Amelia Bedelia of Africa

I want to regal you with some stories I told to my sister on the phone Saturday to which she dubbed me the Amelia Bedelia of Africa. It is kind of true. First I was sweeping in my living room which is a necessary chore daily since bugs are attracted to my lights at night but then die by morning. Usually one of the girl students helps me but since they don’t always come on the weekend I decided to do it myself (novel idea). Well, I picked up a basket on the floor to move it and much to my dismay a bunch of ants scattered. I proceeded to get my can of Read A Dream Insecticide to kill them but when I sprayed a whole colony of ants evacuated the hole under a window in which they had been residing. So I went to move the curtain in order to open the window and which point one of the ants climbing on my drapes bit me. In the midst of all this chaos (and me standing there helplessly), one of the students Felicity walked into to save the day. Or at least my hands from more bites… She was quite calm and collected despite my opposite demeanor.

Once we got the bug situation under control and swept the deceased ants out of the house, I walked to the store with the freezer and bought us old juice boxes as a treat after our hard work. Later the same day, a massive storm rolled in bringing dark skies, strong winds, and a sideways downpour. Felicity and I were contentedly relaxing and reading on my mat (currently I only own one chair). But once the rain started I realized the water was coming in through the gap at the bottom of my back door and a window in the second bedroom so we both jumped up to sweep it out. My floors aren’t fancy so it’s not a big deal that water entered my house but it was discouraging to find out my house is neither insect nor waterproof.

Sunday I was lazy getting out of bed so missed the early bus to Sandema to go do my shopping for the week at the market. I paid dearly for my laziness- by waiting for the next bus for 4 hours. Yes 4 hours. Thankfully I am learning to have greater patience plus always bring a book with me to pass the time. Plus I had the chance to spend time conversing, playing games, and taking phone photos with some of the kids and women. It was definitely worthwhile to be able to eat out, have ice cream, and discover some ‘finds’ in the market. Simple items like an apple, green onions, a cucumber, and lemons (taste more like limes though) are exciting and bring much needed variety into my diet.

I’m so thankful that the students and kids are eager to assist me. One of the ways they help is by fetching water which is another common chore here. I’ve had a lot of questions about my water source so thought I’d end my post this week with a couple of photos. My water comes from a hand pump borehole of which there are several in my community but the closest one can be seen from the front porch of my house. Water is collected in buckets or jerry cans and carried on one’s head with a scarf or piece of cloth providing padding.

I have a water filter that I use for my drinking water and then I use the unfiltered water for bathing, washing dishes, and cooking. There is usually a mad rush to the borehole just before the sun goes down and it’s also a social activity as well for those congregating. In the mornings I’ve started boiling extra water besides what I need to my breakfast tea so I can take a warm/hot bucket bath. It’s nice because it makes me feel cleans and the cold water makes me chilly in the mornings. It still amazes me that I am able to clean my hair and myself with just one bucket of water. Maybe I’ll continue bucket bathing in America…