May 2011
Staring at the clear blue Marsabit skys for the MAF flight to land last Friday, am anxious to get home. Now that the means of transport is approaching, the anxiety builds up. The 12-seater lands, some passengers disembark and the two of us board to join one more person, I wonder silently why we are using a 12-seater and we are only 3 passengers but... my question is soon answered – we are passing Korr then Nairobi. The pilots are a young Kenyan lady and a European man. As soon as we are seated and fastened onto our seats, the lady pilot turns round, looks at us and welcomes us on board and says a prayer….there is something surreal about this scenario, but I like it. She thanks God for the journey so far, for the two new passengers from Cordaid, and prays for mercies on the last leg, which will be 15minutes to Korr, and then 90minutes to Wilson. MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) is a Christian airline service providing the necessary quick connections to rural (those accessible by tough terrain) parts of Kenya and surrounding countries.
She had warned us that the journey to Korr would be bumpy and for sure!! I never quite get used to these rides, but when I compare with a 9 hour journey by road, I put on my endurance cap. We land in dusty Korr a few minutes later around 3pm and my oh my, kids kids and more kids. The lady pilot remarks, ‘…oh, seems we are just on time, schools have closed for the day…’ As soon as the plane comes to a stop on a rough airstrip, that has been lined by white coated stones, all the kids come round and stare at the pilots as they come out of the aircraft. They are all excited and speaking in rapid Samburu, boys and girls, alike, all happy at seeing the aircraft. Am sure this is not the first time they see an aircraft as MAF lands in Korr many times- my colleague reminds me that in rural western Kenya where he comes from, he can bet that there are many old people who have never been this close to an aircraft.
But what was powerful for me, was the fact that one of the pilots is a young Kenyan lady and the kids can see her coming out of the cockpit – meaning she is not a passenger, but the driver so to speak. I mean if that cannot send powerful messages to the young girls here that the sky indeed is the limit for them (pun intended), I wonder what else can!! For that moment, I wish I could understand the local language and that I had a camera!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are not allowed to disembark since it’s a short stop over to pick two more passengers and off to Nairobi. I wonder in my mind if she has ever taken a few minutes to talk to the curious kids…I remember a now high-flying friend who is fiercely proud of his birth place Korr…Note to self: ask him whether he was at one time that kid running towards the plane in Korr :)
Below - random pic of MAF flight taken in 2015 in Marsabit
She had warned us that the journey to Korr would be bumpy and for sure!! I never quite get used to these rides, but when I compare with a 9 hour journey by road, I put on my endurance cap. We land in dusty Korr a few minutes later around 3pm and my oh my, kids kids and more kids. The lady pilot remarks, ‘…oh, seems we are just on time, schools have closed for the day…’ As soon as the plane comes to a stop on a rough airstrip, that has been lined by white coated stones, all the kids come round and stare at the pilots as they come out of the aircraft. They are all excited and speaking in rapid Samburu, boys and girls, alike, all happy at seeing the aircraft. Am sure this is not the first time they see an aircraft as MAF lands in Korr many times- my colleague reminds me that in rural western Kenya where he comes from, he can bet that there are many old people who have never been this close to an aircraft.
But what was powerful for me, was the fact that one of the pilots is a young Kenyan lady and the kids can see her coming out of the cockpit – meaning she is not a passenger, but the driver so to speak. I mean if that cannot send powerful messages to the young girls here that the sky indeed is the limit for them (pun intended), I wonder what else can!! For that moment, I wish I could understand the local language and that I had a camera!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are not allowed to disembark since it’s a short stop over to pick two more passengers and off to Nairobi. I wonder in my mind if she has ever taken a few minutes to talk to the curious kids…I remember a now high-flying friend who is fiercely proud of his birth place Korr…Note to self: ask him whether he was at one time that kid running towards the plane in Korr :)
Below - random pic of MAF flight taken in 2015 in Marsabit
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