Have insomnia lately, my mind just won’t rest. I drink chamomile, I count sheep, I meditate, concentrate on my breathing, then it’s 2am. So I sleep in and the cycle feeds itself. I often find myself fantasizing about that moment I meet my prince charming and our happy life after that. He takes on many forms of guys I know or hardly know because I have no one in particular in mind… The future is so wide open. These musings run through my mind concurrently, busily, twisting around each other and denying my sleep until the wee hours of the morning.

How does one stop obsessing about such things? I bet you’re all tired of reading about it too. Sorry I just have way too much time to dwell on my alone-ness, and no one to distract me,

I’m designing the t-shirts for the girls conference. Haven’t designed anything in so long… hope they come out ok!

Picked up a dress this week, just a couple alterations and it’s perfect, even for America. Oh America… I can’t wait to start something new! I’m terrified I won’t get into grad school, what will I do then? But I’m starting early w/ research, applications, recommendations, honing my interviewing skills, resume, etc. Something will come along, I’ll end up somewhere doing something. I can’t wait to wear whatever I want, and for coldness, and showers, and ovens, and washing machines, and sidewalks, and boots, and sandwiches, and short dresses, and tights, and hairdryers, and coffeeshops, and SCHOOL. I’m really excited to get involved in an academic setting again. I think more and more every day how I want to stay in academia, as a researcher or professor or something… Something that will give me freedom to keep learning, exchanging ideas, travel, good schedule, good salary, oh the future! So exciting! 10 more months…

Big fat lizard just peered in my door at me. <3

Work is still slow, but I’m still “on it”. Finally I feel like my old confidence is coming back. Researching grad programs is keeping me busy and future-focused. When I look at the calendar I realize how fast this year will go by. 10 more months. Linnea comes end of March. Girls conference is Feb (finally got grant approved!), and grant committee meeting. Malaria training in April. This basketball court thing I want to get moving and finish. COS conference in September. Joe and the EcoExplorers class come in June. Still want to go to Mwanza, Kigoma, Mafia, Matema… like I said, it will fly by.

Meeting today at ward head to choose girls for conference, also to talk about malaria training. Finding new work partners lately, the community change agent volunteer for malaria education, I once thought she was kinda annoying but she’s really dedicated and I’m excited to work with her on these projects. She knows who to talk to about what and is helping me find $ for the malaria training.

Going to make bread with Mama Iyami today, teach her something new. Iyami is very sick these days, has a huge skin eruption on his hip and can’t wear clothes. Haven’t been hanging out there enough, but sometimes the sadness of the place gets to me. It’s already hard to stay solid here, and I have to convince myself that I’m not a bad person because of my need for some measure of self-preservation.

Made ‘hummus’ out of njugu, a squishy ground nut – so delicious, lots of garlic, some cumin, olive oil, eaten with utensils of cucumber, my last cucumber for 2 more weeks.

I can do this I can do this I can do this. So lonely. But must get ok first before meeting someone. Must get unlonely while alone in order to get unlonely w/ someone else.

While in Dodoma last time, on my way back from MSC, stopped for an espresso at Sipe and got to talking to cute German guy. He invited me on an adventure to find a winery, so we went. His motorcycle chain came off in a small village and took a while to fix, with help from local villagers and their dull Philips head screwdriver. Was too late to go to winery when all was said and done, so he drove me ‘home’ to Yue’s and asked if I’d like to get dinner later. Of course! We went for Chinese, kind of date, awkward but sweet hug at end, but he’s only here on holiday, back to Germany to be a teacher next week. When do I get a second date? A third? A relationship? I guess when the time is right, super challenging to keep that in mind and be ok w/ it. When the time is right. While I’m living in a small village in Africa w/ no money and horrid transportation – not the right time. 9 ½ more months to go… but then the question always presents itself – what then? Patience, Rachel, says my future me, it will all work out. Look where you are and what you’ve already done! How can life turn out to be anything other than amazing? You make it amazing, your efforts, your hard work have brought you here. Luck has nothing to do with it. You are the captain of this ship.

