Saturday 5-10-14

Saturday 5-10-14

                The weekend is always nice because it means one doesn’t have to get up and do much, but without something to do here, the day truly drags on. I have had a very bad headache since the night before and sleep wasn’t easy last night because of one child or the other. It doesn’t help that every village kids comes here to play on the swing or with the toys we brought. I must say that these kids are very very loud. On these slow days it even makes it rough on the kids because they seem to fight so much more.

                Dr. Sion came by to borrow a grater for preparing the going away dinner for him tonight and turns out he shaved his beard off. The kids found this very funny. It made him look at least ten years younger, maybe like 12 now. It was very funny seeing the kid’s reactions. He was also telling us about how a new mosquito is coming over to Tanzania that shouldn’t be here. The tiger mosquito and it is supposed to carry dengue fever. Oh Joy! To make that even better it is a day mosquito, so it isn’t like one could just stay inside when it gets dark. We will be fine, but still. This place just can’t get a break.

                But on the good side, the sun was out today and the rain was not. This is very good news for us because I was nearly almost out of clothes. I do not think the locals would appreciate it if the kids and I showed up to school naked. If underwear on the clothes line are unacceptable, I can only imagine… So, all of our clothes that have been trying to dry since Wednesday are finally dry. Hopefully the rains stay away for a while.

                As I lay on the couch trying to let my headache ease, I hear Ayla tell all the kids outside to come over because it was story time. She sat there and all the kids came around her whist she read “curious George and the chocolate factory”. I love that all by herself she came up with this idea. Not to mention while all the kids were down the hill I hear Ayla yell at someone “You be nice to my little brother”. So Ayla has a lot of new issues while she has been here, but she also seems to be learning how to be a better big sister.

                I got the kids inside in order to bathe them. The hot water is out, but we figured out that it is because the gas for the water heater has run out, so as of Monday when Mamaliz goes into Morogoro, we will have hot water again. But in the meantime, I boiled water on the stove and added that to the cold water in the tote for the kids to take a nice warm bath. They were very happy for it. I had to get Jove cleaned up first. He has that hole in the bottom of his foot from the nail yesterday and the dope decided to not listen to me and wear his socks and tennis shoes. Instead he was running around in the nasty mud barefoot. This is a place where even without injuries like that you don’t walk around barefoot; you most likely will get worms. So I will have to make sure and get the kids tested for worms as soon as we get back home. Oh joy. Then Ayla has her turn. She has a large infected pore on the back of her thigh. This morning it was small, maybe the size of a sharpie point. Tonight however it was at least four times the size. It was just this big nasty puss pocket. She wouldn’t let me go near it in fear that I would pop it. But when she was climbing out of the tote her foot slipped and hit the edge of the tub. It was so full and nasty that the bang made it burst. It wasn’t all cleaned out, but she still wouldn’t let me near it, so Neosporin and a Band-Aid it was and hopefully it will help.

                The going away dinner for Dr. Sion was going to be late, so I got the kids something made up at the house and set up with a movie on the couch while Mamaliz and I went over there. They had dinner made up and we all sat around eating. Almost immediately his solar lights went out, and not one person skipped a beat in their eating. I mean, they had two different kinds of meat along with pillau rice and white rice, and greens. This was a feast. After eating many took turns giving small speeches wishing him to have good travels. I didn’t understand but a word here and there, but it was very interesting to listen to. I think I will start to study Swahili starting tomorrow. I would love to try to get a little more of the language for while I am here.

                Got back home and Jove was sound asleep on the couch with a puddle of drool right under him. Poor little guy couldn’t even make it until 8:30. He still must be recovering from his being sick. Ayla had some complaints about feeing funny, so I am very much hoping she isn’t getting sick also. As I am writing my journal here I was just hearing Ayla cough and moan a little. I got into the bedroom and check on her, feel her head and she is already feeling warmer. I check on her about ten minutes later and she is hotter still. So I woke her up so I could get her to take some chewable kids meds for the fever that is making itself known. Poor thing, “Ouch, mom my eyes hurt when I close them. It feels like they are burning.” Yup, that is exactly what Jove kept saying when he was sick the other day. Hopefully she gets better by Monday because I cannot stay home. I can let her stay at the house and cuddled watching movies, but I have to go to school because Mamaliz is going into Morogoro and someone has to teach the classes. If Ayla is too scared to stay at the house on her own I will just bring her with me and have her stay at the teacher’s desk so she isn’t near the other kids. Oh the joys of parenthood in Africa. Everything is just so much more difficult. But again, I am grateful that we currently have power, enough rain water to be able to flush the toilet whenever we need, and that as of Monday we should hopefully have hot water back in the bathroom. That is the trick being here; ALWAYS look at the positives, otherwise your soul will just be crushed. It is a good day, despite all of the negative. It is good.