Happy Halloween!

October 18, 2010
I went into the city yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to find that skype worked although not when calling to a phone. I am pretty sure I gave my grandma a scare when she couldn’t hear me properly. Sorry Grandma. But it did work computer to computer. So this morning I woke up and climbed part of my mountain to see if I could skype from the village. It turns out that I can and I sound a lot better than when I am in town. Weird. How does that work. But I am really happy to hear this.
I also have been cooking a lot and am not sure if it is a good or a bad thing that I don’t eat any processed food because now I can see my exact intake of almost everything I make. It is not looking good. It turns out that I eat a lot of flour and sugar. This is not a healthy diet, I really need to work on this.
Today I taught English class and a teacher who teaches English came in and decided to tell me that I was teaching wrong in front of the whole class. He says that I was not saying question words correctly. I could have killed him at that point. I really hope this doesn’t become a regular thing for him to come because I really do not like people critiquing me especially when I know I am not a teacher and I am trying the best that I can. If he does it again I might have to tell him he can teach the class.
Also Stephi saw Gerald Butler at the Breslin and I am completely jealous. I would have loved to see him. My friend Mallory and me have a Gerald Butler summer when we were in Steamboat and watched every movie he has made. ( We might have gone a little too far, but we have a lot of time on our hands) I don’t think I will be seeing anyone famous for a while.
Also I did something to my back and have never been in this much pain. It is horrible. Even worse when I move, so I am trying to move very slowly or not at all. This is really hard. And I know you were all interested in this but going to the bathroom is horrible. I would say this is a time where I wish I was at home to lay on the couch and watch tv.
PC came Saturday and checked up on me to see what I was doing. I think this was also a trip to make sure that all volunteers are sane and able to coup with the different environments. I passed and was actually impressed when I was telling my boss all about what I have been up to. I actually felt like I have been doing something. But today again I did nothing so I think it goes back and forth.
Speaking of water. We are now at getting water about every 4 days. I really hope that this is as far as we go between days but judging that we still have a month and a half before the rains come, I think the days are just going to get longer. Which means I am just going to get dirtier and stingier with water.
I asked a girl today what she had for breakfast and she said Pombe (local alcohol). I would like to say that she was joking but I myself and not sure.
October 19, 2010
So I forgot to tell you that when I came home I found another dead lizard. This one was only a baby. I am not sure what is going on or why they are dying. I just hope they stop, because I really don’t like having to dispose of them. (throwing them out my front door for the chickens to eat) Then I went to the bathroom this morning and found a dead frog in my toilet water. It has been a week of deaths at my house. I think it might have something to do with the spray I used for ants. But the frog died because he was swimming in my laundry water.
Also I thought I would tell you that the bed that I sleep in is huge, very wide, but not very long. I just barely fit on it. I thought about this last night and decided Uncle Paul, Uncle Jerry, or Shawn would never fit on this bed. It is weird when I think of Africans I think of tall people. (this might have something to do with basketball) But this is not the case in TZ, most of the people are about my size or shorter. Only the Masi are tall.
I think I threw out my back carrying water yesterday. I can hardly move which makes cooking, cleaning, really anything very painful because everything is done on the floor. Not a good time for this to happen. I spent today staring at the ceiling and think I might go crazy if I have to do that again so hopefully it gets better soon.
October 20, 2010
As usual I found that if I can get out of the house life is wonderful. This was again the case today as I spent the day with another friend named Jessica. I had a wonderful time, I just need to get out of the house. I think at the next town meeting I am going to tell all the people to please invite me over because I love being around all of you, I just get scared and lose my nerve when I am in the comfort of my own home, even when I am bored out of my mind, I have a hard time getting out. Learning slowly how to stop this.
My back hardly hurts today which is wonderful because I was already going to the worse case scenario in my head and it had me laying in bed not able to move at all for a long time. My neighbors think that I fell while climbing the mountain, this did not happen and I still am not sure what happened. Maybe I slept wrong, either way through I feel better now, which is good because I need my back.
I washed my bed sheets today and found this is not going to be an every week occurrence. It is really hard and long and I am still not convinced they are clean. The first time I went to put the sheets on the line I dropped them in the sand so I had to start over again. This might be my least favorite thing to do now, I will even put sweeping in front of this.
