G8+Group+1

Michael Averell, Jen Kenyon, and Elaine Lanze October 4, 2008 Language Arts

Becoming Clear Kagwe awoke with a beating in his head. The captain’s scratchy voice was blaring over the loud speaker, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are scheduled to land in New York City in thirteen hours. Please have your seats in the upright position and tray tables up and locked for takeoff.” Kagwe opened his small window shade, and gazed out at the war torn village that he once called home. It was the last time he’d ever see his small town in Kenya, Africa. It was just he and his mother now. Now they were off to New York, with only an address written on a small piece of paper. His mom’s sister and her husband had moved to America a few years before, when the war began. They knew it wasn’t safe to stay, and they didn’t want their newborn daughter growing up in a world of war. Kagwe remembered his small cousin on the day she was born, and the smile on his aunt and uncle’s faces. Now, it was nothing more than a blurred vision in the back of his head, like the small letters on the eye test that he performed at the doctor’s office; you strain to see them, but all you can make out are little blurs. They had been the first to leave from the village, but they definitely were not the last. Many more families had moved, and pretty soon there were only a mere one hundred people left. Now, Kagwe and his mom were gone, leaving forever to reunite with his mom’s family in a place called New York. The small, poorly built plane started to accelerate quicker and quicker until the wheels suddenly came up and they were flying. He pressed his nose against the warm glass and tried to take in as much as he could. He could see his village where he had spent the last fourteen years of his life. Everything was getting smaller now until the plane rose above the thick clouds making everything opaque. He didn’t want to leave. He didn’t care if there was debris littering the streets, or half burned buildings a couple of minutes away in the next town. It was his home, and as far as he was concerned, it should always be. Fifteen minutes of flying had gone by and Kagwe’s mom was already asleep on the seat next to him. The captain was going on about the emergency exits and how you shouldn’t smoke aboard the aircraft. Kagwe remembered how much he had begged his mom for the window seat, but what good did it do now? All he could see were gray clouds that completely blocked the sun. What a horrible day. He closed the shade and rested his already homesick head on the seat pillow, and drifted off to sleep. //Kagwe acquired a daily routine that helped make his parents’ lives easier, along with his own. Every morning he assisted his mother retrieving heavy jugs of water from the nearby lake. He and his mother then made a second trip to the lake to wash their clothes from the day before. Since this lake was also where every other family in the village gathered their water, it was Baoga Village’s primary water source. He also enjoyed looking at the large array of fish and insects in and around the lake. Three times a day, Kagwe vigorously picked a pound or two of vegetables and fruits from their family farm. While this was back-breaking work, it was well worth it, since their family ate these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After transporting the food back to their hut, his mother prepared it for actual consumption. This included adding spices, cutting, and cooking. On Sundays, Kagwe’s chores were drastically shortened. His mother and father were also free for most of the day. During Sunday mornings for an hour, Kagwe, along with the rest of the tribe, gathered into the village square. This was when and where their tribal ceremonies took place. In the ceremonies, they sang and recited poems about the chief and his family. They also recorded the obituaries for the people who died the previous week, discussed conflicts of the other tribes, recorded crop numbers, and mentioned any other problem that might have happened the previous week. Sunday was also when Kagwe could bond with his family along with hanging out with his friends. During midsummer, Kagwe and his friends frequently swam in the lake to rid the feeling of that unbearable Kenyan heat.// Back on the plane, one of the female flight attendants made an announcement about the in-flight meal. There was a choice between the five dollar snack pack and the ten dollar tuna fish sandwich. Most people couldn’t even make that kind of money back in Kenya in a month. Therefore, Kagwe and his mother passed on the offer. Kagwe once again gazed out the window, but the clouds were so thick that he couldn’t see anything. He drifted back off to sleep, dreaming of one of his early memories back in Baoga Village. //He dreamed about his ninth birthday party that was celebrated along the nearby lake. When all of his friends arrived, they immediately dived into the water. They had enjoyable swimming contests with prizes, such as an extra slice of cake. They also caught a kimba fish, which put a huge smile on Kagwe’s face. Kagwe even helped his father cook it over the fire, which was a delicious treat for him. After that, they opened presents that were from all of his companions. He especially remembered his best friend’s, Muchane, present. He gave him an exotic wooden yoyo that Muchane stored in his small closet. Kagwe was always jealous of it. It was made out of beautiful mahogany which was adorned with intricate carvings that looked like a family or tribe holding hands to show respect and love. Once all of the presents were opened and praised, they all devoured the birthday cake. It was layered with vanilla icing and sprinkles with the soft bread underneath. It was a delight to Kagwe’s taste buds. Sadly, after the party ended, everyone had to return home. Kagwe regarded this as one of the most thrilling experiences of his lifetime.