Morning in Ilula
-Ilula in Context-An hour before daybreak, at 5:30 am to be precise, the church bells begin to sound. Perched as they are on top of a ridge, they ring out for miles across the plains. One wonders if their announcement of the new day is heard on the distant mountains that ring this place. Fifteen minutes later they sound again. The message is clear: it is time to rise.
As the sun begins to rise, at 6:30 am like clockwork, the scent of cooking fires is already wafting through the air. In houses made of mud and houses made of brick, the cycle of daily life begins once more. Water will soon be boiling and cups of chai will help to chase away the morning chill. The fields are bathed in a golden light. With the coming warmth, the landscape springs to life.
As people begin to gather, at 8:00 or shortly thereafter, the voice of the mchungaji breaks into song. The hospital staff slowly comes in ones and twos for daily worship and morning report, while farmers and peasants begin the trek to their shambas –rented for $6.00 per acre per year. Whether it be with medicine and prayer or plow and sweat, it is time to get to work.
As the sun begins to rise, at 6:30 am like clockwork, the scent of cooking fires is already wafting through the air. In houses made of mud and houses made of brick, the cycle of daily life begins once more. Water will soon be boiling and cups of chai will help to chase away the morning chill. The fields are bathed in a golden light. With the coming warmth, the landscape springs to life.
As people begin to gather, at 8:00 or shortly thereafter, the voice of the mchungaji breaks into song. The hospital staff slowly comes in ones and twos for daily worship and morning report, while farmers and peasants begin the trek to their shambas –rented for $6.00 per acre per year. Whether it be with medicine and prayer or plow and sweat, it is time to get to work.
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