October 23, 2010
I am not sure where to even start today. You know when you have a really bad day and that turns into a really bad week. This is the kind of week I have had starting with my back going out. I decided to go into town to catch up on some work stuff and do some errands. This did not happen, I got nothing accomplished that day. I was then planning to talk to Han at night and of course this did not happen either. (I have decided Mpwapwa is only 2g and a 3g network is needed for it to run smoothly, is my thought) I also came into town to charge my computer but of course the power went out too. (the power only goes out when I am in town, I swear) I then race back home in the morning to get water because we are suppose to be getting water on Friday to find out “ Nope” not water, maybe tomorrow. I then go to take a little nap and my bed breaks. Yup, now I feel really fat, especially when I go to tell the carpenter and he ask how much I weigh. So now no water and I am sleeping on the floor. I was going to go away this weekend but stayed because of meeting that I have been trying to have only to find out at the time the meeting is suppose to start that “no, there are not enough people here, we will have it later” they couldn’t of told me this before. Then I go up to the mountain to skype because it worked on Monday but I should have know because of how my week has been going that this was not going to happen. SO this has been my week. I definitely contemplated going home this week and asking myself why I choose this, but I have since talked to some of my friends and feel better now. Just a minor melt down. Oh and I woke up with a dead cockroach on my pillow.
On other notes, I have started to actually paint my house. I am staring at a white wall at the moment which I think I am going to paint purple and green checkers on. Still thinking about it. And I have to say the paint makes me feel a little better, now maybe some furniture and my table (the carpenter again says Monday) and this might actually feel like a home. If you look at my pictures right now I put up what my house looked like when I first got here, somewhat like a prison cell is my thoughts.
October 24, 2010
I cannot remember if it is today or yesterday, But HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!
It has been another eventful day although this day was 100 times better than yesterday. It started off with me going to church. (my friend Jessica telling me it is time by yelling through the window on her way, Oh the joys of living so close together) I then went to my other friend Jessica’s house where her mother explained to me and showed me several times the correct way to open a peanut from its shell. (Who knew there was a right and wrong way) I then had multiple people ask what happened to my legs. I have cuts all over them from the mountain. They have these pricker bushes that I swear just jump out at you. After explaining about this they, then turned to the subject of my acne, which they still think are mosquitoes. This then turns into are you using your net and taking your medicine because we don’t want you to get malaria. I swear the entire village of women are my mother sometimes. I hear the same thing over and over again. But I am glad this means they are looking out for me and care.
Later at night I went to the outdoor market with a lady. ( I usually don’t go because it is really overwhelming) The market consists of a lot of pombe (alcohol) and a few ladies selling tomatoes. So really just a lot of drunk people who then want to talk to me. Can’t they understand I have a hard enough time with a sober TZ, a drunk one is a lost cause. It was good though. Most of the people are wonderful, only a few ones to look out for. But of course I happened to find one them, he wouldn’t stop talking to me and kept putting his hands on my leg, luckily the mamma I was with said it was time to go. So I had a good day today which I am very happy about. I really needed this.
Also the president of TZ came to town yesterday. I didn’t go because PC said not to. I would have liked to but I understand why I couldn’t. A lot of people from my village went and they had a great time. One of the groups sang a song and a few got to shake his hand. He arrived and left on a fleet of helicopters. (I think a pretty badass way to make an appearance) They have elections to pick the new president on Sunday (Halloween) I am interested to see how this process works.
October 25, 2010
I forgot to mention that yesterday and it turns out today a man had appeared to show me what to me looks like a cross between a dragon and a lizard. I am not sure what it is, but the man keeps bringing it to show me. The first time I saw it I screamed and ran. I don’t scream anymore but I still don’t like it. I am crossing my fingers this doesn’t become a regular thing. I told one of the boys that comes over about it and of course he laughed, but then the man showed up while he was here and he ran for cover too when the thing started to move. So I don’t feel too bad.
Went and saw a bunch of bee keeping houses today. I took some pictures. To me they look like tiny suspended coffins from trees. Kind of eerie, especially in this environment.
Also added thyme to my omelet today. I strongly suggest it. It was delicious.