// Kagwe woke up from his dream when a flight attendant snapped that his seat belt was unbuckled which made him very annoyed since he was relaxing and sleeping. She could have just let his mother buckle it for him without waking him up. As a result, Kagwe buckled his seat belt to please the obviously impatient flight attendant. Kagwe scolded, “Well, I guess you’re just doing her job to earn money for your family.” Outside of the window, the clouds slowly started to thin, but it was still too hard to see anything. Kagwe grew bored so he drifted back to sleep. // It was a great day, the catch was fabulous at the lake, and the sun wasn’t too hot. To top the day off Kagwe was going out to play with Muchane! He was sure it was going to be the best day of his life. As he walked home from the lake with the fish he had caught, he let his mind wander with crazy thoughts for the night. First they could play tag, then they could go for a swim, eat dinner, play hide and go see in the dark, and stay up all night long! He couldn’t help but wear a smile, and even add a little bounce in his step on the way back to his hut. When he got there, his mother took the fish and began to preserve and salt them so they would have food for the next few days. Kagwe gave his mom a kiss, and ran out the door. Muchane lived only a few minutes away, so Kagwe arrived in a short time. At the door Kagwe was greeted with a warm smile and big hug from Muchane’s mom. She turned to the house and said a few words. Muchane jumped out from behind the curtain that separated his area from the rest of the house. "Let the fun begin!" he shouted. Eagerly, Kagwe told Muchane of his ideas for the night, and they both set out to the lake in their poorly stitched shorts. First, they decided to play tag. However, even though they were such good friends, they sometimes had the tendency to argue, so the game didn’t last long.// // “I got you!"  // //  “No you didn’t!" // // “Ehh, this is boring. Let’s play something else." // //  Muchane and Kagwe swam in the lake, and tried to catch the bright fish that floated below them. It was a game they used to play with the other boys in the village. They'd all get in a circle and stand completely still until one unlucky, but curious fish swam in between them. Then, on the count of three…. All the boys would scream and fling themselves into the murky water and attempt to capture the poor fish. Kagwe had been successful a few times in wrapping his long, bony fingers around the slippery animals, but most of the time, he got a face full of mud and a few bruises from the rocks hidden below the soft sand on the lake floor. That day, though, he had succeeded in catching a big bright silver fish which he brought home for Muchane's mother to cook. After drying and rinsing off their hands in the barrels of water out back, Kagwe and Muchane came indoors to a perfectly seasoned fish, and an amazing dinner. Kagwe was all smiles that night as the giant dessert was brought out. Since Muchane’s mother was a cook, they always had leftovers from the treats that hadn't sold in the food hut that day. Tonight was plain cake with leftover orange slices on it. Kagwe was sure it was the best dessert he had ever eaten. // // After everyone finished eating, Muchane disappeared into the back yard to prepare for hide and go seek. The trees cast long shadows over the dirt yard, and the night time bugs had begun to appear in the midsummer's night. There was a slight breeze that rippled over the top of the lake, and a slight chill in the air. Still, it was a nice night since there were usually hot temperatures that came around this time in Africa. They stood on the dirt for a few minutes, looking at the tall lanky shadow of Kagwe, and the short fuller shadow of Muchane that was cast out on the rocky dirt. After a few seconds, it was time to play. Kagwe went first and started counting to 10 very slowly. When he reached ten, he quickly turned around and stood frozen and listened. He could hear a faint panting behind the brush patch to the left of him. His adrenalin was rushing and he couldn’t help but giggle when he saw Muchane's broad back squatting in front of him. One, two… THREE! Kagwe made the jump and landed right behind Muchane with his two long hands smacking into Muchane's back. Muchane screamed at the top of his lungs and with a sheer look of panic, he turned around and faced Kagwe who was already on the ground laughing. Muchane started to laugh as well and they lay there on the ground for a few minutes before helping each other up while walking back to the center of the yard. // // It was Kagwe's turn to hide now, so he quickly ran on his tiptoes to behind the giant rock. The rock was a great place to hide because you couldn’t see the house, and the person seeking. He was going to win! All he had to do was stay hidden for longer than Muchane and he would be the champion for the day! "Eight…Nine…TEN!" Muchane finished counting, and Kagwe could hear him bounding into the brush to the left. As he waited frozen, heart pumping, and energy boiling up inside of him, he heard Muchane's mother call him over. She was probably just telling him to hurry up because it was getting dark, so they had to come inside and get ready for the night. // // After a few minutes of exchanging