Local Time in Korr, Kenya

Sunday, February 13, 2011

A History of My Life According to Alarm Clocks

Childhood

The movie "Bug's Life" captured my sister's and my imagination, and so for years when were young we had an alarm clock shaped like the character "Heimlich" who would wake you up by repeatedly saying, "Yah YAh YAH!!! Eet eez time to get ahp!" (He was inexplicably a German caterpillar.)


High School

Who didn't have an awesome little silver boom box that would turn itself on to Z95.7?


College

My phone was constantly set to 5am at which point it would buzz at me, or, on bad mornings, one of the crew girls would call and tell me to get out to the vans.


Kenya

My first year in Korr, my watch would beep. And now, in 2011, Abba Obeyle has taken it upon himself to wake me up at 6 every morning - including Sundays. As night watchman at the Swanepoel's home, he's in charge of everything from washing up dinner dishes to killing rabid dogs that get into the compound. Now, his duties have expanded to include getting me out of bed by standing at the corner of my house and saying, "Waakh Keene. Waakh Keene. Nebeyon baritee. A sahaad toomon ichow lama." ("Waakh Keene. Waakh Keene. Good morning. It's 6.") I still haven't figured out if this is based on a true desire to see me stick to my schedule, or to get his morning coffee, which I make.

(Abba Obeyle and his lovely wife. I'm the one in the middle.)

2 comments:

  1. haha... Obeyle is hilarious! I love the people who work at Nick and Lynne's. Harule, Boya, Naabiro.... all of them!

    And that IS most definitely a unique way to get up. I'm pretty sure it's because of the gahawa.

    Side note: When I was reading this, I totally chuckled and nodded in agreement at the Z95.7 comment. But then I realized... wait! You're from California! The radio station that everyone listened to here in high school was called Z95.3. Co-inky-dink!

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  2. I'm so glad you pointed yourself out in that last picture with you and Aabba Obeyle & his wife...for a brief moment, I wasn't sure who was who.

    ;)

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