Sunday 5-11-14

Sunday 5-11-14

                Today was started nice and early. Ayla was up all through the night tossing and turning in pain. Around five I finally had her climb into bed with me so I could keep an eye on her and make sure she didn’t have too much of a fever. She was hot last night, but doesn’t seem to have much of a fever at all today. But the poor thing, her body hurts, her throat hurts, and halfway through the day she started vomiting. If it isn’t one it is the other. So I have kept her in bed as much as I could just trying to get her to rest. I think Jove has enjoyed the time to himself with the rest of the kids. Ayla is always the leader of everything and with her inside sick; Jove is kind of the center of a lot of attention. Donny was sharing a bike with Jove and they were taking turns. When it was Jove’s turn, Donny would run behind and push Jove to make sure he was staying up. At one point Jove insisted he could do it (he rides a two wheel bike at home all the time), but he fell and took a good chunk of skin off of one of his toes. That kid’s legs are just so bandaged and bruised up. He looks a mess, but he is having a lot of fun. Him and a few of the other boys even found a tiny little gecko and he was fast enough to catch it. He came in proud as can be to show us.

                I was sitting inside watching a movie and while sitting I heard all the kids trying to teach Jove some Swahili. I looked outside and sure enough there is Jove and like four other kids up in a tree and they are trying to get him to do the repeat after me type of learning. He really does fit in anywhere he goes.

                Most of our day has been spent without internet and the groundwater had run out as well. There is a rainwater tank and luckily we have had a lot of rain as of late, so we still did have water, but none for the bathroom or kitchen sink.  Mid-afternoon the groundwater was turned on to come to the house so it is back now thankfully. Trying to bucket flush the toilet after the kids was rough, especially with Ayla also vomiting. Mamaliz is going to Morogoro tomorrow so we will have some veggies and fruits to be able to cook with. Right now it is kind of limited and rough to make sure the kids get a varied diet. Mostly I have been giving them beans and rice and hotdogs, but hotdogs are gone so I guess it will be more beans and rice tonight, or maybe I will do noodle soup since Ayla is sick. Hopefully I don’t get any complaining.

                So as I sit here and write this, I hear the kids outside yelling for teacher. I come out and they are saying Jove. I ask where Jove was and they point. Turns out Jove was squatting in front of all his friends with his pants down pooping right there where everyone plays. What am I supposed to do with that. His only response was he had to go poop. He just didn’t want to come inside. Maybe I am having one of those days, but I really don’t think I can handle much more at the moment. From one sick child to the next one getting sick, pooping in front of everyone, having no water from the faucets, no hot water unless I boil it, no internet the vast majority of the time. Yes I currently have power and for that I am thankful, but right now I am feeling like Africa is breaking me.

                Mothers Day this year was rough, but I made it through. Ayla is laying down in bed and hasn’t vomited again since this morning. Jove is still being a pain, but it is nearly bedtime so I can deal with that. The internet is on enough to Facebook text with Asa, but not enough to open Facebook on my computer so only the tablet works. I have a cold beer and some company from Mamaliz, I suppose it could be worse.

 

                UPDATE

                I completely forgot, when I was walked to Mipango Pub, they didn’t have any beer so the lady ran after me to walk me to the Washington D.C. Seatle Pub (please someone remark on this name because I think it is just too funny). On the way over there I saw a group of kids playing with this rope that was attached to near the top of the mud hut house. Watching as we walked, I realized that they were putting the rope loop around their neck and running until it made them jerk backwards. It was long enough that they wouldn’t hang themselves but oh my god. I could not believe what I was seeing. It was a group of about eight kids doing this and many many adults nearby to see. I so badly wanted to stop, but none of the kids spoke English so they wouldn’t understand what I was saying and all the adults would have thought I was crazy for concerning myself with the children. Not to mention they would have just retied the rope the second I left if I cut it down. Only in Africa!