I’m finding that talking to myself like this actually helps. Thanks for the idea, Liz Gilbert.

Time to bake bread.

Talked to Dr. Today about malaria training, excited to get started but it will be a lot of work/leg work for me, coordinating w/ health center, school and vill government. Dr. is all for it though and we made a list of people to invite or training together.

Looked over World AIDs Day poster contest, excited to do this w/ primary school kids. Will be easy to implement b/c the headmaster is my bestie! Hopefully next week I’ll do that.

Tomato vines did not die, morning glories not so lucky. Planted sunflowers, forget-me-nots and a few marigolds. Courtyard is green and peaceful.

Been roasting my own coffee lately. Can get green bean in the markets, and I roast them in a pot over charcoal, shaking constantly kind of like popcorn. First batch I thought I burned, but I ground it and took it to Christmas at Nana & Terry’s, we brewed it and it tasted delicious! So smooth, dark, faint fruity notes. Second batch I took off heat earlier, is nice but not as dark and heavy.

Been really into Breaking Bad lately. Almost done with season 2, such a good show. Also got shortwave radio to work, the solar doesn’t do anything, but as soon as I put real batteries in I got BBC right away. Now I can know what’s going on in the world. Syria, Mali and India are worrying me for all different reasons.

Went to order a cute dress yesterday! Fun fabric, getting a knee-length dress w/ tea-length sleeves, 3 buttons at high collar, to be worn with my usual belt. Intend to wear in America if it comes out as I imagine. Really like this new seamstress I found in my village, her name is Rose. So nice, listens, sews well with her Arusha education.

Everyone is farming these days. All day the village is empty as everyone is out planting. In the evenings everyone is exhausted, napping under the trees on mats.

Found a new coach for Zinduka – my friend Mariamu or Mama Raia. She is a real Tanzanian woman – farmer, Muslim, mother, wife, and she’s a hoot. Fun to be around and well respected. I know she’ll be a good role model for the girls in Zinduka, and they need her presence.

Stuff is happening!

Set up with women’s group to teach every week a new activity – jam, bread, peanut butter, bug repellant, knitting, cakes, possibly even sewing/beading. Meeting tomorrow to discuss plans.

Have a cold – runny nose made more annoying by fact that toilet paper is so valuable/hard to get.

Grant committee meeting scheduled in Dodoma 2^nd week in Feb. Glad I don’t have to go to Dar.

People wanting to change dates for Girls Conference – at this stage really! Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday! Someone else going to America for a wedding. UGH. Sick of “being in charge” of this thing that is supposed to be a group effort.

Explained to Mbula not to sweep my garden – we’ll se in a couple hours if it worked or not. My pickles came out nicely, sweet and garlicky. Out of peanut butter – disaster! Not going to town again for 2 ½ weeks… What will I dip my one remaining carrot in? Maybe I’ll julienne them for stir fry.

Need to talk to women’s group about grant problems. Doesn’t look like we’ll get funded for project. Girls’ conference grant ALMOST approved. Maybe? I hope so, we are shooting for end of Feb and need to plan w/ our students. Also thinking of collecting donations for a basketball court or volleyball net for the community. Would love for the kids to be able to play sports w/ real balls on real courts, instead of rolled-up plastic bags on dust.

I’m excited about this malaria training, I really hope it works out.

Listened to Beach House this morning, as usual. Read Eat Pray Love, still in India part. Her views on spirituality are appealing to me. Still trying to meditate or do yoga every day.

Found first scorpion in house – teeny tiny guy, easy to miss, easy to step on. Verbally exclaimed ‘oh crap’ then squashed deliberately. Do not want a scorpion stinging me in my sleep. Also moved a rock in courtyard to find long slimy thing with no legs, but def not a snake. No idea what it is, same as the crazy guy Ilala brought to my door last year. Squirmed away once revealed.

Linnea is coming to visit me from Sweden!!! I’m so so so excited, SO EXCITED! We will have Abba dance parties, like old times, get scuba certified, climb Mt. Meru, go to Tarangire National Park to see elephants and Zebras, swim in Moshi’s hot springs and chill in my village. This is my dream plan at lest, we’ll see if we have time for it all I can’t wait to have a visitor. I hope I have enough cash for this extravagant trip.

