The Water in Kenya

Water surrounds us on the island of Lamu, and we are reborn each day. The theme for our creative retreat is Begin Again. So a daily rebirth seems apt as we begin our days by swimming in the Indian Ocean. The boat picks us up each morning at 7 a.m. Our band of a few women swimmers boards the mahogany vessel and they ferry us out to swim among the mangroves. We wrap goggles around our head and plunge into the water, delighted by its warmth and surprised by its saltiness. The salinity helps us float along and the current pulls us firmly away. We joke that we are as strong as Olympic swimmers with the force of the current helping us. We swim, laugh, float as we tell jokes, and marvel at the life-affirming nature of water immersion.

One day we all go snorkeling. This day the boats sail for a long while before anchoring down for our underwater swim. We are disappointed when we are joined by multiple other boats holding tourists from different countries. Don’t they know that we have claimed this spot? Kenya is now our adopted home. The island of Lamu belongs to us. They likely think the same as the residents steering our boats, shaking their heads and wondering how each new arrival wants to claim the land for themselves. Once underwater, fish reveal themselves in abundance. Butterfly fish, angel fish, and zebra fish swim unbothered by the human bodies swimming alongside them. I dive down for a closer look along the floor and spot a few snapper hiding below. 

Every day, we spend time with the water. We swim, snorkel, and sail. The warmth and saltiness remind us of our ties to the earth and to our own bodies. And in this way, we are reborn. We emerge a new person here, thrust from the creative urges that brought us to Lamu and supported by the tides surrounding us.