘say hi to your family when you return, good luck, safe travels, Godspeed, say hi to Boniface in Nairobi, enjoy your time, don’t forget us, and be safe’s.’ I received just about every one of those from every person. And that is the shortened/translated version. But I did. There were also a few small gift/trinket exchanges, which were heartwarming.

Back at Agbang (I drove the moto both ways and through the city and incidentally broke just about every traffic rule, what few there are. I only ended up going into oncoming traffic twice!) I was greeted at supper by just about every monk in the community and a nice little going away speech from the prior all before sitting down to a feast of a meal made specially for the occasion. Everyone was all smiles save the beady-eyed woman who had to stand and listen to it all before sitting down to eat it. Win? Yep! It was very satisfying after putting up with her for the past month considering that she is leaving on the same day as I am  The hotelier wasn’t into the speech too much either, but that wasn’t completely unexpected.

On the subject of the woman, the day before she was singing rather loudly outside of my door. It started right after breakfast and inconsequently right when I started cleaning my room and packing up. I had had it, not today on my last day here, and not for four straight hours…again. I went up to Johanas and made my case to ask him to ask her to stop. He agreed with me and then confessed that he was sick of her too. In his words, “This is a monastery, not a hotel. She has no right being here or ordering us around like she does, save she’s in the graces of the prior.” We found the surprior and he said that he would talk to her in a few minutes when he came to give me a list of needed medications. Well that wasn’t for about a half an hour. But he came, and almost as soon as he entered the monastery he heard her bellowing and sprinted to her to ask her to stop. She ignored him and then asked “Why? Because of my voice?” and continued even louder. American Idol candidate anyone? She won for the time being, but the prior showed up soon thereafter with some guests. She shut right up, before he could see her. Talk about putting on a show for guy in charge. It was disgusting, but at least she stopped.

Moving on, after supper I was visited by an unlikely guest, Pelimliwa. He had come the night before and I wasn’t expecting him. I had previously stopped by his house upon my return only to find out that he was at his garden (really far away). It was a nice visit and an appropriate ‘last student’ to see.