I think the insects are on steroids

March 6, 2011

First I have to say, I think one of my favorite things now is milk with a little bit of sugar. Claire has a milk man that comes every night and delivers milk. This is milk that just came from the cow. It is so good. Secondly I think I ate more bread today than I ever have in my life. I didn’t want to cook, so I are bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not the best way to stay healthy.

I got a package from Jenna today which was awesome because it had candy in it. Even better that it came today because I am going to give up candy, sweets, and pop for lent. Claire was concerned how this would affect me making cookies. I told her I would still make plenty because I really like to cook and it gives me something to do in the village.

I am currently writing my quarterly report for school and it is really nice, because it is help putting what I am doing in perspective and helping me realize that I am doing something, even though I still spend a lot of time bored. My research proposal is killing me at the moment. I am trying to find the type of termites that exist here and I have emailed and tried to talk to some people and am having no results. Very discouraging. I am really nervous about this. I just want to make sure I research something that I am really passionate and interested in. I also want to do a really good job on it.

My chicken project is coming along awesome. The women are great. We named ourselves the subira group. And elected a board. It is great. I now am in charge of trying to write a grant which is another headache because again I want it to be really good and I want to actually get the money. I feel like my English and writing have really gone downhill since being here, so this does not help things.

I watched Body of Lies and Traitor this weekend. They were both really good I thought. Weird that both of them were about terrorism. Also talked to Han and Stephi before there big road trip. I am really jealous, they are going to have so much fun.

On a last note. I had some of the wine this weekend and thought it was pretty good this time. Now is this because my expectations are lower, or I am just getting drunk that quickly. I feel it could be a mixture if both.

I was cooking today and talking to my parents on the phone. Well I went to blow out the kerosene stove and instead of going of it roared into a huge fire with really high flames. And then I tried to blow it out again and this newspaper that I use for a handle started of fire. I almost burned the house down. Not sure how I would of explained this.

March 7, 2011

I ate my first insect today. It was a flying termite that was deep fried and salted. Jessica’s son found a bunch and she cooked them. She said a lot of people in Ethiopia and Sudan eat them. It took me a long time to actually put the insect into my mouth but it was actually really good, once you get past what it looks like.

I also realized today why my pancakes and certain breads have not worked. I have been using baking soda instead of baking powder. I finally looked at the box today and realized I had the wrong stuff. I feel this is not a mistake I should be making seeing as I have a chemistry degree. Glad to have an explanation thought because I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my pancakes. I thought maybe I just remembered them tasting differently.

I realized also today how much I love the Jessicas. I went over to the younger Jessica’s and just sat there and talked forever. It was really nice and then her mom came and we talked. It is great, I feel really comfortable and happy when I am with them. Also I am not sure yet but I think Jessica might be pregnant. Today she definitely looked it, but I do not know yet. And to be honest not sure if I will know until either she has a baby or it has been longer than 9 months. I will have to start monitoring her weight. Today she totally looked it and then I started wondering maybe she has always been fat. Not sure, going to ask Claire to help me with this.

March 8, 2011

I really think the children are trying to drive me crazy and I have to say they are doing a fine job of it. I woke up to them banging on my door. Then they continued to harass me the entire day. They are unrelenting, it is to the point that in the middle of the day I am on high alert to listen to see if they are in my courtyard. I know I should just shut the door but then I feel really cut off and people from the road will think I am gone. I want people to be able and come to me and talk. Jessica says to put a kanga over the door. I really think the kids would find away to get it and take it down.

I made my last batch of cookies at least for myself today. Tomorrow starts the beginning on no sweets, candy, or pop. Which is going to be really hard, especially because I am going to Dar and down to Iringa for about a week. Luckily lent is over before I get home.

I just finished The cider house rules. I saw the movie awhile back and really liked it. The book and the movie are nothing alike. Why do they do that, name a book and a movie after each other when there is hardly anything the same. Why do the change everything. The book drove me crazy because I couldn’t figure out what was going to happen and then this just got me to thinking why they would change so much stuff in the movie. Obviously the writers already had an idea why do they have to butch the book. I just don’t get it.