A while back I went to Tanga to teach the newbies in training. I did a session on understanding working partners, cultural differences, etc. All their fresh faces pumped me up w/ energy. I’m always nervous talking to groups, being facilitator, etc., so my usual nervous laughs and jokes permeated the session, but over all it went really well and I got a lot of good feedback. I’m much better at talking one-on-one w/ folks, but I need to practice public speaking if I want to succeed in today’s world so it’s good to get up there and bumble my way through it. I’ve been here over a year now, so the new guys look at me like I’m awesome, an expert. My Swahili baffles them, and my comfort level is envied (also my wardrobe ). This was a pretty good ego/confidence boost. The second day I went back to my old training vill to help with their community meeting/map drawing activity. I helped facilitate a little and translate, but was hands-off and enjoyed watching them figure things out. This is a really good group, I had fun hanging out in the old vill w/ new people, in a non-stressed state of mind. Seeing all my old neighbors was so nice, I can have conversations, people remember me, young kids cry at first then get over it. My mama and baba did not get a new trainee this time around, probably b/c of my review – they are not bad people but the housing situation w/ all the people and noise and lack of privacy and downtime and help b/c mama and baba are so busy – was not conducive to learning and adjusting. Wonderful people though. I was sad to only be able to spend like 30 min with them because PC insisted on picking me up early to go back to Tanga. I intend to go back at lest one more time before leaving here, maybe stay the night? I feel bad for having been a recluse during training b/c of all the stuff I was going through, but now I can visit, no stress, have relaxed conversations, feel like a friend and not a burden.

All the stuff w/ the new trainees was awesome, but hanging w/ my fellow trainers not so much. Why do I feel so out of place and so disliked by my peers? Actually it’s mostly just one unpleasant person. Oh well. OH WELL I SAY! I have got to get over letting small things ruin everything else. Stayed at the haunted mansion guesti again, shitty but cheap, alone and it was quiet and non-dramatic. Met up w/ everyone one night for Indian, including Mel, a recent Tanga addition, gave her a haircut she likes, feels good to be able to help people be it w/ photography or hairdressing. When I arrived it was Tanique’s birthday – beers and swimming in the bay, meeting some newbies who actually have some freedom this year to be out and about – perhaps due to our class’s whining?

Anyways, this has all been about the week I actually taught. I haven’t written about the week all us trainers met to go over the training together – TOT, training of trainers. That week was weird. So weird to be back in Muheza w/ my peers after so long. I don’t have fond memories about my training, and this feeling of dread filled me as soon as I arrived at the standi. It was rough, but good to be able to put in my two cents about ‘free time’ and ‘American time’ to hopefully help the new class cope better. I still think everyone thinks I’m a whiner, but if even after a year I still think it was traumatic, them I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my imagination. Felt a bit outside the group as usual, but managed to find moments of fun and happiness. Still feeling solid after my return from America, but don’t think the general loneliness will go away until I’m out of this particular assignment and group of people.

At the end of the week we arranged to all go to the sand bar – a literal bar of sand that appears and disappears w/ the tide. We hired a boat, a heavy wooden mass with a canopy and a large central table, to take us out there. We frolicked quite literally on the sand, searched for interesting shells and crabs and sea urchins, Brandon chased Valencia w/ a crab, she ran, we drank wine and huddled around Tanique’s small iphone speaker, the boat crew stopped on the way out to meet a lady on a long dock who handed over a pot of homemade pilipili then lit up grills on the sand bar, creating a delicious meal of fresh fish, veggies and ugali. The tide came in fast and unexpectedly, forcing us all to run for the boat, the crew scrambling with the hot grills, dumping ash in the ocean and cooling the tools in clouds of steam. The lead guy was quite cute, I think he was maybe hitting on me? I can only hope.

