Just finished reading The White Masai by Corinne Hofmann. I know I’m kinda out-of-date for reading this book this week. I bought the book as second-handed through Ira from her room renter with really low price and I’m surprised with Corrine’s struggle for love. I could get the emotion just by reading the book. Actually I was really lazy just to touch the book before (angat-angat taik ayam ceritanya) but last week I went to my sist’s school to get wi-fi to download games and I need something to kill my boredom while waiting the huge size download done. So I took this book and I couldn’t stand to finish it as soon as possible since I’m so curious with its end. To be honest I need 1 week more or less to finish it. haha
The White Masai is about Corrine’s, a Germany woman with broken English, true story of love at first sight to Lketinga, a Masai tribesman. When she had a holiday to Kenya with her boyfriend, Marco, they faced a misunderstanding situation while getting back to their hotel. At that moment Lketinga came to give some helps. Corinne couldn’t get him out of her head and crazily broke off her relationship with Marco. Marco who tried to calm her down yet couldn’t break her decision, decided to receive it. Then Corinne backed to Switzerland and sold her wedding dress shop and apartment and flied to Kenya to find her prince. But what she found was not as easy as she thought. So many people want them to be separated even Lketinga was jailed. But Corinne’s love success killed the tired to find her prince and finally they meet again. Cultural difference shown by Lketinga how the Masai tribesman treat the woman, as well in social life and of course on bed, made Corinne’s upset and forced her to think what actually she wished to find after through every obstacles just to find her Lketinga.
Corinne Hofmann
Corinne’s love once again could make her survived and they finally got married after they lived for several months in Lketinga’s mom’s hut; shorter than the householder made of dried cow dung called manyatta, with Mama Masulani (his mom) and Saguna (his niece). The marriage itself was not easy as it looked. They should finish every bureaucracy thingy as Corinne was a stranger in the country. Before getting married, Corinne need to back to Switzerland to heal her body from the illness of malaria due to lack of environmental hygiene and food. And back after a month in there to get married with Lketinga, in a traditional Samburu wedding.
Corinne was an independent woman who couldn’t just sit down the whole day so she decided to open a store which sold food and she had a land rover as except the type of the car won’t be useful in the area, to take people and buy stuffs stocks for her store. Their store was success with so many buyers come everyday. Lketinga who really wanted to have a child, often got misunderstood by Corinne’s multiple illness though finally she got pregnant and took a birth for their first baby girl, Napirai. But Corinne then discovered she had hepatitis and should be isolated in a room for six weeks with Napirai. But they could be home after four weeks.
Everything was mess up by Lketinga’s baseless jealousy. Napirai’s presence instead made him more out of control and said Corinne had an affair with other guy several times. Corinne tried her best to save her marriage as she phoned her mom in Switzerland to ask some advices. Her mom of course so surprised to know what her daughter faces in her marriage life and sent Corinne’s older brother to talk to Lketinga. Lketinga shows his best attitude and politeness in front of him and promised he would change his bad habit to Corinne. But it’s not stay longer as Corinne’s brother back to Switzerland, Lketinga backed to his bad habit. Accusing her with no proof yet did not want to listen to any explanation by her. Even Mama looked like believing in Lketinga saying that his wife has an affair with other guy and Mama asks her if Napirai is really Lketinga’s daughter or not. Corinne answered yes, in tears.
Corinne couldn’t stand anymore but she wanted to give Lketinga other chance to save their marriage. With hard effort to make Lketinga sure that they would have a better life by moving to Mombassa, a place where they ever met. There, they would open a souvenir shop as the place was visited by so many tourists. Lketinga refused at the first but finally he accepted Corinne’s suggestion and they move to Mombassa. The souvenir shop run successfully but unfortunately Lketinga getting worst (always repeat that Napirai is not his baby) and it makes Corinne gave up. She ordered two tickets to Switzerland as she wanted to take her baby go to her mom’s country. By telling a lie to Lketinga that she just wanted to have a holiday in Switzerland because she need his husband’s signature if she wanted to take her baby abroad. Corinne said that she must be back because she left everything there, bank account and a shop with full stock.
Lketinga didn’t believe her though finally he gave it to her. With his last saying that he didn’t know when he could see Corinne and Napirai again. In tears, Corinne just sat in the mini bus left her husband and everything she had loved more than her own country. She had tried her best to save their marriage but nothing better comes. Arrive to Switzerland, Corinne sent some letters to Lketinga and other friends of hers in Kenya. As for Lketinga, she wrote she was so sorry because she would not back to Africa and told Lketinga was allowed to sell the shop which could make him to be a rich man.
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