My China story

In early 1986, my younger brother and I strolled to a minuscule Keiyo Shopping Centre in Trans Nzoia District to catch up on the latest events around the world. We stumbled upon an advertisement in the Kenya Times, a government sponsored newspaper for scientific university scholarships offered by the East Bloc countries including the People's Republic of China.

I submitted my application to the Ministry of Education to study Veterinary Medicine in China. I was eventually short-listed for an oral interview, followed by written exams conducted by the Chinese Embassy and Kenyan officials in Nairobi. This was my first ever contact with a Chinese person.

Coming from Trans Nzoia, one of the most sparsely populated and agriculturally productive districts in the western part of Kenya, I suddenly found myself in Nairobi, a city with about two million inhabitants and fast life at the time.

I had another glimpse of Chinese people that were involved in the construction of the Kasarani Sports Complex prior to Kenya hosting "The All African Games" in 1987. They regularly appeared within the fenced complex in groups and rarely ventured out. This led to the gossip that ten people traveled on one passport.

In August, I was asked to come to the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi to obtain a visa. I presented my admission letter to Beijing Language Institute and supporting documents from the Ministry of Education. It was an awkward encounter being served with a language barrier.

Despite the striking opportunity of a lifetime for studying in a foreign country, to experience the absence of candid communication brought about worries with venturing into a country for which I had no knowledge about.

My flight to China was delayed for three months due to financial difficulties. My family sacrificed a portion of our land to procure my airline ticket. This meant I had to travel alone, and in a nut shell, was a frightening adventure. My dad offered me some pocket money. My one entry visa to China was close to expiring.

Other than watching planes zoom by above the clouds in the village, I had never come close to one. My ticket indicated travel from Nairobi to Peking through Bombay, India. It was the longest, most memorable and adventurous undertaking I had ever attempted in my life. Nonetheless, how would I find Beijing Languages Institute upon arrival?

I checked in at Nairobi airport on October 30, 1986, inadvertently without the "letter of authority to travel" issued by the Ministry of Education. An officer alluded to my anxiety to study abroad and allowed me to proceed and board the plane nonetheless. Neither of the officials in Nairobi nor the Kenyan Embassy in China was privy to my travel arrangements.

This was my first time on an airplane. After hearing a joke about Kenya Airways planes lack of maintenance, I was curious as to what would happen in the event of brake failure. Would it require an airport staff on the ground to place a huge stone on the landing strip to aid in stopping the airplane? It was certainly scary. Not to forget that I envisage time as same the world over, I came close to missing my flight to Peking from India.

The flight from Bombay to Peking on Swissair lasted a long time. Out of curiosity and before arriving in Peking, I inquired from the airline hostess on how to get to Beijing Language Institute from Peking airport. As a frequent flyer to China, she graciously described that from Peking city to Beijing is about five hours by train. Interestingly I believed her! (It is the same city).

I arrived at the Peking International Airport in the wee hours of November 1, 1986. I immediately noticed that the air I breathed in Kenya, India and now China tasted different odor. I got stranded and mystified at the airport for nearly three hours not clear of my next destination.

It was winter season when I arrived, and staying at the airport for this long was definitely uncomfortable. Fortunate enough, I came across an English telephone directory that enabled me to contact the Kenyan Embassy. Whereas the embassy staff was not aware of my coming to China, they sent a vehicle for my pick up from the airport to the Embassy.

It had been ten years since the passing on of China's revered Chairman Mao, and the drive from the airport to the Embassy gave me a hint about China and its inhabitants. There was a unique odor that I later learned emanated from burned coal, a common practice. There were hardly any vehicles on the road but plenty of bicycles and lots of people.

The men and women all looked the same to me and mostly dressed in the blue and green Mao attire, speaking in a strange language and ate strange food with sticks. Peking looked bare, distant, dry and extremely cold, compared to Kenya where the landscape is green all year round.