Our sand bar time was quite short, so they took us over to some mangroves to swim and frolic some more. Even more interesting shells and crabs abounded. We had a headstand contest in the water, Brandon surprising us all with leg movements reminiscent of synchronized swimming. Nora was a clear winner. I always get water up my nose. We were all out there as a group, but away from the prying eyes, vicious stares, catcalls and begging of every day. A memory to keep for ever. Glenn brought his guitar for added ambience.

After TOT I ended up back in Babati on my own, on a Sunday. I ran all my errands and noticed how much calmer Sundays are in town than weekdays. I felt like I owned Babati. I walked around in jeans and my NIPO shirt like a boss. I bought my peanut butter like a boss. I drank chai like a boss. I GOT MY MAIL LIKE A BOSS. Harassment rolled off me, this is my town.

Maria came to meet me then go to my vill. We waited forever for my bus to leave b/c they lied about the time – STOP LYING TANZANIA! We watched a guy flop around a big basket of chickens, making them squawk endlessly, squeal and step on one another’s heads. Several eggs gell out as they were rolled to and fro. The guy picked one up, dusted it off, cracked it, separated yolk from white in his hands, all while Maria and I are wondering to each other ‘what is he doing?’ Then he eats the thing and we audibly gag and make faux vomiting noises. He laughs and says ‘for health!’, but we counter – ‘Gross! Bacteria! If you die, sorry dude!’ – all in Swahili of course. Yuck. Another thing not to be forgotten.

So anyways back to when I did teach – on the way back home is topped in Morogoro to hopefully meet the newer ed class at their in-service training. I was staying w/ Tyler T, and this was the weekend I realized how awesome and easy to get along with and talk to Tyler is. Tyler, Raychel and I met up w/ a bunch of folks at a bar, but they all left for food at the training site, leaving Tyler, Raychel and I on our own, drinking beers, konyagi + juice, (not together of course). It was so much fun; one of those evening that just WORKS, you know what I mean? Tyler and I went back, talked til late in the night, listening to a hodgepodge soundtrack from his ipod – Hank Williams, Hey Mercedes, Flaming Lips etc. It was good.

I never finished talking about shadow w/ Jenna. After a night in her austere house, we woke, dressed, prepared our things to leave alter on, met with Boi and her VEO, were introduced to some other people, learned about all the projects and groups already active in the community and took a walk to get to know the lay of the land. Jenna will be the first volunteer there, so everyone was curious to see two white girls walking around. Two young girls on a walk tried to show us the way back to the clinic, but for some reason lead us to another clinic super far away. Why doesn’t anyone listen to the words that come out of people’s mouths here? Do we all speak in vain? Well we got a nice walk out of it anyway. The landscape is beautiful, similar to my village. Mountains to the west, plains to the east. Apparently there is a cashew farm somewhere. For breakfast the VEO Ayubu took us to a local café where we had the best beans I’ve ever had in country. I’d kill for a café like that in my vill.

We finished our tour, said our goodbyes to the doctor and other acquaintances, closed up the house and made our way on foot to the village where my bus passes from Kondoa. We were told it was maybe 5k, but it ended up being maybe 8 or 10 in the hot sun in the desert. It was early enough to not be too miserable, but chafing ensued and our bags were heavy. I was mostly fine, keeping up energy for Jenna, who had a harder time. I like to hike and walk and sometimes forget it’s not for everyone. We made it in one piece, had warm sodas and lunch at the junction village, fell asleep under a mango tree and awaited my bus, which was packed to the gills when it got to us. We bumped along the road for a couple more hours, always squished because no matter how many empty seats there are, someone always wants to sit next to the white people. No matter how hot and sweaty we all are. But we made it, got to my house, made plans to visit all my important families and dance Kirangi, got comfortable at home then went for dinner at Mama Hussein’s 0 more incredibly delicious beans – it was a good bean day, good bean luck. We had a mini dance party w/ the kids, got full, laughed and drank a couple cocktails at home, and zinked out early.