words that Kagwe couldn’t make out, Muchane called out loudly, but gently, "Kagwe I have to tell you something. It’s an emergency." He wasn’t going to be fooled by this trick, though; it was one of Muchane's many tricks of getting Kagwe to come out so he could lose. This horrible attempt made Kagwe's adrenalin go even higher, and he had to hold in the laughs that were fighting their way up his throat. Another minute went by, and Kagwe heard Muchane call out again, "Kagwe, I’m serious, please there is some…" his voice cracked and he started cry. Kagwe was surprised, so he slowly peeked out from behind the rock. If this was a trick, Kagwe would become extremely agitated. He stuck his head around the edge of boulder, and saw Muchane and his mom looking around in the middle of the field. He came out quietly and started to walk towards the crying duo. Halfway there, Muchane's mom spotted him and started to run with her arms out wide. She reached Kagwe and held him in the tightest hug he had ever felt. Muchane followed and placed his pudgy arm on Kagwe's back. Something was obviously bothering them both, and something in the tone of their voices when they told him to come inside and sit down, made him flinch. He walked back and entered through the doorway to see his mother in the chair with a cloth wiping her eyes. Kagwe didn’t even need an explanation. He knew what had happened. // // The adrenalin that he had felt that night behind the rock, and the laughs from a few minutes before had been deflated out of him, was like a balloon sitting outside for days. His knees started to give out, but he barely managed to take a few little steps to his mother before he collapsed on the floor beside her chair. He could see Muchane and his family sitting on the bed across the room, huddled together, crying. Above him, his mother's already soaked cloth was getting heavier and heavier as her tears came harder and harder. She reached down, and Kagwe got up and sat on her lap. Even though she was much smaller than he was, he needed her, and she needed him, and for this moment, he didn’t care how odd they looked. His mothers tiny arms wrapped around his thin body and his eyes began to well up. Everything got blurry, and it was at this moment that it sunk in. He was the man of the house now. // // On that same afternoon, smoke had started to poor into the village. The enemy soldiers came in and torched the people and animals and were nothing but heartless and brutal. It made Kagwe’s eyes water and his skin prickle as he tried to relax his mother. She was now heaped on the floor crying. Eventually, she calmed down enough so that she could finally speak words again. The next day, she wrote to Kagwe’s Uncle and Aunt in America asking if they could come to live with them. The small delivery boy from the village retrieved the letter to the miniscule post office thirty miles away… On the subsequent week, the delivery boy arrived at Kagwe’s hut with a letter from his aunt and uncle holding two airplane tickets. Later that day, Kagwe went to Muchane’s hut so he could see him one last time. Kagwe gave him the address for his house that he would be moving to in New York City and told him that he would write to him when he got there. That night, he slowly cried himself to sleep and tried to take in the past 14 years of his life so he would never forget it. // The captain’s scratchy voice was blaring over the loud speaker. “Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts to be prepared for landing. Please have your seats in the upright position and tray tables locked. We will be landing in JFK Airport in 10 minutes. Thank you.” As the plane quickly flew over the mega metropolis of New York City, Kagwe’s face was glued to the window. It was a beautiful day in New York City with clear and sunny skies. Kagwe saw homes and offices that stretched in all directions which were as high as nothing seen by his eyes before. Kagwe viewed New York City as a futuristic, modern, prosperous, developed, and clean city from the small window in the airplane. He was nothing but amazed and excited now. He thought that cities this modern and prosperous were not even possible. Kagwe didn’t know what he had been missing from his small, isolated village in Kenya for fourteen years. Even though Kagwe had some good times in Baoga Village, he still had some terrible and frightening times there. Baoga Village had become much too unstable. It was also unsafe, isolated, and impoverished. Their economy was nowhere near to that of the United States. No wonder his mother always talked about the “American Dream” right after she got news of the flight to New York City. Kagwe could see the ant like figures of parents and children from the plane window above. It finally became clear to Kagwe that America is a better place for him. If he hadn’t been so isolated for his whole life, he might have actually wanted to move to America at a much earlier age. The airplane quickly slowed down and gradually descended until the plane’s back wheel rammed onto the runway. While Kagwe was a little frightened of this, he still possessed a wide smile on his face. Finally, the plane safely landed into JFK Airport and was parked into the terminal where his aunt and uncle were waiting. Kagwe and his mother gathered their bags from the baggage compartment and walked towards the front of the plane. As Kagwe stepped off the plane, he was eager to meet his uncle, aunt, and cousin. He was beginning to wonder what adventures this new country would bring to his life. Would it be anything like the small village he had known his whole life?