Another Day, Another Adventure

Mambo rafiki! I have managed to snag the computer again, and it's actually cooperating, so here goes!

May 14- Village visit #2. After our usual breakfast, we loaded the bus and headed to another village church. However, this time our ride was 4.5 hours (5+ on the way back). It was a decent trip though, aside from the bumps, jostling and off-roading we did. We got to drive up through the mountains and through the rainforest, so the view was gorgeous! We even got a few peeks at some tumbili (monkeys) along the way. After finding the village, and following a bike down the bike path ( in the bus, mind you) we arrived and were greeted by several people in the village. This particular village is a new village, and is a little poorer than others we've been to, so there is no actual church building. Instead, we had church under some trees, while sitting in a circle around the pastors. It was a little hard to hear, and there were tons of distractions, but it was a good service. Since most villages we will visit have an auction after the service, this one was no different. However, we ended up buying most of the items being auctioned, including: 3 mbuzi (goats), 2 kuku (chickens), several pieces of fabric for kitenges and some jewelry. We donated all of the animals to others in the village, and gave 2 chickens to one of the drivers with us (so we got to hear crying chickens part of the way home... ) We finally made it home around 12 am, and then we all went to bed.

May 15- Because our previous day was soooo long, we were granted Saturday as a "free day." No commitments all day, so we were free to participate or not in any of the normal activities. Saturday was our last Swahili class, but we ended up just talking about culture instead. Couples (married or dating) do not really participate in any PDA, so it's hard to even know who is together, because there is no association. Also, tipping at restaurants is very uncommon and unexpected here, even though severs aren't paid well (similar to the US). Be prepared if you invited someone to "go out" with you, because what you are saying is that you are going to pay. Greetings are #1 pretty much. When people come to visit, you escort them i nand out of the house and don't start conversations until they are comfortably seated. No sniffing the food, because it means you think it may be rotten (Thought you would like that mom... since I do that a lot). When you receive something from a elder, you bow as you receive it. Modesty is much more prevalent in clothing ( below the knees is a good idea). To get someone's attention when they are walking away/across the way, you clap; Never call out to them ( Too bad Bwana Ed didn't approve of us practicing this with him...). After that we had lunch, then many people napped or did laundry. Some people headed to the orphanage around 4pm, but lots of us stayed behind, so those that went had to deal with double the children, lots of dirty diapers and crying when they left. Reflection that night was about AIDS/HIV in preparation for our visit to Faraja tomorrow.

May 16- Village church visit #3. Today we took land-rovers, which I thought made the trip better, but several people got carsick from sitting in the back on bench seats. Lots of people thought today was the best visit so far, but I still like village #1 better. Church was muchthe same as it always is, but the auction was slightly more fun, since we all know our Swahili numbers now. =) We got several things again, including a goat we named Speckles. After the auction, the village men did their traditional jumping/dancing, like they used to do to scare their opponents before battle. They chant and jump and sing. Many of the girls and Bwana Ed joined them in the middle and it was quite the sight. I was on the wrong side of the circle, but I had fun watching anyway. Then it was time for a quick lunch of goat meat, rice, beans and tea, before heading back to the Seminary. Nothing much has happened since we returned, but tomorrow should be a good time. Since I'm a bio major, I'm interested in disease and health stuff, so I'm sure tomorrow will be good for me to see how health care and something so stigmatized has been handled.

I guess that's all for tonight! Kwa heri! Usiku mwema! Asante! Comment please! Jen