I have also decided that I am somewhat scared of the rain. To the point where it dictates what I do. Today it thundered all day and was cloudy, but never rained. This caused me to stay home most of the day because I was afraid I would have to get wet, I think I am also afraid of getting stuck at someone’s house and not being able to leave because it is raining so hard. For some reason I always need the option of leaving when I want to.

I gave cucumber seeds to my neighbor and Jessica today. I told them to plant them in their gardens and then they can just give me one every now and again. This way I will at least get to eat some and not have to be suspicious of the kids.

I made pilau and kachimbaree today it was great. Pilau is a rice, potato, and onion mixed with a type of cinnamon spice and kachimbaree is tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, and lemon juice mixed together. It is awesome.

Jenna and Hannah I just got bit by my first mosquito in my house. I am not happy.

March 9, 2011

As I was walking home from Jessica’s today, I realized that I hardly ever walk on the main road and how bad it was. It is crazy it has only rained about a dozen times, but it has completely killed the road. Soil erosion at its finest. Also they have these birds called kanga’s here. Look them up, they have the weirdest faces. They remind me of the Joker. A little scary.

I spent the day today writing a grant for chickens. It is almost done and I am actually really proud of it so far. I want Claire and Randi to read it before I submit it, so they can tell me what needs to be fixed, but I feel pretty good about it so far. Now I just have to talk the group and come up with a budget, which I think is going to be difficult. I want them to build the bandas and then I will provide 3 chickens to each. Hopefully this goes as planned, but we shall see.

I also find it weird how some days I can be so so bored and then other days so busy. I wish I had more busy days, but at the moment, life is moving on at a pretty good pace. I am finally starting to feel like I am getting somewhere in the village, I feel comfortable in the village (although I still have a problem saying hi to people because it is this long conversation and I also hate interrupting people and talking over people, but that is how they do it here), I get to go to Dar in a week and then to Iringa, and then just a little more time and I get to visit home. Pretty happy at the moment, although I wish my Swahili was a lot better.
Here is a morning conversation with a villager in Kigogo:

Person 1: Mbukweni
Person 2: Mbukwa
Person 1: Msinzila
Person 2: wayla
Person 1: Neye
Person 2: wayla
Person 1: Heya
Person 2: Heya

This is just part of the morning greetings and you are expected to say this to every single person that you see, even when they are in a group. Do you know how much time that takes up and how confusing it is because everyone is expected to say it to everyone. Insane. This is their tribal language of Kigogo and I pretty sure I just butchered the shit out of the spelling, but you get the general idea.

I know that today is Ash Wednesday, but I did not go to church. The ladies asked me why and I finally realized why I don’t really go any more. I do not understand a word of it and the preacher always appears as if he is yelling. Not really my cup of tea. They all thought that was hilarious, especially after I told them too that I just follow what everyone else is doing and day dream. My bebe says that she is going to teach me a hymn in Kigogo which I am kind of excited about because I really enjoy the music. I think I will go to church on Easter though, because I think it will be really cool and everyone is already asking me about it.

March 10, 2011

Today I woke up to the sound of a jembe (hand hoe) and yes it was right outside my door and then I heard “dada, dada” which could only mean that Jesca had got to my house already and was starting to clean the yard. Which compared to everyone else’s, looked in shambles. But it is amazing what 3 hours of work can do for a house. All those overgrown weeds/ grass were cut with a jembe or a knife. I can now say that I have cut grass to the appropriate length with a knife. Why this is every done I have no idea, but it did give me visions of people doing this with scissors but as usual it begs the question why even do that. Just kill it all. I also have new admiration for the lawnmower. So happy you were invented. I got to have an even better look at the garden and it is not pretty, it probably also doesn’t help that I got peanut and weed leaves mixed up. Still not sure if I killed the right one half the time, but you can only ask so many times. I did eat some spinach today which was awesome but I see little coming from my garden except maybe some cowpeas and possibly some peanuts if I did not kill them off.

