Friday 6-6-14

Friday 6-6-14

                Woke up and began getting ready. I put water on the stove, and the kids were getting Nutella and animal crackers for their breakfast. I walked away to get dressed and when I came back to pour the hot water into the french press so I could have a cup of coffee I discover the gas for the stove has gone out. I was messaging Mamaliz to see what I needed to do, whom I needed to contact, when I heard Isaac saying hello to the kids out front. I went outside to say hello to him and ask him since he was there. He told me that he was going to Morogoro today and would get the gas for me, but there should be a tank at the hospital and he would have someone bring it to the house during the morning. A man did come and pick up both of Mamaliz’s empty tanks, but didn’t bring a full one back in the morning.

                Joan showed up at the house to pick the kids up for school. They have been staying with me in the mornings, but Ayla had told Joan that she would come with on Friday. Ayla had apparently forgotten she said this because she was not ready, but both Ayla and Jove finished getting ready so fast so they could go with Joan. It was very nice having the little bit of quiet time to myself. Bibi Haisani came to do the laundry. I was very happy to see her, Jove had an accident the other day and there aren’t much extra blankets here.

                 I was just getting ready to leave the house when Teacher Gladness came over to ask if she could have the day off because her grandmother had passed away the night before. I let her know that Teacher Pascalina was supposed to leave for Morogoro today and if she could convince her to change the day she leaves to go there, then she could have the day off, but I couldn’t have them both taking the day off. I wouldn’t make Teacher Logan go into the chekechea 1 alone. The kids there know very little English and it would be too difficult for someone that has little to none of the native language. They worked it out and Teacher Gladness took today off and Teacher Pascalina will take Monday off. I am glad they were able to work it out because I felt like the worst person ever telling her she couldn’t go to her grandmother’s funeral.

                I ended up with Teacher Logan there to help me for the testing; it made it go by much more smoothly. The kids are coming along pretty well in some areas and not so well in other areas, but I am sure they will end up just fine come test day. The kids got hello kitty band aids and a piece of double bubble as their prize. They were pretty happy. I love how the boys here don’t care about being given pink stuff. They just don’t care.

                Once we got home, the gas tank was still not here L. I had to find something to feed the kids that didn’t require any heating up or cooking in any way. I decided on some leftover rosemary bread and cheese. Jove also had dried apricots and candied ginger. I had bread, cheese, and mustard. My stomach didn’t seem to be too happy about it. The kids spent lunchtime playing out on the back patio very nicely, for a while at least. While they were happy, they sat out there and crushed a rock with bigger rocks to get crystals. They said they were going to make lots of money so they would be rich. It was so cute. I remember doing that as a kid. I love when they play and use their imagination outside.  Ayla found a dead/dying butterfly on the porch and made it a picture. Well, she wanted to make the picture and tape the butterfly to the picture, but I was finally able to convince her that the tape wouldn’t really work because of the dust on the butterfly. She can be such a silly kid. After a few minutes of small stupid kid fights and slight annoying mommy issues, they pulled their tablets out to play a math game and they were even working together and helping each other. I am glad the annoying didn’t last long.

                We still don’t have gas, I talked to Isaac and he said they would bring it this evening. Just in case it is late evening I decided to go out and get some bananas just in case we don’t get it in time. So we went down to get the bananas, and the kids wanted to use their money on candy and half cake. We got down there and they decided on gum, buttermilk candies, and soda. I had to go up the hill to get the sodas, but it is okay because it is their money and I have told them only on the weekend can they buy that kind of stuff. As I was up the hill waiting to get the kid’s soda I sat with my little buddy Samweli and we talked for a few minutes. As we were talking, I, out of the corner of my eye, see this man do a semi run and full swing kick into this little puppy because the puppy was begging near the goat stand. I wanted to scream at him. If I had to say one thing that I truly detest about this place, it is the way they treat their animals. It just breaks my heart. I do my best to throw any food scraps outside for them to eat because all the females are either pregnant or nursing, the cats are always in heat which means that they are probably the same, they just hide better. I just don’t understand how anyone could have an animal and not feed it or take care of it.

                On a happier note, I got back from the walk and Jove had lost one of his candies at the house. We finally found it under Ayla’s butt. She didn’t want to say sorry because she says she didn’t take it, but still. Right after that, Jove decided to open all five of his candies and shove them all in his mouth. It was so full of candies that he couldn’t even close his mouth. I am just glad he gave the one to Grace as a day late birthday present; otherwise his mouth really would have been full. That kid is just too ridiculous. Ayla decided to see if she had a bigger mouth, so she shoved all five of her candies into her mouth and was thrilled to see that she could close her mouth. She got so excited she started to jump up and down like she won some kind of championship. What a goofball!

                The kids went and played outside with the rest of the kids and when I had noodles made up they cleaned up and came inside for dinner. Oh, we got the can of gas delivered. Yay! Logan stayed over for dinner and I put “cloudy with a chance of meatballs” on while we all ate. The kids ate all their food and drank the soda they bought earlier. Then they ate an Oreo for dessert. The poor kids’ bellies are so big and painful looking. They look the way a pregnant woman looks right before she pops. Ayla is actually saying she is too fat she can’t live. What a little drama queen. I do however feel the same way, so I guess it isn’t her being too much of a drama queen, just her being more vocal about it. Now they are both fighting over who gets to use the toilet to try to rid themselves of all the food they ate. Poor kids.