Like this:

Ok, so I have been postponing blogging, partly because we were a little low on energy, getting used to traveling and adjusting to a new country (we’ve already passed through Jinja in Uganda, and are now based in the country’s capital, Kampala).

The story of Mama Sarah is not really a very long or interesting one, but it seems like it needs a little clarification. Firstly – we’re not making this up, nor were we scammed by some local old lady claiming to be related to the US president

Secondly, it might help to explain Obama’s relationship with Kenya. His father, Barack Obama snr., was a Luo from the village of Kogelo in the western province of Kenya. He met Obama’s (American) mother while studying in Hawaii, and the two separated while their son was still very young. 

Barack jnr. grew up mostly in the US, but visited his grandmother and the rest of the family in Kogelo at the time of his father’s funeral, later while he was in college, and also in 2006 after he was elected as a US senator (there might even have been other visits, but these are the ones I’ve read about, at least).

Hence my comment about not being scammed – his relationship with the family is reasonably well documented, so we’ve seen pictures of his gran before. Also, let me point out that I’m not trying to reduce either Obama’s or Kenya’s significance to this relationship – I’m merely mentioning these details as background to our visit!

Mama Sarah herself is an extremely gracious lady, sitting calmly in the shade of a large tree in front of her house and receiving guests from all over the world without much complaining. Honestly, she is obviously a very patient person, not even batting an eyelid at the gushing foreigners flooding her lawn.

Dillon and I, much like most of the other visitors we saw, were more than a little awestruck at the ease of such a visit, and her nonchalance about all of it.

For instance, when we asked her how her visit to the US was (for his inauguration), she just said it was a little cold there. (I thought that was hilarious…)

And then, when I asked if she’d like to visit there more often, or whether she prefers him to visit her, she just shrugged. His responsibilities are there, towards the American people, she said. She doesn’t mind if he doesn’t visit her that much, because he has work to do. In the meantime, life goes on in Kogelo.

Ultimately, I suppose that’s the best kind of perspective to have on any politician. As much as you might admire someone for who they are and whatever circumtances they’ve overcome to get where they are, the final measure of any individual in office is really the work that gets done, and the way it benefits ordinary people.

If his grandmother can remain that objective, I guess we should really try to do the same

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