I then went to old Jessica’s and took a 2 hour detour at anther friends. She kept asking me to stay for lunch and I say no a lot, but she said that she was cooking right then so it was ready. Then we ate 1 ½ later, but it was really good. Although she reminded me of the aunt on My big fat greek wedding because she kept telling me that I must not like her food because I wasn’t eating a lot. But then I got to Jessica’s and she made me eat again. I am still stuffed.

Yesterday as I was walking around I noticed people that I have never seen before and I thought that was weird. I know I am not here all the time but these people were near my house. I thought I was going crazy, then it dawned on me today that they are the student teachers that are here for a month. This made me feel a lot better. But there are another group of people that come to sell food and other things in town and always yell for me. It is really annoying because why would I ever want to talk to a person that can only yell white person white person, even the kids do not do that.

Tomorrow my neighbor is going to run with me. This should be very interesting. Hopefully I do not embarrass myself to much.

March 11, 2011

Sometimes I feel like I might be living an episode of Seinfeld. Today we were suppose to have a meeting at 1 pm and of course this didn’t happen, so at 4 pm we had a separate meeting to talk about the meeting that we were going to have with about 20 people voicing their input. I am pretty sure almost everyone was there too. Again a meeting to discuss the meeting. It is crazy. This also made me miss my chicken meeting which sucked. But luckily we are going to have it tomorrow. I really do not like dealing with the government or people I guess when it comes to meetings. I think on average there are 3 meetings before the meeting actually happens. Maybe God is trying to be funny with the symbolic 3. I don’t know, but it drives me crazy and always messes up my plans.

I always try to not leave anything outside because I know the kids will get it. Today they went after my bottle of bleach. I am still not sure who the culprit is, but I think I will be able to find out after the bleach attacks his clothes. This is also nerve racking though because what if I leave something out that could be really bad for them. Hopefully they learned from this and I remember to take things in, when I am done with them.

Yesterday at Jessica’s we were walking and noticed that some of the corn was missing corn ears were missing but the husks were still there. Apparently the kids were taking from her to. This made me feel better about my garden. Which I have to say, looking at it today, it looked really nice. I swear the sunflowers doubled in size overnight and I have 2 watermelons growing. I hide them in some leaves so hopefully I will get to enjoy at least one of them. I was thinking about making watermelon vodka in memory of St. Pat’s day. We shall see if Claire and Randi are up for it.

Also finished The Zookeepers’s Wife which is a story about the Warsaw Uprising and the Underground. It is about how this zookeepers family lives in Warsaw during WWII and how they helped save people. It is really good.

March 12, 2011

So those frogs in Hawaii are nothing compared to the insect that I killed today. It looked like maybe a giant centipede. It was bigger than one of Joshi’s toy insects. And of course this is the day that no kids were over to help me. OMG. I was scared to death, I could hear it moving in the paper next to my bed. I got a stick and killed it and then of course took a picture of it. I showed my neighbor and she said that it was poisonous and likes moist places. I am not sure I am going to sleep tonight. I have my mosquito net all tucked in and am now wearing sandals around the house. I have already got freak out by my hair tye. I think this is going to be a long night.

I walked out of my house and one of the kids had fallen asleep on my front path. He looked really cute. Although when he is awake, he is usually crying or asking for donuts. Why he thinks I eat donuts everyday is beyond me, especially because I do not think I have ever here.
So I cannot find my wire to charge my phone or any of the adapters to my phone. It is really weird. I always put it in the same spot. I searched the entire house today and found nothing. I do not know if I just misplaced it or the kids snuck in and were able to take that stuff. It seems highly unlikely because really why would they choose that stuff, but I have no idea where it could be. If the kids took it, that is fine what am I going to do. But I would really like to know because I am going crazy trying to think of where I put it.
Talita and me went running together today. I was of course the slow one which should not have been the case because I spent all day at home and she had been at the shamba all day. I do not think I will ever be like a Tanzanian, Tanzanians are machines.