Next day was sweet rice for breakfast, lunch with Samweli + Mama Daudi, dinner w/ Mama Iyami, another dance party, and killing time walking around in between. Jenna commented that I greet everyone, which is sort of true. I greet my friends, and I feel I have a lot of them now. The Kirangi dancing fell though, but we visited the mama’s house where it usually happens. Zinduka also fell through, so to Jenna maybe it seems like I don’t do any work, but we ahd a good time anyway. I locked up the house next morning, 5am and we hopped a bus to Babati to meet some other folks w/ their shadows on the say back to Muheza to finish training.

I think I have written enough for today.

Struggling lots w/ anxiety – what am I doing here? What’s next? Will I be lonely and single forever? WOULD THIS DAMN FLY STOP LANDING ON ME?! Wondering if Elizabeth Gilbert’s plan is the way for me too – maybe I’ll go to an Ashram in India to find my balance, I haven’t done a very good job on my own, but not for lack of trying that’s for sure. I just want peace!

MSC was good, sort of. Feeling like my struggles have been too public, now not sure staff would even consider me for extension. Looking at other volunteers’ projects makes me feel like a failure, but try to tell myself not to compare myself since no one’s experience/village is the same here. Have to get over my anger and frustration with PC – so it’s not what I expected. So what! Being in Dar for a week with the whole class – stressful and excruciatingly HOT. Dar is like HELL. Plus security incidents – taxi kidnapping/robbing. Sick of being a white bull’s eye. At least I have some street smarts. Some. Better than some other volunteers. Ethiopian food with the guys was awesome – good food, good co. Need to focus on friends, real friends I’ve made here, not on making new or proving myself to others – too stressful. Apparently everyone thinks I’m nice though. Never been in the cool crowd, but always well liked – I can deal w/ that.

Before Christmas met up w/ Tyler T. in Kondoa then went to see some of the ancient rock paintings in the area. It was pretty cool, some are up to 10,000 years old. We had a great time hiking, talking, camping, wading through rivers and escaping Kondoa’s rains, thought I’d found another good friend, but he decided his extension wasn’t working out and went home to start something new. Really bummed about it, but he’s happy with his decision. We winged it all through the weekend, hiking and exploring and meeting people by happenstance. Got to Kolo, found out the deal with guides and prices, hiked to Amarula Campsite – good experience but expensive, 15000/= per person to pitch your own tent, but compost toilets cool and close to river which apparently runs when it rains in Kondoa, chocolate river raging through the desert for 3 days after a downpour, I’ve never seen a river run here before, close to village where we searched for food to no avail, weird time of day when people are just chillin, drank coffee, then sodas, then chai, checked out impressive irrigation system in valley, decame aware of the apparently very randy state of this village’s farm animals, much to my horror, hiked back to eat snacks we’d brought in and settle down for the night. I began reading Franny & Zooey aloud, but gave up after a page or two and succumbed to sleepiness, but sleep would not come because of all the coffee in my system.

Rained all night. All night. We pitched tent under a tree so droplets accosted our ears even when it wasn’t raining. Water leaked in on Tyler, he sopped it up with jerseys. Nearly sleepless night, how did we manage to hike all the next day?