The embassy contacted the Beijing Language Institute, requesting it to reconsider my admission despite coming in two months late for a diploma course in Chinese Mandarin, an eccentric language characterised by four tones with no alphabet; a prerequisite to university courses in China.

I looked miserable without winter attire prompting my instructor who took me to Wudaokou Mall, a popular hangout place for students, to buy winter clothing at the college's expense. He was my introduction to China and assisted whenever the need arose. Thank god for good Samaritans. His perception of Africans was quite unique as was my perception of Chinese.

He immediately assigned me two language instructors that worked tirelessly to ensure that I was at par with the others and voila, I was able to speak mandarin within six months. This not only facilitated my understanding of China but also the people and its diverse culture, food and beliefs.

The institute organized a number of excursions for foreign students to historic sites; The Great Wall - a one man made phenomenon that can be seen from space, The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Mao Zedong mausoleum, Summer Palace, man-made mountains and many others for a clear perspective of China. As a foreigner, visiting The Great Wall confirmed that you had been to China. These historical sites share one thing in common; colossal structures.

What surprised me most was the large number of people going about their life at a rapid pace. There were many uncomfortable moments, the stares from people seeing a black man for the first time, made worse by the language barrier. However, they were friendly and welcoming. The common salutation in Peking was: "Have you eaten or not"?

China is a vast country composed of 56 different nationalities and cultures, of which 96% are of Han nationality. There were limited contacts with people except for Chinese students that were taking foreign languages in the same institute, some of whom appreciated the pivotal role played by African states in voting China into the United Nations.

There were foreign students from all over the world. Along with the acquired scholarship came shared accommodations in the exclusive foreign student's hostel at the institute. A dining room within the institute was provided. There were separate hostels for Chinese students. The Chinese government gave a monthly stipend for taking care of other expenses including food. Life was tough and teachers always encouraged that; "it is sour for now but will be sweet in the future if you study hard"!

Within six months I sought the approval of the State Education Commission of China to switch courses to human medicine and study in a warmer place. My wishes were granted.

I eventually left Peking for Guangzhou in August 1987, by train that had a 36 hour journey. I enjoyed the spectacular Chinese scenery along the way. I joined the famed Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Sciences in September to study modern and Traditional Chinese Medicine, graduating in July 1994 with a Bachelor's degree in Medicine and a Bachelor's degree in Surgery.

Upon graduation, and still on a Chinese Government scholarship, I took an extra year of specialized training in General Surgery. Throughout this period, I had the opportunity of serving the local people in my capacity as a trainee surgeon in a local hospital. My ability to speak the local language, Cantonese, eased my interaction with the people.

In the course of my stay in China, I crisscrossed the most parts of the country and witnessed the construction boom with the economy growing at above 10% annually. My most memorable places were Hangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Kunming with its stone forest and mountain caves, Harbin's snow, Hainan Island, Macao and Hong Kong. I went back to Beijing after two years and could hardly recognize the many places I frequented before.

It was while at the Medical school that I met my wife, a Chinese college student. Her family, as well as mine, from similar generation with beliefs bordering on preserving local cultures, were disappointed and could not imagine their loved one marrying a foreigner.

With my wife at our Medical Centre in Nairobi.

We started our life on a sour note and had to work hard to bring together the two families. Their initial misgivings about our relationship were eventually cleared up and the two families are now friends. Many people I knew in China as well as Kenya were skeptical that a marriage between natives of these two nations would survive. We have been married for more than twenty years and still counting.

We were blessed with two children, a boy a first year student at the University of Manitoba and a girl in high school in Winnipeg.

My family at the Niagara Falls.

Nowadays the number of Chinese nationals partaking in the winding of Kenya's economic wheel has been steadily increasing. Both nations have to play a central role in bringing the people of diverse cultures into a common understanding.

I am still mesmerized every time I visit China. I find the growth of the culture exhilarating. I am still actively involved in the medical field as well as interpreting for the regional health authority in Canada.