A Bird in the House

Okay, so picture this...I'm in the bathroom of the guesthouse when I suddenly hear this whacky banging around in the living room. Out I go to check this out (I might add proudly, downright fearlessly...though of course it's broad daylight and there are other people around outside). Here's this midsized black bird flapping around the living room/dining room area. Somehow, he's not getting the picture that with all the sunlight streaming through the open front door, just maybe that would be a swell spot to try an escape. No such luck. He'd rather just flap around from window to window.

So, after about 10 minutes of attempting to encourage him in the right direction with my broom, I'm stumped. Obviously, assistance is in order.

Have I told you about the askaris? These are the young Maasai men who guard our front gate in the evenings, make sure the generator is turned on and off, and do who knows what else. Our askaris, named Paulo and Maari, are both terrific young men, though since neither speaks English I've only had rare opportunities to converse with them beyond basic greetings. They wear traditional Maasai gear...hard to describe, but essentially multiple layers of sarong-like cloth, tied at one shoulder, and covering them pretty much from chest to knees. The resultant tunic is belted and there's a sword-like weapon hanging from the belt. Beyond that, there's an ever-present stick in one hand. On the 'cold' nights, I usually spot the askari huddled in the little guard's house at the gate, wrapped in yet another piece of fabric called a shuka. Sometimes you can barely see even a glimpse of a face under there...especially with Maali who seems terribly sensitive to the cool evening air.

Anyhow, back to the bird story...a peek outside to see who could help, reveals Maali strolling near my house. I manage to invite him over, thanks to basic handsignals (and, I suspect, the universally understood look of a woman sorely in need of assistance). Amazingly enough, my Swahili course has actually prepared me for this precise situation...for whatever reason, one of my 10 available phrases in short-term memory is "the bird is flying"...ndege anaruka. Accompanied with a bit of pointing, I'm actually able to get my point across (for a change!). So, in comes Maali...I arm him with the broom, and the chase is on. He isn't having much more luck than I'd had, but the entertainment value is great and has us both laughing like crazy. Wish I could do justice to the picture of this tunic clad, well armed man, jumping around my house with a broom. Last time I had so many laughs was when I was called upon for a bat-trapping caper in Ottawa a few months ago.

Ultimately, we steered the unwelcome visitor out the front door, and life returned to normal.

And that, my friends, was the high point of my day (so far...it's only 5pm and you just never know what lies in store!)

jotu