For us at Allamano house, the day was received with even more enthusiasm. It opened a two day period of preparation for our yearly community outing. In those two days, 11th and 12th, everybody was busy trying to locate anything which could be of use for the one week tour of the coastal towns of Kenya. As you would expect, the only advice on air was that we should not carry heavy clothing thinking that the place is hot like hell, only to embarrass ourselves among the coastal people who refer to up country folks as “watoka bara” or simply watu wa bara”, which means “those who come from up- country”.
The Tour
Even with the two days of preparation, Monday the 12th , the day of beginning the journey, proved to be not an easy day. That day, Dawit, one of our confreres had an exam, which he and other students from Tangaza could not do the previous week because their lecturer fell sick. For that reason, we had to delay the journey by at least two hours. Even with this delay, when the time came to leave for Mombasa, several persons could be seen running up and down the place having forgotten this or that. Obviously we could not blame them because we understood that not all people had had an opportunity to make such long journeys, and preparation was always not easy. We also understood that it was an opportunity for the community to practice the virtue of patience. It was at half past nine when finally the journey began. With Fr. Penda and James Gichane behind the wheels, it did not take long before we found ourselves cruising along the ever-busy Mombasa road.
After about four hours, we were sitting in a hotel at Mtito Andei (242 km from Nairobi), taking lunch. The next stretch of the journey was not easily covered, due to traffic jam in Mombasa we arrived at the Consolata house (Tibwani) at mid-night.
Analysis of the week
Tuesday the 13th saw us visiting Likoni and its environs in the morning, and Fort Jesus in the afternoon. On Wednesday the 14th we toured North Coast (Kilifi), where-by we visited the famous Dege Museum in the morning session of the day, before moving to Malindi, where we had our lunch before taking a stroll through the streets of the town. A tour of Ukunda Parish and its environs was on Thursday the 15th, and it included a session of swimming at the Diani beach. It was a good time seeing seminarians who given a chance would compete with fish and crocodiles in swimming. In order to have some time to breathe, Friday the 16th was a free day, in which one could either stay in the house and rest, or move around the town of Mombasa. In the evening we had a feast to celebrate collectively all the birthdays from April to July. Roasted meat and “the bottles” were in plenty and those who were celebrating the birthday and the champions in sports were given gifts. Eventually, all of us ended up being winners, for we received a copy of “A Catholic Catechism” a simpler, enriched and africanized version of the principles, foundations and analysis of our faith. Saturday the 17th saw us back in the beach. This time it was the public Kenyatta beach. In the morning, we visited Haller Park in Bamburi, where we managed to see different wild animals, different species of plants, and the ways of conserving a secure eco-system. It was after lunch at Mtwapa that we headed to the Kenyatta Beach. Due to bad weather however, we could not swim. This made us to return home a bit early, and we took the opportunity to do the evaluation of the time we had already been at the Coast. We also took the chance to prepare our departure from Mombasa, since the following day at nine were to be on our way back to Nairobi.
End of the tour
In the evaluation, everybody agreed that the tour was well planned, that our confrere at the coast had received us warmly, and that the tour helped in strengthening our family bond. Cooperation with Consolata sisters was noted to have been missing, and it was pointed out as something to be improved in the next tour wherever it will be.
Sunday the 18th marked the end of our tour. We participated in a Eucharistic sacrifice at Likoni, a Mass that was preside by Fr. Pendawazima and co-celebrated by Fr. Bellagamba. In the Mass we were presented to the Christians, who were very happy to see us. It was at half past nine when the journey home begun. Under the guidance and protection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the intercession of Our Lady Consolata and Our Founder Blessed Joseph Allamano, we arrived in Nairobi some minutes after seven and the preparation for the new mission (the three months of pastoral activity in different Consolata parishes in the Kenyan region (which includes Uganda) and Tanzania.) began. This new mission was officially begun by Fr. Cellana, the regional superior, who celebrated the Mass on Monday the 19th. In his homily, Fr. Cellana encouraged us to work hard and to be good ambassadors of Christ wherever we were being sent.
