You can tell were spending more time in the office now, because these entries start to get longer. I had only one class today, form II. Better than the first time, but still a struggle. Having only one class leaves a lot of free time. This time is mostly filled with the invention of office games or reading. Anything but teaching (though we have made ourselves very accessible).In the middle of the day we got it into our heads that it was time to start carrying things around on our heads. The women around here perform this task as a finely-tuned skill. No hands. Its unreal. Brayn and I walked down to the water pump (about a half-mile) and filled our buckets. We walked back ever so gingerly with the buckets on our heads, much to the delight of the local villagers. Two wazungus with buckets on their heads is apparently not an every day sight for them. When we got back to the school Mr. Kisava saw us passing and rushed out of his office to take a picture.
I had a pretty decent bowel movement this morning. Odd thing to discuss, you might say. However given the irregularity of these, it has become a frequent topic of conversation between me and Brayn. This morning was the most well-formed one Ive had since Ive been here, and I was able to get almost the whole thing right into that little hole, which is more satisfying that I can properly explain. Were both still waiting for that first really normal movement, solid and well-formed. We plan on having a "First Log" celebration when it happens. Rum, beef jerky, itll be wild.
For lunch we had perhaps the most complete meal weve had since being here, with all the food groups represented. Spaghetti noodles with some kind of delicious spicy sauce, ugali, beef, mango, and mystery greens. As far as Im aware, this is indeed all the food groups because as far as Im currently aware, dairy does not in fact exist here.
In recognition of our extreme need for exercise, we went down to the field (pitch) after class to kick the ball around. Some local kids, aged 5 to 10, joined in, as did Mr. Kisava and the headmaster of the neighboring government school. Everyone loves to play soccer (football) with the wazungus. Do they know the rules? Can they kick the ball? Do they have feet? It started to rain a bit, and as we were worried about the solar-powered contraption with which we power our iPods and such, we decided to jog it in. I had many excuses for why I was unable to make it the whole way. Its raining. Its slightly uphill. I just played some soccer. My shoes are improperly tied. These eventually broke down into my solemn realization of just how out of shape Ive gotten, particularly in the past couple weeks.
With the debate having been canceled (Wednesday is debate day) some time was freed up in the evening. Thank goodness, were so busy here. Two new teachers arrived this evening, young guys who just graduated named Simon and Godfried. Hoping to catch a stirring rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Water I ran out oddly fast to greet them. We had Cokes with dinner to celebrate their arrival. Seeing as how we eat dinner about one hour before going to bed, the caffeine should keep me up for another three hours and when I do fall asleep, wake me up to pee. Again, this is one of those Africa situations where you cant say no.
I started three books today. The Kite Runner, Crime & Punishment, and Johnny Trumain. Its been a big debate over which will get the nod for nighttime reading, but JT is looking to get the go ahead due to its larger print size. Its easier to see in the dark. I drifted asleep with visions of the founding fathers in my noodle, eagerly awaiting waking up in the middle of the night to stumble to the bathroom with my flux-powered flashlight.
Inset: Our office
If this is your first time here, please be sure to read the first entry on this site. Thank you.
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