Next day woke and broke camp, waited for guide that never came, hiked to painting sites on our own, crossed raging river barefoot, sought refuge in farm shelter as rain poured and collected around the rocks we were standing on, saw weird spherical frog and bright red furry bug. Felt happy to be in such good company despite sogginess. Reach sites to find another guide and a bunch of missionaries holding a church service. Cranky guide chews us out for arriving alone, even though our guide totally bailed, tries to charge us huge fee for walking 3 min to sites before our actual guide, another dude, comes. Very unpleasant girl and we are glad to be rid of her, but hanging w/ the missionaries is fun – after their service they offer us hot potato soup, homemade bread, and the best brownies, juicy, chocolaty, frosted w/ more chocolate, I’ve ever eaten. After our unseasoned veggie chapati wraps it’s a meal from the heavens. Also, I rains again, weirdest weather I’ve ever seen in Kondoa, the desert. They have a tarp and share their shelter. Cranky lady leaves, new guide Maulidi comes, he’s a cool older dude, knows a lot about the paintings and local traditions, it’s nice to share in these things w/ Tyler. Another person might not have appreciated it as much. We see a small opening under a huge boulder. Young men enter it into a cavern inside, wait to hear from spirits, leave offerings of corn and other crops, animal sacrifice. Watch out for leopards. A few Dutch people are visiting as well, we hike back toward the main road, stop at the river which seems too rough to cross, they catch up to us and take us into town, over the water. We are oh so tired but feeling great. Our bodies are happy with the workout, ready for food and bed. We find the ‘guesti’ which is really just a big house watched over by the village chairperson of Kolo, the town you check in at to see the paintings. Shaban Dudu is his name, and he is so incredibly excited to have us there. He talks endlessly about everyone he is related to and their friends and jobs and children as our eyes glass over w/ exhaustion. He asks if we want dinner, and while we do, we know if the girl starts coking now it will be a couple hours before we eat, so we disappoint Shaban Dudu visibly and eat at a restaurant. We come back, drink chai w/ him, I freak out and realize I left my purse at the restaurant, rush back, and thank the lord it is still on the floor of the dark, kerosene-lit room. Shaban Dudu is muslim but has put up an artificial Christmas tree for his visitors. The limbs have not been arranged, or touched, since coming out of storage, so the result is a leaning, scraggily cross between a Dr. Seuss tree and Charlie Brown’s. It is endearing, adorable, hilarious. They are burning incense, but it’s actually crystals that look like crack rocks set on hot coals. Shaban Dudu gives some to Tyler, he also gives him a baseball hat. We go to bed and sleep soundly, all our wet things from a weekend of rainy bliss hanging on every available hanger, nail and window slat.

We wake early, eat vitumbua and drink chai with Shaban Dudu, who tries to help us get to Kondoa but is only making me nervous that we’ll miss the last bus w/ his grand plans in the works. He is not used to white people that know the lay of the land, or the language, but we know he means well. At one point he goes into a lecture on what vitumbua are and how to say one (kitumbua) vs many (vitumbua). I can barely hold back my laughter as Tyler and I make eye contact. This guy is so sweet, but trying so so hard. Too hard. ‘Twas a really really weird experience, kind of like a David Lynch movie. Just chill and hang out dude! We don’t need to learn anything right now.

More rain. We hurry when the bus comes, and it’s my nus from my vill! My people! I love that. We get seats and rumble along until we get to Kondoa. We do some shopping, last minute secret santa gifts, coffee I’ll roast at Nan & Terry’s, and serendipitously meet up w/ Terry, Yue and Michelle in town and get a ride up the hill to the house. We feel good, ready for Christmas and 20 kinds of cookies.

After a few last busy but not productive days in the village, I left for my holiday travels on the 21^st. I’ve been trying to get things moving in my village, but the rains have started and it’s the holidays, so everyone has been busy planting.

I just reread a letter from my dear friend Charlotte. Whenever I read letters from outside TZ, from ‘life before PC’, I get all weepy with joy. I am so extremely disconnected here – FB newsfeed just doesn’t cut it – that when I do receive news it’s overwhelming and wonderful and the floodgates open. Letter in the mail for you soon Charlotte Any news from the rest of you? I can receive texts/calls/letters!

Last night I was kept awake by the monkeys and hyenas, which were having some sort of loudness contest.

Godbless is walking! Still teetering w/ precarious balance on his chubby little legs, but walking!

I love coming back to the vill after a long time away because people actually miss me when I’m away. Yes they all ask what gift I brought them, and did I go to America, but with time those questions have become less bothersome. I love coming back to see how much my papaya tree has grown, or what popped up in my garden when I was away. I had a bunch of morning glory vines I wanted to transplant, but Mbula, my sweeper-helper cut them all down thinking they were weeds. They go grow like weeds so oh well, there’ll be more next week. It hasn’t rained much, I guess the weather is a bit off this year, so my garden is suffering excepting the lemongrass and aloe, which always seems to thrive. I planted before leaving hoping I’d have some sprouts by this time, but nothing has popped up as of yet, and I’m too lazy to water. RAIN PLEASE COME!

