4-22-14 Tuesday

4-22-14 Tuesday

                Today started out nice and easy, had coffee and oatmeal (just like we do every other morning), took our anti-malaria pills, and relaxed. After a short period of relaxing we decided to take our length of rope we had and make a swing in the back yard for the kids. It took some time and effort. Asa climbed up the tree and sawed some of the dead branches off so they would not be in the way. While doing so we found some giant termites, gross! We tried to string a pipe through to use as a seat, but while Ayla was swinging the pipe snapped in half, pole sana. We have also tried to wrap a piece of wood around the rope a few times, but the wood keeps falling out. The kids for the most part are just sitting in the bare rope or standing on the rope and swinging down the hill. It was a hit. We will continue to work on it once we get a piece of wood for the seat in order to make it better. Our goal is to make a tree fort in that same tree for the kids to play in while here, then after we leave all the rest of the kids will have a fun place to play behind Teacher Liz’s house.

                Ayla was supposed to get her hair braided early today. We walked up into the village to Ruth’s Saloon (no this is not a typo, it is actually called a saloon, not a salon), but the men that were in their told us in their own way (since we don’t speak much Swahili and they speak no English) that the power is out so we cannot get her hair braided today. Whatever. On the way back home she let us know that she really only wanted the braids so that she could take them out and have curly hair. It worked out that they wouldn’t do her hair. I can’t imagine sitting there for hours while she got her head tugged and pulled just for her to want to take them all out later that same day. So, I did two French braids in her hair and she was very happy.

                While up in the village to attempt to do Ayla’s hair, Mamaliz sent us with a note to bring to Bismillah café requesting this very tasty spicy tomato stuff to put on their pillau rice, and we really wanted some at the house. Well, there was a misunderstanding and so we ended up with a dinner of the pillau rice with cow and the spicy tomatoes. It was okay though because none of us were really feeling up to cooking.

                Lunch time came around and we had to find something to make with the limited food in the house. Each day here is like when you haven’t been able to make it to the grocery store in weeks back home. There are always beans and rice, but otherwise there are odds and ends. We discovered Mamaliz has been out of America and places that know food for so long, she no longer has much idea about food. It is quite funny. Canned tuna cannot be made into a patty with flour, let alone oatmeal flour. It just would not be good. But Asa and I did manage to pull off a decent creamy tuna pasta. They kids loved it.

                After lunch, came our last day of vacation school time. This whole first week has been their vacation from school, and so any time we were at school it was extra time. The kids had the choice of what they wanted to do. We had play areas, math, reading, etc for them to choose from. It was only two hours in the afternoon and some of the kids played with the cars, legos, and Lincoln logs, but the vast majority wanted to practice math with Teacher Asa. He has a way with the kids. After about an hour and a half, we told all the kids to go play for the last little while. Nearly all of us went out front and kicked around a football. These kids love them some football!

                Asa went to some of the dukas (store) trying to find where to find some nails and wood. Frankie (our local handyman) ended up taking him into that area of the village and Asa was able to discover the local ‘home depot’. It is a very small mud hut, but they are the ones you go to when you need any improvement/tool type items. That will definitely be a handy place to know.

                Power finally came back on after being out for 24 hours. This was much to my enjoyment. My computer was almost out of battery and how else am I to write my journal and load up pictures. I know there would be no way I could hand-write these journal entries. As it is, I have to go back many times to check for spelling and grammar, and I probably still get many things wrong.

                After we finish our accidental dinner of the pillau and cow, we teach Mamaliz how to play rummy. Turns out she doesn’t know any card games. She lives here by herself the majority of the time, so it makes sense, but still. I am usually pretty good at rummy; this is why Asa will often not play with me. Poor guy, Mamaliz whooped both of us in the game. So much so, that we didn’t want to finish the game. With our game of rummy we all split one square of the dark chocolate bar I brought. It had a fruity taste to it and man was it tasty. We truly learned to appreciate a tiny piece of good chocolate.