So anyways the last few weeks have been very eventful and really fun for the most part. To continue on about shadow, Henna and I got on our bus to Kondoa, did some shopping, had lunch w/ Maria then got on the bus to her village. She must be good luck because I take that road all the time and I’ve only seen monkeys on it that day Many of the rock painting sites are close to her vill, within walking distance. I hope a bunch of us plan a trip to visit them sometime soon.

When we got to her vill we were welcomed by Boi, the community development officer who introduces himself as “Boi, because I am a Boy. If I was named Girl it would not do, and if I was a girl, it would not do either”. This guy is awesome – very motivated, good at his job, great English, brings in a lot of help from outside for projects, etc. in fact, Jenna has a lot of resources at her disposal, her vill being a sort of major bush town – lots of transportation in and out, lots of NGOs and outside aid coming in because transportation is easy, beautiful environment between plains and mountains, like my site but more accessible, and a lot o motivated people. She lives at the clinic, and her clinical officer/Dr. guy worked w/ another PCV in another village so he knows the drill and can provide valuable resources and advice to her. His family is super nice too, lots of adorable kids, Juma in particular. She’s situated right between the primary and secondary school, on clinic property, so it’s busy w/ kids and clinic traffic, but not w/ road nonsense – ie. drunks and travelers. She’ll have to set up her boundaries w/ the kids, but as long as she does that right away she won’t have too many problems. The house is all fixed up and ready for her, which I was concerned wouldn’t happen in time, so yay!

We got there late in the afternoon, went to visit the Dr. guy (Omari?), introduced Jenna around – was funny to have us both there bc they thought I was their volunteer, or that both of us would stay there, and set ourselves up in her house – they put a temp bed, mattress, mosquito net and some buckets for us to use for the one day we were there. We fetched some water from the tap at the secondary school, lead by cute little Juma and introducing ourselves to some of the girls there. Jenna carried the water back on her head – something I still can’t do – hurts my neck! The Dr. and Boi sent some kids to get more water for us so we could shower, etc.

Fetching water at her site was super relaxing – you go on a not short but not long walk through bush trees and forest, no houses, no people, until you reach the secondary school. That’s one difference b/w her vill and mine – she has easily accessibly wilderness, great for running, exercising, escaping, while my vill is pretty congested and all farms as far as the eye can see.

It was great to watch Jenna take in her surroundings, let it sink in that this would be her home for two years, begin decorating in her mind and learn people’s names, all with this brightness, amazement and overwhelmed openness and excitement in her eyes – this must have been what I looked like one year ago. I found myself wishing I had had someone with me my first time in my vill – “I’m so glad you’re here” she said to me that evening, giving me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. She didn’t feel super confident w/ her Kiswahili then, which was made even more difficult by the differing accents and tribal language of our area (she’d only been in country 5 weeks at this point), but she’ll do just fine once she settles in. I did a lot of the talking, but tried not to be a show-off or take away her spotlight – I hate it when PCVs that have been here longer get all high and mighty and condescend the newbies – we were all there at one point! But she said she appreciated me filling in, I think she was overwhelmed and I don’t blame her It felt good to be her support person.

Before we went knocking on the Dr’s door for dinner we chilled and talked in her empty house, read, I did some yoga, and while I was doing a backward-leaning pose I can’t remember the name of I noticed something small crawling in a ceiling corner. It flopped/flew to the ground and struggled a bit – “hm, you have a bat” I said. Jenna started mildly freaking out while I grabbed a bucket to try to trap the thing, which was walking on its’ wings along the floor – a disabled bat? Well, I caught it, accidentally let it go, caught it again and let it outside. It’ll probably just come back, but I can’t bring myself to kill the buggers. Later on I found out that walking on wings is a sign of rabidity; so maybe next time I’ll toss aside my affection for furry-faced flying mammals and stomp it out of its’ misery. After this episode we checked the whole house and, finding no additional creepy crawlies, headed over for beans and rice with the Dr. and his adorable wife and family.

We were both tired from a long day, all the way from Dodo that morning at 6am, so we stayed long enough but not too long and went to bed nice and early, making ourselves a nest out of the khangas and the travel blankie I always carry, and a pillow for myself out of all the clothes I had. Just like camping.